Talcahuano, Chile is a famous port city. It lies very near to Concepcion. Talcahuano, Chile lies in the extreme south of Chile and is the second largest city of Chile. It is in fact a part of the Province of Concepcion which is made up of 10 municipalities out of which Talcahuano is one. It is the 7th most populated city in the world and has an area of about 150 square kilometers.
The official foundation day of Talcahuano is celebrated on November 5, 1764. It was declared as an official port city by Antonio Guill Gonzaga. The history of Talcahuano can be traced back to the year 1544 when the mouth of the Bio-Bio River was discovered by Juan Bautista Pastene who was a Geonese captain. He tumbled across the river while his ship was coasting around the sides of San Pedro and Santiaguillo.
The city gets its named from the chief of Araucanian who was from Spain. When the Spanish had arrived in the city, the first person who inhabited the city was Talcahuenu. The word Talcahuenu means ‘thundering sky’ in the Mapuches language.
Talcahuano, Chile had always been a very famous port for the ships that traveled the nearby waters. American whale ships used to come to the Talcahuano port in the early 19th Century in order to refresh their drinking water, food, entertainment and other necessities. The crew of the ships used to get down at the port and the ships were stationed at the city harbor.
Talcahuano is home to the famous War of Pacific relic, the Huascar. Huascar was a Peruvian ship that was captured during the war of pacific in 1897. It is a strong iron-clad ship and is considered as a famous historical relic in Talcahuano. Talcahuano is also home to Chile's most important naval base.
Some of the main attractions in Talcahuano are La Tortuga which is a coliseum monument, Remolcado which is a national monument, the museum and park of Hualpen and the beaches of Ramuntcho and Rocoto. You can also see the busy fisheries market.
Talcahuano has also made a name for itself in the world football history. The local club of Estrella del Mar is famous for its player named Ramon Unzaga Asla who had invented the famous bicycle kick in 1914.
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