Biobio

The VIII Biobío Region one of the fifteen first-order administrative divisions in Chile, comprises four provinces: Arauco, Biobio, Concepción, and Ñuble. The capital of the Region is Concepción. Other important cities include Chillán, Coronel, Chile, Hualpén, Los Ángeles, and Talcahuano. The Region of the Biobío is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the east by Argentina, on the north by the Chilean Region of Maule, and on the south by the Chilean Region of Araucanía.

The Region has been hit by many Chilean earthquakes, including the most powerful earthquake ever recorded (in 1960) and the great earthquake of 2010. Many communities in the region were greatly affected by the earthquake of 2010 and the subsequent tsunami. That earthquake damaged Talcahuano and Dichato; the tsunami destroyed much of what remained.