Arauco Province is one of four
provinces of the
Chilean region of
Bío Bío (VIII). It spans a coastal area of just south of the mouth of the
Biobío River, the traditional demarcation between the nation's major
natural regions,
Zona Central and
Zona Sur. The province originally covered the once-independent indigenous territory of
Araucanía, but this was afterward divided into four provinces. It is devoted largely to agricultural pursuits. The
capital Lebu (population 25,000) is situated on the coast about south of
Concepción with which it is connected by rail.