Talcahuano
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Talcahuano (Spanish pronunciation: [talkaˈwano]) (From Mapudungun Tralkawenu, "Thundering Sky") is a port city and commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is part of the Greater Concepción conurbation. Talcahuano is located in the south of the Central Zone of Chile.
Key Information
Geography
[edit]Together with ten other municipalities, it forms part of the Concepción Province, which in turn is one of four provinces that forms the VIII Region of Biobío Region.
Demographics
[edit]According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Talcahuano spans an area of 145.8 km2 (56 sq mi) and has 250,348 inhabitants (121,778 men and 128,570 women). Of these, 248,964 (99.4%) lived in urban areas and 1,384 (0.6%) in rural areas. The population grew by 59.9% (93,766 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[3] With a population density of 1,873 inhabitants per square kilometre, it is the seventh most populated city of the country.
History
[edit]The official foundation date of Talcahuano is 5 November 1764 when Antonio de Guill y Gonzaga declared it an official port. However, the site of Talcahuano began to appear in history books as early as 1544 when Genoese captain Juan Bautista Pastene discovered the mouth of the Biobío river while exploring the coast in his ships San Pedro and Santiaguillo. In 1601 Alonso de Ribera built Fort Talcahueno to defend remaining Spanish settlements near Concepción.
The city is named after an Araucanian chief, Talcahueñu, who inhabited the region at the arrival of the Spanish. In Mapudungun, the language of the indigenous Mapuches, Talcahuano means "Thundering Sky".
The port was well known to American whaleships of the 19th century. They often put in for fresh water, food, and various forms of entertainment for the crews.
On 24 January 1939 at around 23.33 the city was hit by a major earthquake of 8.3 which had an epicenter close to the city of Chillán. The Chilean Government requested from the British Government the help of two British cruisers HMS Ajax (22) and HMS Exeter (68) then visiting the city of Valparaíso to head south to investigate. The ships arrived at Talcahuano on 25th, many of the city's main buildings had been destroyed with little power, food or water available to the survivors. The two ships crews helped with rubble clearing, rescuing those still trapped, recovering bodies as well as the ships taking trips north to Valparaiso with those injured and refugees.[4]

27 February 2010 earthquake
[edit]On 27 February 2010 Talcahuano was devastated by the 8.8 magnitude 2010 Chile earthquake and its subsequent tsunami. These back-to-back disasters left 80% of the city's residents homeless. [5] The tsunami is estimated to have been more than 7.5 feet high.[6] After a week, there are only 20 reported deaths, and 18 missing. The city government estimates that it will take 10 years to recover from the quake and tsunami. The local government has been turning away tent aid, as they want to make permanent shelters rather than have permanent tent camps.[7]
Economy
[edit]Talcahuano contains Chile's Productive development Pillar of the development of the city, the productive activities represent the motor of the advance of Talcahuano in a globalized world. From tourism, our marine gastronomy, the nautical qualities of the bay, to industry, trade in services, products and the logistics platform. Talcahuano is an integral city that grows hand in hand with the spirit of its inhabitants. main naval base which is home of the historical relic, the Huáscar, a Peruvian ironclad ship (British-made), which was captured in 1879 during the War of the Pacific. It is also the base of the Chilean submarine fleet and the ASMAR shipyard.
Administration
[edit]As a commune, Talcahuano is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2016 - 2020 alcalde is Henry Campos Coa (UDI).[1][2]
The commune of Talcahuano has seventeen districts, the three most populous being Carriel, San Vicente and San Miguel, which together account for about 46% of the population of the commune.[8] Only two of the districts contain any rural population: Tumbes with 5% rural and Carrie with ½%.[8]
- El Portón
- Valdivieso
- Cerro Fuentes
- La Aduana
- Cerro Buenavista
- Tumbes
- Isla Quiriquina
- San Vicente
- Estadio
- Huachipato
- Estadio Higueras
- San Miguel
- El Arenal
- Carriel
- Las Salinas
- Barranquilla
- Zunico
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Talcahuano is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Sergio Bobadilla, Félix González, Francesca Muñoz, José Miguel Ortiz, Leonidas Romero, Gastón Saavedra, Jaime Tohá and Enrique van Rysselberghe as part of the 20th electoral district. The commune is represented in the Senate by Alejandro Navarro Brain (MAS) and Jacqueline Van Rysselberghe Herrera (UDI) as part of the 12th senatorial constituency (Biobío-Cordillera).
Culture
[edit]Sports
[edit]Talcahuano entered football history when Ramón Unzaga Asla, a player for the local club Estrella del Mar, invented the famous bicycle kick (also known as "chilena") there in 1914.[citation needed] The city is home to Club Deportivo Huachipato, a football club in Chile's Primera División, playing at Estadio CAP.[citation needed]
The city is also the birthplace of Sammis Reyes, a former Chilean men's national basketball player who converted to American football. In 2021 he became the first Chilean to play in the National Football League, an American football league based in the United States.[9]
In literature
[edit]It featured prominently in Miles Smeeton's book Once Is Enough, a sailor's classic.[10]
It is mentioned by the character Charlie Marlow in Joseph Conrad's book Lord Jim.
