Saavedra () is a commune of Chile in Cautín Province, Araucanía Region. The principal community and administrative centre of the commune is the town of Puerto Saavedra. The commune is named after the Chilean soldier General Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez who was placed in charge of the occupation of the Araucanía in 1860. It has the highest percentage—though not the largest number—of Mapuche people in the region (64%, 2002 census). It is also the location for the 1991 movie "La Frontera".

thumb|left|180px|[[Rehue at the Cerro Maule lookout point ("mirador") near Puerto Saavedra, Chile Feb 16, 2009]]

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Saavedra spans an area of and has 14,034 inhabitants (7,259 men and 6,775 women). Of these, 2,679 (19.1%) lived in urban areas and 11,355 (80.9%) in rural areas. The population fell by 2.8% (398 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

References