Chile: Concepción.

The VIII Biobío Region (Spanish: VIII Región del Biobío) is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions and comprises four provinces Arauco, Biobio, Concepción and Ñuble. Its capital is Concepción, other important cities include Chillan, Coronel, Hualpen, Los Angeles and Talcahuano.

The Concepcion province, one of the province of Biobio Region, is composed by 12 communes:

* Concepción
* Coronel
* Chiguayante
* Florida
* Hualpén
* Hualqui
* Lota
* Penco
* San Pedro de la Paz
* Santa Juana
* Talcahuano
* Tomé

Talcahuano, Lota, Cañete, Chiguayante are 4 of the cities in Concepcion Province affected by Chile Earthquake 2010. Arauco is from Arauco Province.

Conception city
Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Biobío Region or Region VIII. Concepción is the second largest city of Chile with a population of over 900,000 as of 2002. It is located on the coast of the Biobio Region.

The Gran Concepción or Greater Concepción is the name that receives the whole metropolitan area, which including Talcahuano, San Pedro de la Paz, Hualpén, Chiguayante, Penco, Tomé, Lota, Coronel, Hualqui and Concepción) is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants (2002 census). Individually, it is the 11th largest commune in the country, with a population of 212,003.

Despite Concepcion is the 2nd largest city in Chile, it is not clearly indicated in Goggle map ,only Talcahuano is clearly indicated,which may implied that Talcahuano is bigger than Concepcion. The Gran Concepcion is not clearly shown.

Map of Concepcion

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History
Concepción was founded by Pedro de Valdivia in 1550 north of the Bío-Bío River, at the site which is today known as Penco. At that time it was given the name Concepción del Nuevo Extremo.
More than once the city has been destroyed by earthquakes and tsunamis. One in 1570, another on the 25 May 1751, at which point it was decided to move Concepción further from the sea to its present location in the Mocha Valley.

Due to earthquakes and tsunamis, which razed the town in 1570, 1657, 1687, 1730 and another on May 25, 1751, the authorities decided to move the town to its current location to the Valle de la Mocha, alongside the Bío-Bío River and prohibited the occupation of the old location, which remained unsettled until March 29, 1842, when the present town of Penco was founded.

The new site for the town of Concepción became the main town of the Intendancy of Concepción, whose jurisdiction extended from the Maule River to La Frontera. The first Intendant of Concepción was the Irishman Ambrose O'Higgins, Marquis of Osorno, who later became Royal Governor of Chile and Viceroy of Peru.

When the First National Government Board met in Santiago on September 18, 1810, citizens of Concepción joined up. Concepcion was used as the point of entry by the Spanish Army in the attempt by the Viceroyalty of Peru to re-conquer Chile. Concepción politicians and soldiers became a significant political force in the newly-independent country.

On January 1, 1818, Ambrose O'Higgins's son, Bernardo O'Higgins, proclaimed and took the oath of the Chilean War of Independence in the main square of Concepción, which since then has been known as "Plaza de la Independencia". On February 20, 1835, the town again was largely destroyed by an earthquake and had to be rebuilt.

As of 2010, Concepción is the second largest city of Chile. The Universidad de Concepción, founded in 1919, became the first private university in Chile. The neighboring harbor of Talcahuano is the site of the largest naval base in Chile.

Education city
Concepción has the second largest concentration of universities in Chile, and is home to three major universities. The Universidad de Concepción, founded in 1919, and with its main campus in the city became the first private university in Chile.

Naval Base
The neighbouring harbour of Talcahuano holds the largest naval base in the country.

Rock Music capital
Concepción is one of the most active cities in Chilean rock music and many famous rock groups in Chile started up in Concepción.



Talcahuano
Talcahuano is a municipality and port city in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is part of the Greater Concepción conurbation. Talcahuano is located in the south of the central zone of Chile. Together with ten other municipalities, it forms part of the Province of Concepción, which in turn is one of four provinces that forms the VIII Region or Biobío Region.

The municipality of Talcahuano has an area of 148.29 km² and, according to the 2002 Census, has a population of 250,348 inhabitants. With a population density of 1,873 inhabitants per square kilometre, it is the seventh most populated city of the country.

The official foundation date of Talcahuano is November 5, 1764 when Antonio Guill y Gonzaga declared an official port. The city is named after an Araucanian chief, Talcahueñu, who inhabited the region at the arrival of the Spanish. In Mapudungun, the language of the indigenous Mapuches, Talcahuano means “Thundering Sky”.

The port was well known to American whaleships of the 19th century. They often put in for fresh water, food, and various forms of entertainment for the crews. Talcahuano contains Chile's main naval base.

On February 27 2010 at 15:30 GMT it was damaged by the 2010 Chile Earthquake.