Concepción, Chile
Concepción (Spanish pronunciation: [konseβˈsjon] ; originally: Concepción de la Madre Santísima de la Luz, "Conception of the Blessed Mother of Light") is a city and commune in south-central Chile, and the geographical and demographic core of the Greater Concepción metropolitan area, one of the three major conurbations in the country.[4] It has a significant impact on domestic trade[5] being part of the most heavily industrialized region in the country.[6] It is the seat of the Concepción Province and the capital of the Bío Bío Region. It sits about 500 km south of the nation's capital, Santiago.
For other uses, see Concepción.
Concepción
La Concepción de María Purísima
del Nuevo Extremo (original name)
del Nuevo Extremo (original name)
October 5, 1550
Municipality
Álvaro Ortiz (DC)
222 km2 (86 sq mi)
12 m (39 ft)
223,574
1,318/km2 (3,410/sq mi)
719,944
971,285
Penquista
2023
$22.0 billion[3]
56 + 41
www
The city was first settled in the Bay of Concepción, in the zone that would later become the commune of Penco, now part of the Concepción conurbation. The city's demonym, penquista, comes from the place of its original foundation. The city center and historic district is located in the Valle de la Mocha (La Mocha Valley), where it relocated after serious damage left by an earthquake in 1751.
The origin of Concepción dates back to 1550, when it was founded by Pedro de Valdivia as part of the Spanish Empire, under the name of Concepción de María Purísima del Nuevo Extremo, and was the capital of the Kingdom of Chile between 1565 and 1573, retaining the unofficial position of military capital[7] for the rest of the colonial period. The city was an important site in the struggle for Chile's independence, with the Chilean declaration of Independence being held at Concepción's Plaza de la Independencia. Until the election of Manuel Montt in 1851 as president executive power in independent Chile was dominated by Concepción elites.[8]
The city is a known college town in Chile,[9][10] as it is home to numerous educational institutions, including the University of Concepción, the University of the Bío Bío, and the Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception. The commune also contains various historical bridges, murals, parks and lakes, as well as important cultural venues such as the Teatro Biobío, the Casa del Arte, the local Natural History Museum, and the Teatro Universidad de Concepción.
Seismology[edit]
Like most of the Chilean territory, the Concepción region is seismically active, with much of Concepción destroyed by a violent earthquake in 1939. An earthquake in 1953 damaged 15% of the town's buildings. Another major earthquake in 1960 had a nearby epicenter.[18]
On February 27, 2010, an earthquake of 8.8 magnitudes struck at 35.846°S, 72.719°W, 115 km (71 mi) NNE of the city. The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 0334 GMT on Saturday at a depth of 35 km (22 mi). The effects were felt as far away as São Paulo, Brazil—4,620 kilometres (2,870 mi).
Transportation[edit]
The city is served by Carriel Sur International Airport in Talcahuano. The metro area's public transportation comprises a number of bus lines that run through several avenues and streets of the communes belonging to the agglomeration, as well as the commuter rail system known as Biotrén.
Concepción was one of the host cities of the official 1959 Basketball World Cup, where Chile won the bronze medal.
Today, Concepción is home to three professional football teams:
The most notable professional basketball team is:
Arch of the Faculty of Medicine University of Concepción
Tour Lígure of Concepción
The hotel Araucano of Concepción in the center of the city
View of Ecuador Park, on the slopes of Cerro Caracol
Plaza de la Independencia
Law court
The avenue O'Higgins
Casa de Pedro del Río
Buildings in Concepción
Spanish Center
Civic center
Notable events[edit]
A 23 year old Chilean forestry student named Jorge Matute disappeared mysteriously in a discotheque that was located close to Concepción on 20 November 1999. In February 2004 on a road in Santa Juana, Matute's remains were found and identified.[40]
