Concepción (; originally: ''Concepción de la Madre Santísima de la Luz'', "Conception of the Blessed Mother of Light") is a city and

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in central

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, and the geographical and demographic core of the Greater Concepción

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

, one of the three major conurbations in the country. It has a significant impact on domestic trade being part of the most heavily industrialized region in the country. It is the seat of the Concepción Province and capital of the Bío Bío Region. It sits about 500 km south of the nation's capital,

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

. The city was first settled in the

Bay of Concepción The Bay of Concepción is a natural bay on the coast of the Province of Concepción in the Bío Bío Region of Chile. Within the bay are many of the most important ports of the region and the country, among them Penco, Talcahuano Talcahuano ...

, in the zone that would later become the commune of

Penco Penco ( Mapudungun: See (''Pen''), Water (''Ko'')), is a Chilean city and commune in Concepción Province, Bío Bío Region on the Bay of Concepción. Founded as the city of Concepción del Nuevo Extremo ('beginning of the new extreme') on Febr ...

, now part of the Concepción conurbation. The city's demonym, , comes from the place of its original foundation. The city center and historic district is located in the

Valle de la Mocha Valle de la Mocha ("the Valley of Mocha") is a plain in Chile on the north shore of the Bio-Bio River that contained the '' reducción'' of Mapuche who were transported in 1685, from Mocha Island by Governor José de Garro; from which the valley ...

(La Mocha Valley), where it relocated after serious damages 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 The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

, under the name of ''Concepción de María Purísima del Nuevo Extremo'', and was the capital of the

Kingdom of Chile The Captaincy General of Chile (''Capitanía General de Chile'' ) or Governorate of Chile (known colloquially and unofficially as the Kingdom of Chile), was a territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1817 that was, for most of its existenc ...

between 1565 and 1573, retaining the unofficial position of military capital 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 Manuel Francisco Antonio Julián Montt Torres (; September 4, 1809 – September 21, 1880) was a Chilean statesman and scholar. He was twice elected President of Chile between 1851 and 1861. Biography Montt was born in Petorca, Valparaíso R ...

in 1851 as president executive power in independent Chile was dominated by Concepción elites. The city is a known

college town A college town or university town is a community (often a separate town or city, but in some cases a town/city neighborhood or a district) that is dominated by its university population. The university may be large, or there may be several sma ...

in Chile, as it is home to numerous educational institutions, including the

University of Concepción A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, the University of the Bío Bío, and the

Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception The Universidad Católica de la Santísima ConcepciónErasmusCatholic University of the Most Holy Conception sometimes translated as "Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception", ( es, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción ) is ...

. 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''.

History

Concepción was founded by Don

Pedro de Valdivia Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva (; April 17, 1497 – December 25, 1553) was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, wh ...

I.S.W. Vernon, 1969 in 1550 north of the Bío Bío River, at the site which is today known as

. At that time it was given the name ''Concepción de María Purísima del Nuevo Extremo'' (Mary Immaculate Conception of the New End). The new settlement of Concepción was just a few kilometers north of '' La Frontera'' (The Frontier), the boundary between Spanish territory and the land of the

Mapuche The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who sha ...

, an American Indian ethnic group that remained independent until the 1870s. The settlement was formally recognized by the Spanish authorities as a town two years later by a royal decree. It was given a coat-of-arms that is still in use today. At the time of the Spanish arrival to the Concepción area chronicler

Jerónimo de Vivar Jerónimo de Vivar was a Spanish historian of the early conquest and settlement of the Kingdom of Chile, and author of ''Crónica y relación copiosa y verdadera de los reinos de Chile''. Little is known about his life except that according to his ...

noted local Mapuches wore gold and silver

bracelet A bracelet is an article of jewellery that is worn around the wrist. Bracelets may serve different uses, such as being worn as an ornament. When worn as ornaments, bracelets may have a supportive function to hold other items of decoration, suc ...

s and "sort of crowns". This is interpreted either as

Incan The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...

gifts, war spoils from defeated Incas, or adoption of Incan

metallurgy Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the sc ...

. Although Concepción was a significant military settlement for the

Captaincy General of Chile The Captaincy General of Chile (''Capitanía General de Chile'' ) or Governorate of Chile (known colloquially and unofficially as the Kingdom of Chile), was a territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1817 that was, for most of its existenc ...

