Concepción is a major city in south-central Chile, serving as the capital of the Biobío Region and Concepción Province. It is the core of the Greater Concepción (Gran Concepción) metropolitan area, one of Chile’s largest urban conurbations after Santiago, with roughly 1–1.2 million inhabitants in the metro area. The commune itself has around 223,000–250,000 residents (recent estimates vary slightly by source and year).
Locals are known as penquistas (referencing the original foundation site at Penco). The city sits near the mouth of the Biobío River, about 450–500 km south of Santiago and close to the Pacific coast (roughly 10–30 km depending on the exact reference point), at a low elevation of around 12 m above sea level.
