Longaví

Longaví
City and Commune
A view of Longaví City
Flag Coat of arms Location in the Maule Region Longaví Location in Chile
Coordinates: 35°58′S 71°41′W / 35.967°S 71.683°W / -35.967; -71.683Coordinates: 35°58′S 71°41′W / 35.967°S 71.683°W / -35.967; -71.683
Country	Chile
Region	Maule
Province	Linares
Founded	1937
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Alcalde	Mario Briones Araice (PPD)
Area
• Total	1,453.8 km2 (561.3 sq mi)
Area rank	1
Elevation	133 m (436 ft)
Population (2012 Census)
• Total	28,499
• Density	20/km2 (51/sq mi)
• Urban	6,206
• Rural	21,955
Sex
• Men	14649
• Women	13512
Time zone	CLT (UTC-4)
• Summer (DST)	CLST (UTC-3)
Postal code	3620000
Area code(s)	56 + 732
Website	www.municipalidadlongavi.cl

Longaví (in Mapudungun: snake's head) is a Chilean city and commune located in Linares Province, one of the four provinces that make up the Maule Region, in the geographical center of Chile.

The commune has a surface of 1,453.8 km² (561 sq mi) and is bordered by Linares in the north, Retiro and Parral in the south, San Javier in the west and Colbún in the east. The Achibueno River separates Longaví from Linares while the Longaví River separates it from Retiro. The city of Longaví lies on the left margin of the Liguay River, in the fertile central plain, and is located 316 km (196 mi) to the south of Santiago, the nation's capital, and 18 km (11 mi) to the south of Linares, the provincial capital. Longaví is linked with the rest of the country by the Pan-American Highway (Ruta 5 Sur).

The foothills of the Andes occupy the eastern part of the commune. The terrain there is mountainous and hilly, with beautiful landscapes, a well-developed hydrographic network and dense woods on the hills. Among the snow-covered mountains, the mountain Longaví (Nevado de Longaví), a stratovolcano, stands for its beauty and characteristic conical shape. It is a scenic spot seen from virtually every point of the central plain of the province and its neighboring ones.