, it was overrun and destroyed by Mapuche armies in 1554, and once again after being refounded in 1555. Concepción was restored during the governorship of

García Hurtado de Mendoza García or Garcia may refer to: People * García (surname) * Kings of Pamplona/Navarre ** García Íñiguez of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 851/2–882 ** García Sánchez I of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 931–970 ** García Sánchez II of Pam ...

when he landed there and built a fort on the Alto de Pinto in 1557. The town was refounded once more on January 6, 1558, by captain Jerónimo de Villegas. It became the headquarters of the military forces engaged against the

in La Araucanía over the next two centuries, growing to a population of 10,000 despite a

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

in 1564 and other attacks by the Mapuche. Concepción was the home of the

Real Audiencia A ''Real Audiencia'' (), or simply an ''Audiencia'' ( ca, Reial Audiència, Audiència Reial, or Audiència), was an appellate court in Spain and its empire. The name of the institution literally translates as Royal Audience. The additional des ...

from 1565 to 1575.

Earthquakes An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

and

tsunamis A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater expl ...

, which razed the town in 1570, 1657, 1687, 1730 and 1751, led the authorities to move the town to its current site in the

, alongside the Bío Bío River; the old site lay empty until March 29, 1842, when the present town of

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 The Royal Governor of Chile ruled over the Spanish colonial administrative district called the Captaincy General of Chile, and as a result the Royal Governor also held the title of a Captain General. There were 66 such governors or captains du ...

and

Viceroy of Peru The viceroys of Peru ruled the Viceroyalty of Peru from 1544 to 1824 in the name of the monarch of Spain. The territories under ''de jure'' rule by the viceroys included in the 16th and 17th century almost all of South America except eastern Braz ...

. When the First National Government Board met in

on September 18, 1810, citizens of Concepción joined up. Concepción was used as the point of entry by the Spanish Army in the attempt by the

Viceroyalty of Peru The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed from ...

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 Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; August 20, 1778 – October 24, 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque-Spanish and Irish ancestry. Althou ...

, 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". Until the moment of independence, the city had been the scene of various engagements in its old and new settlement. On February 20, 1835, the town again was largely destroyed by an earthquake and had to be rebuilt. By 1875, a key British community and German colony existed within the province. By 1895, there was an even larger Spanish presence. The

Universidad de Concepción Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

, founded in 1919, became the first secular private university in Chile. The neighboring harbor of Talcahuano is the site of the largest naval base in Chile. On February 27, 2010, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Concepción, killing more than 521 people and injuring thousands nationwide. Following the earthquake, geologists relying on global positioning satellite (GPS) data concluded that the city had been displaced roughly to the west as a result of the event. The tsunami that followed missed the city. After the 2010 Chile earthquake, a

prison riot A prison riot is an act of concerted defiance or disorder by a group of prisoners against the prison administrators, prison officers, or other groups of prisoners. Prison riots have not been the subject of many academic studies or research inqui ...

began in Concepción's El Manzano prison following a failed escape attempt by the inmates. Different parts of the prison were set on fire and the riot was controlled only after the guards shot into the air and received help from military units. As of March 5, 2010, a Peruvian field hospital has been deployed to the city.UKPA
"Foreign hospitals help out Chile"
''March 6, 2010'' (accessed March 6, 2010)

Seismology

Like most of 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.J.M. Nickles, 1965 On February 27, 2010, an earthquake of 8.8 magnitude struck at 35.846°S, 72.719°W, NNE of the city. The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 0334 GMT on Saturday at a depth of . The effects were felt as far away as

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, Brazil—.

Education

Concepción is known as "the university city" thanks to the numerous universities within the urban agglomeration, since one of the most important universities of the country were founded here, such as the

Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción The Universidad Católica de la Santísima ConcepciónErasmusCatholic University of the Most Holy Conception sometimes translated as "Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception", ( es, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción ) is ...

and Universidad del Biobío. This city also has numerous headquarters for many other universities. In addition, this metropolis has a large educational offer, focused on institutes, centers of technical formation and the universities aforementioned. Campanil udec

Universities

The University Pencopolitana whose name was Pontificia Universidad Pencopolitana de La Concepción (Pontifical Pencopolitana University of The Conception) was an old university founded though a decree of the Bishop of Concepción, delivered to the administration of the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

which functioned between the years 1724 and 1767. On May 24, 1751, an

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

followed by a

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...

