NewsTracker Answers for week of Jan. 30, 2017

Q: Flames from more than 100 raging wildfires in Chile continued spreading from the mountains to the Pacific coast, destroying 890,000 acres of forests, livestock and entire towns. Where is Chile?

Circle the area on this map

Q: Chile's president called the wildfires the worst forest disaster in Chile’s history. The fires came dangerously close to the city of Concepcion, about 270 miles south of Chile’s capital . . .

A. Buenos Aires

B. La Paz

C. Lima

D. Santiago

D. Santiago is Chile’s capital and largest city. It is located in the most populated central section of the country. Buenos Aires, La Paz and Lima are the capitals of Chile’s neighbors Argentina, Bolivia and Peru.

Q: Chile runs along the western slope of what mountain range?

A. Alps

B. Andes

C. Apennines

D. Appalachians

B. Chile stretches over 2,670 miles north to south on the west side of the Andes Mountains, but it is only 217 miles at its widest point east to west.

Q: The wildfires have been fanned by strong winds, high temperatures and a prolonged drought. What region of Chile is the driest area in the world?

A. Atacama

B. Central Valley

C. Easter Island

D. Patagonia

A. The Atacama Desert covering the northern third of Chile is a plateau lying between the Andes and mountains on the coast which block moisture from both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Chile also claims 480,000 square miles of the world’s largest desert, Antarctica, but those claims are suspended under the Antarctic Treaty.

Q: Copper from the Atacama helps make Chile the most prosperous and stable nation in South America. What nation is its largest trading partner?

A. Argentina

B. Brazil

C. China

D. United States

C. China is the largest buyer of Chile’s exports and largest source of its imports. The United States ranks second in trade despite a free trade agreement with Chile.