| Osorno Province | |
| Native Name: | Provincia de Osorno |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Settlement Type: | Province |
| Mapsize: | 175px |
| Map Alt: | Location in the Los Lagos Region |
| Pushpin Map: | Chile |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Location in Chile |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 175 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Chile |
| Coordinates: | -40.5833°N -83°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Chile |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Los Lagos |
| Parts Type: | Communes |
| Parts Style: | coll |
| Parts: | List of 7: |
| P1: | Osorno |
| P2: | Puerto Octay |
| P3: | Purranque |
| P4: | Puyehue |
| P5: | Río Negro |
| P6: | San Pablo |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Osorno |
| Named For: | Osorno la Mayor, Spain |
| Government Type: | Provincial |
| Leader Party: | UDI |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Daniel Lilayu Vivanco |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 9223.7 |
| Area Rank: | 3 |
| Population Total: | 221496 |
| Population As Of: | 2012 census |
| Population Rank: | 2 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Urban |
| Population Blank1: | 163,808 |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Rural |
| Population Blank2: | 57,701 |
| Demographics Type1: | Sex |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Male |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 110,048 |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Female |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 111,461 |
| Timezone1: | CLT |
| Utc Offset1: | -4 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CLT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | -3 |
| Area Code: | 56 + 64 |
| Website: | Government of Osorno |
Osorno Province (Spanish; Castilian: Provincia de Osorno) is one of the four provinces in the southern Chilean region of Los Lagos (X). The province has an area of 9223.7sqkm and a population of 221,496 distributed across seven communes (Spanish: comunas). The provincial capital is the city of Osorno.
Osorno is a city located in southern Chile a territory of northern Patagonia in the Los Lagos Region. The Chilean Patagonia starts at Latitude 39° South in Valdivia and then it continues through the Chiloe Island and the fiords that continue its course south through the Pacific Ocean and the Cordillera de los Andes until it reaches Latitude 56° South at Cape Horn.The province possesses one of the most frequented mountain passes of Chile, the Cardenal Antonio Samoré Pass which links the province with Villa La Angostura and San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina.
As a province, Osorno is a second-level administrative division, governed by a provincial governor who is appointed by the president. The Osorno Province comprises seven communes; each commune is governed by its own municipality, headed by an alcalde.
The first inhabitants of the area were the indigenous Huilliche people. Osorno also featured largely in German Colonization in Chile, which took place in the 19th century, when the Chilean government brought German settlers to assist in the growth of the region.
The Osorno province owes its legacy to fairly recent Chilean settlement, when the government subdued the region's indigenous Mapuche peoples in the mid-19th century and opened the land to Chilean and European immigration soon to follow. Large percentage of locals in Osorno are descendants of Spanish (the livestock grazing industry owes its foundation to the Basques) and other European immigrants.
In Osorno, there are historic ties and bonds with the Dutch, British esp. Scots with some Irish and English, French, Germans including Austrians and Swiss, Italians, Portuguese, ex-Yugoslavians, Greeks and from the Middle East are Arabs and Palestinians. These ethnic groups came in the late 19th century and early 20th century period.
The provincial cultural heritage is shaped by Huilliche, Spanish, and German influences. Around 1850, the government of Chile began inviting German settlers to the colony to promote growth in the region; the settlers found Osorno's climate and geography to be very similar to their own. With their help, Osorno was made the home of the national cattle ranch of Chile, boosting the regional economy significantly. Present-day Osorno has preserved 19th-century architecture and urban layout, represented by six houses which have been designated national monuments.[2]
The main economic activity in the province is livestock, Osorno being one of the most important agricultural centers of Chile, which is identified with the slogan "Land of Milk and Meat of Chile". Another important economic activity is tourism.
Tourist destinations in the province includes the: