CONCEPCION, a city of Chili, the capital of the province of the same name. Founded by Pedro de Valdivia, it was originally situated where the small village of Penco now stands, on the Bay of Talcahuano; but having been first pillaged and destroyed by the Araucanians, and in 1730 levelled to the ground by an earthquake, the town was removed to its present site, 36° 49' S. ^lat., 72° 50' W. long., in a fertile plain on the north side of the Bic-Bio, about five miles from the sea and 270 miles south-west of Santiago. In the year 1835 it was again laid in ruins by an earthquake, which so terrified the inhabitants that for a long time the place remained partly unoccupied. Afterwards, however, the streets were rebuilt, and the area occupied by the town has been greatly extended. The main streets and squares are broad and spacious; the dwellinghouses (mostly of only one floor) are among the best planned and constructed in Chili; and the cathedral, churches, and public buildings are handsome edifices. Powerful flourmills are in the town and neighbourhood, as well as immense cellars (bodegas) for the storage of wheat and wine. It is connected by rail with its two ports—Tomé and Talcahuano, and with all the important towns of the interior. Population, 19,200.