, ravaged the city causing serious damage, including the destruction of the library of the university and all of its funds. As a product of the fury of the waters, a rich collection of texts of the governance of southern Chile were lost, which resulted in a disaster for the culture and collective memory of the city. Due to the natural disasters, it was decided to relocate the city to the called

, location where it is currently situated. Slowly the seminary was revived in the new location, in a period of decline in academic activity in Chilean monastic universities after the creation of the

Universidad de San Felipe The Royal University of San Felipe ( es, Real Universidad de San Felipe) was a university created by King Philip V in 1738, in territory which was then part of the Kingdom of Spain. It was officially founded in Santiago in 1747 and began teachin ...

, yet some degrees continued to be granted before the

Suppression of the Society of Jesus The suppression of the Jesuits was the removal of all members of the Society of Jesus from most of the countries of Western Europe and their colonies beginning in 1759, and the abolishment of the order by the Holy See in 1773. The Jesuits were ...

in 1767. The aforementioned University is considered to be the natural and legitimate predecessor of the

(UCSC), erected by the Archbishop of Concepción in 1991, from the

Talcahuano Talcahuano () (From Mapudungun ''Tralkawenu'', "Thundering Sky") is a port city and commune 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. Geo ...

Regional Headquarters of the

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (''PUC or UC Chile'') ( es, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) is one of the six Catholic Universities existing in the Chilean university system and one of the two pontifical universities i ...

. The image of the Pontifical University of Concepción Pencopolitana, is still valid, for His Majesty

King Juan Carlos I of Spain Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...

in his 1990 speech on the occasion of his inauguration as Doctor Honoris Causa in the

University of Chile The University of Chile ( es, Universidad de Chile) is a public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

, in

Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

, said: "The work of the Pontifical University Pencopolitana should not be ignored, even before the creation of the University of San Felipe" (Juan Carlos's account fails to acknowledge the existence of San Felipe's predecessor, the Dominican Universidad de Santo Tomás de Aquino, from the sixteenth century in Santiago). Meanwhile, the University of Chile allowed schools in the city to teach courses in law which allowed men to obtain a law degree. Among its students was Henry Urrutia Manzano, who decades later became president of the Supreme Court of Chile. The

was created in 1919 by a group of citizens including Enrique Molina Garmendia, its first rector. Eventually the university began to receive state support, becoming part of the traditional universities, becoming one of three most important universities in the country, and the most importance at the regional level.

Traditional universities

* Universidad del Bío-Bío *

Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

Private universities

Universidad del Desarrollo Universidad del Desarrollo (Spanish for "University for development") is a Chilean private university, one of the most expensive universities in the region. Its main campus is in Santiago de Chile, with a secondary campus in Concepción. Histor ...

Universidad Andrés Bello Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

* Universidad Arcis * Universidad San Sebastián *

Universidad Santo Tomás Saint Thomas University ( es, Universidad Santo Tomás) is a Roman Catholic university located in Bogotá, Colombia. It is the oldest Colombian university, founded in 1580 by the Dominican Order. It has campuses in Bucaramanga, Tunja, Medellín ...

University of the Pacific (Chile) University of the Pacific ( es, Universidad del Pacífico - UPA) is a private university in Chile. It was founded in 1990 and the main headquarters is in Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and ...

* Universidad de Las Américas *

Universidad Bolivariana The Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela (UBV, en, Bolivarian University of Venezuela) is a state university in Venezuela founded in 2003 by decree of President Hugo Chávez. The UBV is a part of the Chávez government's " Mission Sucre" social ...

* Universidad Pedro de Valdivia * Universidad La República * Universidad de Aconcagua * Universidad Tecnológica de Chile INACAP

Professional institutes

* Instituto Profesional DuocUC, of the

* Instituto Profesional Virginio Gómez, of the

* Instituto Tecnológico, of the

* Instituto Profesional Santo Tomás, of the

* Instituto Profesional AIEP, of the

* Instituto Profesional La Araucana * Instituto Profesional Providencia * Instituto de Estudios Bancarios Guillermo Subercaseaux * Instituto Profesional Diego Portales * Instituto Profesional Crecic * Instituto Profesional Placex * Instituto Profesional INACAP

Primary and secondary schools

The city has a French international school, the ''

Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle The Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle, usually referred to as the Lycée or the French Lycée, is a French co-educational primary and secondary independent school, independent day school, situated in South Kensington in the Royal Borough ...

