Unit 8: Niños y niñas de ayer

Question 1

What countries does Chile border?

Answer 1

Perú, Argentina, and Bolivia

Question 2

About how wide is Chile at its widest part?

Answer 2

about 200 miles wide

Question 3

True or False: Apart from the mainland, Chile also includes Easter Island and a few other islands.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

What is the geography and climate of Chile?

Answer 4

The country has a varied climate as its geography includes part of the Andes Mountains on its eastern side, coast on its west, the Atacama Desert to the north, and a fertile valley in the center. The climate can range from temperate to Mediterranean in the central area, and cool and damp in the south.

Question 5

What is a special feature about Chile’s geography (Hint: lake)?

Answer 5

Chile has the highest lake in the world, the lake of Ojos Salados, which is also the highest active volcano in the world. The lake was formed in a crater, and at an altitude of almost 21,000 feet.

Question 6

What is the capital of Chile?

Answer 6

Santiago de Chile (also known as Santiago)

Question 7

What is the population of Santiago de Chile?

Answer 7

Santiago de Chile is the most populous city in Chile, and it has six million inhabitants.

Question 8

What are other major cities in Chile? What are there populations?

Answer 8

Other major cities are Valparaíso on the coast, further north of Santiago, and Concepción, south of Santiago and also on the coast. Both cities have fewer than a million people.

Question 9

What are the languages spoken in Chile?

Answer 9

Spanish is the main language spoken, but English and indigenous languages are also spoken.

Question 10

Remember: While the city of Santiago that you just learned about is in Chile, there are other cities called Santiago in the Spanish-speaking world. Cuba has a Santiago, too, and so does Spain.

Answer 10

While the city of Santiago that you just learned about is in Chile, there are other cities called Santiago in the Spanish-speaking world. Cuba has a Santiago, too, and so does Spain.

Question 11

True or False: Traditional Chilean games are simple and do not require much equipment

Answer 11

True

Question 12

What is the traditional Chilean game of “tejo”?

Answer 12

Tejo is a very simple game. Basically, you draw a line or stretch a rope or cord on the ground. Then the players stand about 20 feet away and try to throw a tejo, which is a kind of marker, like a stone. The objective is to try to get as close to the line or on the line. It is kind of like the game of horseshoes in the U.S.

Question 13

What is the traditional Chilean game of “el palo ensebado”?

Answer 13

El palo ensebado, meaning greased pole, is a big pole that stands upright with a prize at the top. As you can imagine, the idea is to try to climb the very slippery pole to reach the prize, which is no easy feat.

Question 14

What is the traditional Chilean game of “las bolitas”?

Answer 14

Las bolitas are round marbles, and though there are several different games you can play, it is very similar to playing marbles in the U.S.

Question 15

In Chile, how are kites viewed as a past time?

Answer 15

Flying a kite, or un volantín, is a very popular activity in Chile. In fact, on Chile’s Independence Day, there are often competitions where the goal is to try to bring down the other participants’ kites.

Question 16

Who founded the capital of Chile, Santiago de Chile? When did they find it?

Answer 16

It was founded by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia in 1541.

Question 17

Where is Santiago de Chile located in relation to the whole country of Chile?

Answer 17

It is located in the central valley of Chile, near the Mapocho River. It is pretty much right in the center of the country near vineyards to the west and mountains to the east.

Question 18

True or False: The metropolitan area and population of Santiago de Chile is similar in size to Houston or Madrid

Answer 18

True

Question 19

True or False: Santiago de Chile has many diverse neighborhoods that exhibit a mix of old and modern culture.

Answer 19

True

Question 20

What is in the downtown area, or El Centro, of Santiago de Chile?

Answer 20

El Centro, or the downtown area, of Santiago de Chile is home to most government activities. There, you can see the presidential palace, called La Moneda. Visiting the Plaza de Armas is also a must; it’s the heart of the city. From this plaza, the city grew in a grid-like pattern of squares, with the Plaza de Armas at its center. It is considered to be kilometer zero, or the point from which all places would be measured.

Question 21

What is the Plaza de Armas in Santiago de Chile?

Answer 21

It is a meeting place for social activities as people gather for public events and to sit in a café or restaurant, enjoying the atmosphere, while street performers entertain. There, you can also visit la Catedral Metropolitana, a cathedral that is over 200 years old. And of course, there are the museums that are housed in buildings that are important to Chile’s history, such as el Museo Postal y Telegráfico, the Postal and Telegraphic Museum that used to be the central post office. The National History Museum, which used to be el Palacio de la Real Audiencia y Cajas Reales (which means Royal Court Palace), is another key museum.

Question 22

What is the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art in Santiago de Chile?

Answer 22

The Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art is dedicated to, as its name suggests, art and artifacts from the pre-Columbian civilizations in Latin America—the civilizations that existed before the Spaniards came to Latin America. Sergio Larraín García-Moreno, who wanted to have a place to display and share his colecciones of Pre-Columbian art and artifacts, founded it in 1805. The museum itself is a beautiful colonial building just one block away from la Plaza de Armas. It is the former Royal Customs house that was built in the early nineteenth century, and was later used as the National Library and the Courts of Justice before becoming a museum.