Bío Bío Region

The Bío Bío Region (Spanish: Región del Biobío) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Concepción, the second city of Chile after the national capital, Santiago. The region is named after its main river: the Bío Bío river. History The Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia founded the city of Concepción in 1550 at the mouth of the Bío Bío river. He died in 1553 during the Arauco War against the Mapuche people. The Region has been hit by many earthquakes, including the most powerful earthquake ever recorded (the Great Chilean Earthquake in 1960) and the earthquake of 2010, when many communities in the region were greatly affected by the earthquake and the following tsunami. Geography The Bío Bío region has area of 23,890.2 square kilometres (9,224.1 square miles). It borders the Ñuble region to the north, Argentina to the east, the Araucanía region to the south and the Pacific Ocean on the west. The main river in the region is the Bío Bío River. It is 380 kilometres (236 miles) long. It is the second longest river of Chile after the Loa River. Population The Bío Bío Region has 1,557,414 inhabitants (2017 census). It is the third region by population, after the Valparaíso Region. Its population density was 65.2. Administration The Bío Bío region is further subdivided into three provinces: Arauco, Bío Bío and Concepción. Related pages Regions of Chile References Other websites Media related to Biobío Region at Wikimedia Commons Territorial division of Chile (in Spanish) Gobierno Regional del Bío Bío Official website (in Spanish)