Coronel, city, south-central Chile. It lies along the Gulf of Arauco of the Pacific Ocean, just south of Concepción.
Founded in 1851, it received city status in 1875 and developed with the coal mines in the vicinity, becoming a primary coal-bunkering port and functioning as a shipping as well as commercial centre. Most of Chile’s coal comes from the modernized mines of Coronel and adjacent Lota, making Coronel the nation’s chief coaling station. Company-owned pine and eucalyptus plantations supply timber for mining and construction and some lumber for commerce.
There are also foundries, shops, and planned company housing areas. Coronel is noted for a 1914 skirmish near its port in which the British suffered a naval defeat by German cruisers. Pop. (2002) 91,469; (2017) municipality, 116,262.