A chapter of In Search of the Castaways by Jules Verne is set in its bay.
Notable people
[edit]- Francisco Varela (1946–2001), biologist and philosopher, was born in Talcahuano.
- Juan Onofre Chamorro (1885–1941), trade union leader, was born in Talcahuano.
Climate
[edit]| Climate data for Talcahuano | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 21.5 (70.7) |
21.3 (70.3) |
19.9 (67.8) |
17.4 (63.3) |
14.6 (58.3) |
12.7 (54.9) |
12.2 (54.0) |
13.0 (55.4) |
14.3 (57.7) |
15.7 (60.3) |
17.8 (64.0) |
20.1 (68.2) |
16.7 (62.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 16.5 (61.7) |
16.1 (61.0) |
14.6 (58.3) |
12.8 (55.0) |
11.3 (52.3) |
9.8 (49.6) |
9.2 (48.6) |
9.4 (48.9) |
10.3 (50.5) |
11.6 (52.9) |
13.4 (56.1) |
15.4 (59.7) |
12.5 (54.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 11.7 (53.1) |
11.3 (52.3) |
10.4 (50.7) |
9.3 (48.7) |
8.4 (47.1) |
6.9 (44.4) |
6.5 (43.7) |
6.4 (43.5) |
7.1 (44.8) |
7.8 (46.0) |
9.2 (48.6) |
10.7 (51.3) |
8.8 (47.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 17.4 (0.69) |
15.7 (0.62) |
35.4 (1.39) |
73.7 (2.90) |
197.2 (7.76) |
220.5 (8.68) |
204.5 (8.05) |
163.6 (6.44) |
90.2 (3.55) |
53.9 (2.12) |
35.3 (1.39) |
24.9 (0.98) |
1,132.3 (44.57) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 73 | 77 | 80 | 84 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 88 | 85 | 83 | 81 | 76 | 83 |
| Source: Bioclimatografia de Chile[11] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Punta Tumbes | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 18.7 (65.7) |
18.7 (65.7) |
17.8 (64.0) |
16.1 (61.0) |
14.6 (58.3) |
13.2 (55.8) |
13.0 (55.4) |
13.1 (55.6) |
13.9 (57.0) |
15.0 (59.0) |
16.1 (61.0) |
17.7 (63.9) |
15.7 (60.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 15.1 (59.2) |
15.5 (59.9) |
14.2 (57.6) |
12.7 (54.9) |
11.6 (52.9) |
10.2 (50.4) |
9.9 (49.8) |
9.7 (49.5) |
10.4 (50.7) |
11.4 (52.5) |
12.7 (54.9) |
14.2 (57.6) |
11.5 (52.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 11.5 (52.7) |
11.5 (52.7) |
10.8 (51.4) |
9.8 (49.6) |
8.7 (47.7) |
7.4 (45.3) |
6.9 (44.4) |
6.7 (44.1) |
7.2 (45.0) |
8.2 (46.8) |
9.3 (48.7) |
10.6 (51.1) |
9.0 (48.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 11.0 (0.43) |
9.7 (0.38) |
28.7 (1.13) |
60.9 (2.40) |
145.5 (5.73) |
159.4 (6.28) |
147.5 (5.81) |
115.2 (4.54) |
69.2 (2.72) |
34.1 (1.34) |
27.8 (1.09) |
19.7 (0.78) |
828.7 (32.63) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 81 | 83 | 81 | 86 | 86 | 87 | 87 | 85 | 84 | 84 | 83 | 83 | 84 |
| Source: Bioclimatografia de Chile[12] | |||||||||||||
- Some views of Talcahuano
-
Center of Talcahuano
-
Casino of Talcahuano
-
Church of Talcahuano
-
Monitor Huáscar
-
View of Port
External links
[edit]- http://www.talcahuano.cl
- Satellite view of Talcahuano (Google Maps)
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Asociación Chilena de Municipalidades" (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ a b "Municipality of Talcahuano" (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ a b c d "National Statistics Institute" (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 December 2010.
- ^ Holman, D. The Man They Couldn't Kill London 1960 pp44-46
- ^ "Double tragedy for Chile's beach communities". msnbc.com. 27 February 2010. Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- ^ Padget, Tim (1 March 2010). "Chile: Prepared for the Quake but Not the Tsunami". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
- ^ Manda, Alexander (7 March 2010). "Destruction seen everywhere in tsunami-hit Chilean port". Xinhua. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2010.
- ^ a b "División Político Administrativa y Censal" (PDF) (in Spanish). Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (INE). 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2013.
