Concepción

Industrial city in south-central Chile, 350 km/217 mi southwest of Santiago; situated on the north bank of the Bió-Bió River, near its mouth; population (2002) 212,000. It is Chile's third-largest city and capital of Concepción province and of Bió-Bió region. The city is a tourist resort and lies in a rich agricultural district. Industries include coal (from the pits on the Péninsula de Lebú, steel, glass, cement, paper, and textiles. Most of Chile's coal is mined in the vicinity. Its port, Talcahuano, 15 km/9 mi to the north, is Chile's most important naval base.

Bió-Bió was founded in 1550 and has suffered damage by several earthquakes during its history. The independence of Chile was declared here on 1 January 1818 by Bernardo O'Higgins. The major industrial project (post World War II) has been the development of the Huachipato steel plant.

Concepción

Town, chief river port, and main trading centre of north-central Paraguay, and capital of the department of the same name; population (1996) 49,978. Concepción is located on the east bank of the River Paraguay, 200 km/124 mi north of Asunción. Its export commodities include cattle, hides, timber, yerba maté (‘Paraguay tea’), and quebracho extract (tree bark used in tanning). Extensive trade is conducted here with Brazil, both by river and by the road to Pedro Juan Caballero on the Brazilian border, from where a railway line leads to São Paulo and the Atlantic Ocean.

Concepción

Department in east-central Paraguay, bordered on the west by the River Paraguay and on the north by Brazil; area 17,940 sq km/6,927 sq mi; population (1995) 49,978. Its territory is low-lying in the west, but becomes more hilly in the east. The raising of cattle, and timber felling are the chief economic activities in Concepción. The capital is the city of Concepción, from which a narrow-gauge railway runs 64 km/40 mi east to Horqueta, a logging town.