'' and a German school, the Colegio Alemán de Concepción and a British school, Saint John's School, the former located in the city downtown and the latter examples in San Pedro de la Paz. The defunct Concepción College was a parochial girls' day school and boarding school, established in 1878 by the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

. * Liceo Comercial Femenino Concepción

Transportation

The city is served by

Carriel Sur International Airport Carriel Sur International Airport is located in Talcahuano, Greater Concepción in the Bío Bío Region, 8 km (5 mi) from Concepción downtown. It is one of the largest airports in Chile and serves domestic traffic for LATAM Airlin ...

in Talcahuano. The metro area's public transportation comprises a number of bus lines which run through several avenues and streets of the communes belonging to the agglomeration, as well as the

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

system known as Biotrén.

Climate

The climate of Concepción is classified as

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

'' Csb'', with a dry summer in February. The cool waters of the Pacific Ocean help to maintain mild temperatures throughout the year. Temperatures rarely exceed or fall below . In the six-month period between May and October, the city receives approximately 83% of its total annual precipitation, which totals . The wettest month since records began in 1912 was June 2000 with , whilst all months from November to April have been rainless on occasions. The maritime cooling brings much cooler temperatures than nearby inland areas on the same parallel in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, where average summer highs match Concepción's all-time records. Summer temperatures for the 36 degrees latitude are rarely as cool as they are in Concepción, and on the Atlantic coast of Argentina, similar or hotter summer temperatures are found much further from the equator. However, this moderation is evident for the entire Chilean Pacific so is not unique for Concepción. Similar cool-summer

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

tendencies are found on the West Coast of North America on similar parallels, even though Concepción tends to have slightly wetter winters than San Francisco for example. Conversely, record winter nighttime temperatures in Concepcion are significantly more moderate than temperatures recorded on the Argentine Atlantic coast at the same latitude, where temperatures below have occurred. As might be expected for such a large urban area heavily dependent on wood-burning for heat and diesel for transport, the air in Concepción is the third-most polluted in Chile, after

and

Temuco Temuco () is a city and commune, capital of the Cautín Province and of the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. The city is located south of Santiago. The city grew out from a fort of the same name established in 1881 during Chile's invasion ...

Demographics

According to data collected on 2002 in the Census of the National Institute of Statistics, the township has an area of and a population of 216,061 inhabitants, of whom 103,860 are men and 112,201 are women. As a commune, Concepcion is home to 14.35% of the total population of the region. 1.88% (4,058 persons) is for rural population and 98.12% (212,003) to urban population. Moreover, 5.5% of the country's population lives in the Greater Concepción metro area. Between 1970 and 1982 there is a large increase in the population. One reason is the inclusion of San Pedro, segregated from the municipality of Coronel. The Concepción commune population sharply declined in 1996 as its territory was divided, creating Chiguayante and

San Pedro de la Paz San Pedro de la Paz () is a Chilean city and commune located in the Concepción Province, Biobío Region. It has some 80,447 inhabitants according to the 2002 national census. In 2005, the Pedro Aguirre Cerda avenue, the main avenue in the city, ...

. The number of people living in these communes has grown quickly since they have become

bedroom communities A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

of ''Concepción'', i.e. residential cities that do not have a center with many shops, as is the case of Concepcion. There is a significant percentage of foreign residents in the city, the most numerous are the Spanish, Italian and US expatriate communities. There are also smaller segments of German, French, British,

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

, Croatian, Scandinavian,

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

and Australian descendants in a city settled by waves of immigration.