- ^ Bishop, Greg (4 August 2021). "Sammis Reyes and the Path Never Taken". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ Once Is Enough, by Miles Smeeton. International Marine Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-07-141431-2
- ^ Hajek, Ernst; Castri, Francesco (1975). "Bioclimatografia de Chile" (PDF) (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ Hajek, Ernst; Castri, Francesco (1975). "Bioclimatografia de Chile" (PDF) (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
Talcahuano
View on GrokipediaGeography and Environment
Location and Topography
Talcahuano is a coastal commune in the Concepción Province of Chile's Biobío Region, positioned in south-central Chile along the Pacific Ocean. Its geographic coordinates are approximately 36°43′ S latitude and 73°07′ W longitude.[5] [6] The city integrates into the Greater Concepción metropolitan area, lying about 10 kilometers north of Concepción's urban center and serving as a key extension of the conurbation toward the coast.[7] [8] The topography of Talcahuano features predominantly low-elevation coastal plains, with an average height of around 15 meters above sea level, facilitating its role as a natural harbor site.[9] [10] This terrain includes flat expanses suitable for port infrastructure, contrasted by modest hills providing elevated vantage points, such as the Mirador Talcahuano trail, which ascends approximately 561 feet (171 meters) over 1.9 miles.[11] The locale benefits from a deep-water harbor formed by the surrounding bay configuration, offering sheltered access with depths supporting large vessels.[12]Harbor and Coastal Features
Talcahuano's harbor occupies a strategic position within the Bay of Talcahuano, an inlet of the broader Bay of Concepción along Chile's central Pacific coast, offering naturally sheltered deep waters conducive to port operations.[13] This configuration, unique along the Pacific from the United States to southern Chile, enables two protected bays supporting sheltered maritime access.[14] The bay's geography is defined by the Tumbes Peninsula to the south and Quiriquina Island to the north, which collectively shield the harbor from prevailing swells and winds, maintaining fair shelter conditions year-round with moderate maritime winds of 10-25 knots.[12][15] The harbor classifies as a small coastal natural type, featuring an approach channel with depths exceeding 23.2 meters, accommodating larger vessels for commercial and naval use.[16] Water depths across the bay remain moderate and uniform, increasing toward the central zone to support diverse berthing.[17] Port infrastructure, managed by Empresa Portuaria Talcahuano San Vicente, includes facilities for handling containers, refrigerated goods, and fish cargoes, with mobile, fixed, and floating cranes capable of lifts from 0-100 metric tons.[18][19] Adjacent to commercial operations lies Chile's primary naval base, equipped with drydocking, repair yards, and maintenance facilities for naval vessels.[20] The coastal profile emphasizes industrial and military functions, with the harbor serving as anchorage for historical assets like the Peruvian ironclad Monitor Huáscar, captured in 1879 during the War of the Pacific.[21] These features underscore Talcahuano's role as a key hub for both cargo throughput and national defense along the Biobío Region's coastline.[22]Climate Patterns
Talcahuano exhibits a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb), characterized by mild temperatures moderated by the Pacific Ocean and Humboldt Current, with wetter winters and drier summers. Annual average temperatures hover around 13°C, with daily highs typically ranging from 13–14°C in July to 20–21°C in January, and lows from 6–8°C in winter to 12–13°C in summer. Precipitation averages 872–1117 mm annually, predominantly falling between May and August, while summers receive minimal rainfall, often less than 10 mm per month.[23][24][25] Winters (June–August) are cool and humid, with frequent overcast skies, fog (known locally as camanchaca), and rainfall totals exceeding 150 mm monthly in peak periods; temperatures rarely drop below 2°C due to oceanic influence. Summers (December–February) are comfortable and mostly clear, with low humidity and negligible precipitation, though occasional southerly winds (puelche) can elevate temperatures briefly above 25°C. Transitional seasons feature variable cloud cover and moderate rain, aligning with frontal systems from the Antarctic.[26][27] Extreme events include occasional winter storms driving heavy rain (up to 100 mm in a day) and rare summer heatwaves, but frost and snowfall are virtually absent at sea level. Long-term data from nearby Concepción stations indicate stable patterns, with no significant warming trend altering the seasonal dichotomy as of recent records.[28][29]| Month | Avg High (°C) | Avg Low (°C) | Precip (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 13 | 5 |
| April | 17 | 10 | 50 |
| July | 13 | 7 | 180 |
| October | 18 | 8 | 60 |
| Annual | 17 | 10 | 872 |
Demographics and Social Structure
Population Trends and Statistics
The population of Talcahuano, as recorded in Chile's national censuses, has exhibited a pattern of decline since the early 2000s. In the 2002 census, the comuna reported 163,626 inhabitants.[30] This figure decreased to 151,749 by the 2017 census, reflecting an average annual decline of approximately 0.46% over the 15-year period.[30] The 2024 census further documented 147,322 residents, indicating a continued average annual decrease of about 0.5% from 2017 to 2024.[31]| Census Year | Population | Annual Growth Rate (from prior census) |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 163,626 | - |
| 2017 | 151,749 | -0.46% |
| 2024 | 147,322 | -0.5% |