Coronel, Chile

Coronel is a Chilean city and commune in Concepcion Province, in the Biobio Region, with a population of 107,759 at the 2012 census across 279.4 square kilometers. It sits on a sandy platform running from the mouth of the Biobio River to the Arauco Gulf, has a temperate Mediterranean climate with coastal influence, and was the site of a naval battle in 1914 during the First World War. The area was Mapuche territory before Spanish colonization and later developed significant coal mining operations.