Cultural life

To an outsider, there may be confusion between the

demonym A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...

s of the inhabitants of Concepción and the nearby city of Penco. Due to the previous location of Concepción being where Penco currently stands, inhabitants of Concepción are called ''penquistas'' while inhabitants of Penco are known as ''pencones''. Additionally, the unofficial term ''pencopolitano'' has been coined to refer to locals of any commune belonging to the

metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

or, in a wider definition, to the Concepción province, although the term penquista can technically be used in this case as well. REC_2020

In 2014, the ''Rock en Conce'' festival began to take shape. It would be held outdoors, in the city's ''Parque Bicentenario'' (Bicentennial Park), and access to it would be free. The aim of the festival would be to restore the musical spotlight that the city embodied and that earned it the reputation of being the ''cradle of Chilean rock'' and, at the same time, to establish itself as a major tourist attraction for the city. Its first edition took place on Saturday, March 7, 2015, and since then it has been held with great success every year at the end of each summer, bringing together emerging local bands with major and renowned artists from the national and international scene. Lostres

Music

Concepción has been described as the "Chilean capital of rock", since numerous bands of this

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

have started their careers in the city, such as

Los Tres Los Tres also known as The Tr3s or The 3, is a Chilean rock band. The band was formed in 1987 in Concepción by Álvaro Henríquez, Roberto Lindl, Francisco Molina and later Ángel Parra Jr. joined. They are one of the most influential roc ...

Los Bunkers Los Bunkers (Spanish for ''The Bunkers'') is an alternative rock band from Concepción, Chile, formed in 1999 by brothers Álvaro and Gonzalo López, Mauricio Basualto, and brothers Francisco and Mauricio Durán. They are well known in their c ...

, Emociones Clandestinas, Santos Dumont, De Saloon, Machuca and Julius Popper, among others. Numerous bands have played their first major concerts in the city, such as

Los Prisioneros Los Prisioneros ("The Prisoners") were a Chilean rock/pop band formed in San Miguel, Santiago, in 1983. They are considered one of the most important Chilean bands, and arguably the strongest musical influences that Chile has made to Latin Ame ...

. The city's music venues are a main feature of the

tourist route A scenic route, tourist road, tourist route, tourist drive, holiday route, theme route, or scenic byway is a specially designated road or waterway that travels through an area of natural or cultural beauty. It often passes by scenic viewpoint ...

, ''La Ruta de la Música'', a project driven by the National Service of Tourism (SERNATUR), where besides the rock scene, the local jazz and folk scenes are also shown.

Sports

Concepción was one of the host cities of the official 1959 Basketball World Cup, where

won the bronze medal. Today, Concepción is home of three professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

teams: *

Club Deportivo Universidad de Concepción Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

, currently in the Primera División *

Club Deportivo Ferroviario Almirante Arturo Fernández Vial Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

, currently in the Chilean second division * Club de Deportes Concepción, currently in the Chilean third division. The most notable professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

team is: *

C.D. Universidad de Concepción Club Deportivo Universidad de Concepción also known as Universidad de Concepción, are a Chilean Association football, football club based in Concepción, Chile, Concepción, that is a current member of the Primera B de Chile, Primera B. The cl ...

, currently in the

Liga Nacional de Básquetbol de Chile The Liga Nacional de Básquetbol de Chile, also known as the LNB Chile, is the top national basketball leagues in Chile, it is a professional league, organized by the Federación de Básquetbol de Chile. The league was created in 2010 and the old ...

Economy

Historically characterized by a strong manufacturing industry, Concepción has also been a major center for distribution and services and the financial basis of the regional economy.

Commerce

Trade in the city is concentrated in the ''Plaza Independencia'' (Independence Square), the pedestrian street ''Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga'' (built in 1981), and along the major avenues. One such avenue is the ''Diego Barros Arana'' street which has developed into the commercial center of the city and the region was until 1907 even known as "''calle Comercio''" ("Commerce Street"). New commercial centers are being developed around the old central station and the new civic district as a part of the Chilean bicentennial (September 18, 2010). A considerable percentage of local trade is taking place in settlements around the city, in communes such as

Hualpén Hualpén () is a Chilean city and commune belonging to Concepción Province and the Biobío Region. It is part of the conurbation of Greater Concepción. The commune spans an area of . Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National ...

and

, where there are bustling shopping centers, such as Mall Plaza del Trébol, and where there is a constant commercial development. Other commercial spots, related to food, are the Vega Monumental and Mercado Central de Concepción (Central Market of Concepción) places offering various services and agricultural and livestock products.

Administration

As a

, Concepción is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2016–2020 mayor is Alvaro Ortiz Vera (

Christian Democratic Party __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...

