The Bay of Concepción is a natural bay on the coast of the Province of Concepción in the Bío Bío Region of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. Within the bay are many of the most important ports of the region and the country, among them

Penco Penco (Mapudungun: See (''Pen''), Water (''Ko'')), is a Chilean city and commune in Concepción Province, Bío Bío Region on the Bay of Concepción. Founded as the city of Concepción del Nuevo Extremo ('beginning of the new extreme') on Februa ...

, Talcahuano, and Lirquén.

Quiriquina Island Quiriquina Island, Chile is located at the entrance to the Bay of Concepción, 11 km north of Talcahuano. (''Quiriquina'' is a Mapuche word meaning "many True thrushes"). In April, 1557, Don Garcia de Mendoza, Spanish governor of the Captain ...

, located to the north in the mouth of the bay provides a windbreak. The island creates two entrances to the bay: Boca Chica and Boca Grande. Boca Chica, between Quriquina Island and the Peninsula of Tumbes, measures 2 km wide and in its narrower part 1,500 metres, with shoals to the sides and although water depth is 15 metres, the passage of large ships is reduced to 400 metres.Espinoza, Enrique; 1897. Geografía Descriptiva de la República de Chile. Cuarta edición, Imprenta y encuadernación Barcelona, Santiago, Chile. Boca Grande, is 5 km wide, with depths of 35 metres, which makes it commodious for large vessels. The sector of the bay where the Port of Talcahuano is located is known as the Bay of Talcahuano, and is protected by the Peninsula of Tumbes and Quiriquina Island.

References

Landforms of Biobío Region Concepcion Coasts of Biobío Region {{Biobío-geo-stub