It is the terminus of an abandoned 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge railway project which supporters cited as the most practical railway route through the Andes to Argentina, but which lacks a link between Lonquimay and Zapala in Argentina; revival of the project was announced in 2005 and progress begun within Chile. The line includes Chile's longest tunnel measuring 4,563 m (4,990 yd).
Demographics
According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Lonquimay spans an area of 3,914.2 km2 (1,511 sq mi) and has 10,237 inhabitants (5,414 men and 4,823 women). Of these, 3,435 (33.6%) lived in urban areas and 6,802 (66.4%) in rural areas. The population grew by 12.5% (1,138 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[3]
Located in the Andes, at 900 metres (3,000 ft) above sea level, Lonquimay has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb), with an average annual precipitation of 1,990 millimetres (78 in). Summers have warm days and chilly to cool nights. Winters are chilly and wetter, with heavy snowfall. This climate favors winter sports,[citation needed] and at the foot of the Lonquimay is The Corralco Mountain and Ski Resort.
Climate data for Longquimay, elevation 900 m (3,000 ft)
^Hajek, Ernst; Castri, Francesco (1975). "Bioclimatografia de Chile"(PDF) (in Spanish). Archived from the original(PDF) on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