), who was first elected in 2012. The communal council has 10 seats, which are currently occupied (2016–2020) by three for

, two for National Renewal, two for

Independent Democrat Union The Independent Democratic Union (''Unión Demócrata Independiente'', UDI) is a conservative and right-wing political party in Chile, founded in 1983. Its founder was the lawyer, politician and law professor Jaime Guzmán, a civilian allied with ...

, one for

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

, one for

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...

, and one for Radical Party. The following members are: Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Concepción is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Gaston Saavedra ( PS), José Miguel Ortiz ( PDC), Jaime Toha (PS), Felix Gonzalez (

PEV PEV or PeV may refer to: * Ecologist Party "The Greens" (), a Portuguese eco-socialist political party * Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland (), a Protestant Christian-democratic political party in Switzerland * Petaelectronvolt (PeV), a mea ...

), Enrique Van Rysselberghe (UDI), Sergio Bobadilla (UDI), Francesca Muñoz (RN) and Leonidas Romero (RN), as part of the 21st electoral district ( Concepción Province without Lota). The commune is represented in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

by Alejandro Navarro Brain ( MAS) and Jacqueline Van Rysselberghe (UDI) as part of the 12th senatorial constituency (Biobío-Costa).

Notable citizens

Gallery

Arco de Medicina UdeC.jpg, Arch of the Faculty of Medicine University of Concepción Moderno Edificio en Concepción.jpg, Tour Lígure of Concepción Hotel El Araucano.JPG, The hotel Araucano of Concepción in the center of the city Parque Ecuador.jpg, View of Ecuador Park, on the slopes of Cerro Caracol Casa-central.jpg, Plaza de la Independencia Edificio de los Tribunales de Justicia de Concepcion.JPG, Law court Concepcion1.jpg, The avenue O'Higgins Casa de Pedro del Rio Castellon.JPG, Casa de Pedro del Río Concepcion, edificios (15400894209).jpg, Buildings in Concepción Centro Español de Concepción.jpg, Spanish Center Centro Cívico Concepción.JPG, Civic center Mural panoramico.JPG, ''

Presencia de América Latina ''Presencia de América Latina'' (''Presence of Latin America''), also known as ''Integración de América Latina'' (''Integration of Latin America'') is a mural painted by Mexican artist Jorge González Camarena between November 1964 and April 196 ...

'', mural declared national monument of Chile

Notable events

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 in a road in Santa Juana Matute's remains were found and identified.

Twin towns – sister cities

Concepción's

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

are: *

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

, Palestine (2006) *

Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian municipality in São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's population is 1,213,792, making it the fourteenth most populous Brazilian ...

, Brasil (1979) *

Cascavel Cascavel is a municipality in the state of Paraná in Brazil. It is the fifth most populous city in the state with 332,333 residents, according to IBGE, a government agency. The distance to Curitiba, the state capital, is 491 kilometers by f ...

, Brazil (2006) *

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

, Ecuador (2006) *

Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...

, Colombia (1998) * Monterrey, Mexico (1997) *

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

, China (2018) * La Plata, Argentina (1993) *

San Miguel de Tucumán San Miguel de Tucumán (; usually called simply Tucumán) is the capital and largest city of Tucumán Province, located in northern Argentina from Buenos Aires. It is the fifth-largest city of Argentina after Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario an ...

, Argentina (2013) *

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...

, China (2014)

References

* Ida Stevenson Weldon Vernon (1969) ''Pedro de Valdivia, Conquistador of Chile'', Greenwood Press * John Milton Nickles, Marie Siegrist (1965) ''Bibliography and Index of Geology Exclusive of North America'', Geological Society of America, v.28

Line notes

Citations

External links

El Sur Sur or SUR or El Sur (Spanish "the South") may refer to: Geography * Sur or Shur (Bible), the wilderness of Sur/Shur from the Book of Exodus * Sur (river), a river of Bavaria, Germany * Súr, a village in Hungary * Sur, a district of the city of ...

br>''El Sur'', newspaper of Concepción

''Viveconce'', Event schedule of Concepción

Source about Concepción – Encyclopædia Britannica

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Concepcion, Chile Communes of Chile Capitals of Chilean regions Capitals of Chilean provinces Populated places established in 1550 Geography of Biobío Region Populated places in Concepción Province 1550 establishments in the Spanish Empire 1550 establishments in South America