Biobío Region in the context of Biobío Province

Concepción (Spanish pronunciation: [konseβˈsjon] ; originally: Concepción de la Madre Santísima de la Luz, "Conception of the Blessed Mother of Light") is a city and commune in south-central Chile, and the geographical and demographic core of the Greater Concepción metropolitan area, it is the second largest city in Chile by urban area and one of the three major conurbations in the country. It has a significant impact on domestic trade being part of the most heavily industrialized region in the country. It is the seat of the Concepción Province and the capital of the Biobío Region. It sits about 500 km south of the nation's capital, Santiago.

The city was first settled in the Bay of Concepción, in the zone that would later become the commune of Penco, now part of the Concepción conurbation. The city's demonym, penquista, comes from the place of its original foundation. The city center and historic district is located in the Valle de la Mocha (La Mocha Valley), where it relocated after serious damage left by an earthquake in 1751.

The Mapuche conflict (Spanish: conflicto mapuche) involves indigenous Mapuche communities (historical exonym: Araucanians), located in Araucanía and nearby regions of Chile and Argentina.

The first attack, marking the beginning of the period of violence in the Southern Macrozone of Chile, occurred in December 1997 with the burning of three trucks. Since then, violence has progressively increased and expanded to the neighboring regions of Biobío and Los Lagos.