Earthquakes / Terremotos

You've probably heard that Chile was hit with an 8.8 magnitude earthquake. According to a list by the US Geological Survey, that would place it in a tie for the 5th strongest earthquake since 1900 (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/10_largest_world.php). It was also just north of the largest earthquake ever recorded, a 9.5 magnitude one known as the Valdivia Earthquake because Valdivia was the city that was most affected.

The current death estimate is a little over 700. On January 12, Haiti had a 7.0 magnitude quake that left almost a quarter of a million people dead. Both of these quakes were catastrophic with the 8.8 one being significantly stronger (the scale they use is logarithmic, where each digit the scale goes up means the quake is 10 times stronger: an 8.0 quake is 10 times stronger than a 7.0). Why did Haiti have so many more casualties? There are a few reasons:

1.- The Haiti quake was much closer to the surface, at about 8 miles while the Chilean one was about 39 miles from the surface of the earth. Deeper earthquakes tend to produce less damage.

2.- Haiti is a poorer country, and because of this, has a higher proportion of people living in substandard housing.

3.- Chile is a more geologically active region, with more quakes. When I was a teen, my social studies teacher spoke of cartographers having to redraw maps of the mostly uninhabited islands off the shore of Chile because some would appear and others vanish with earthquakes. The last quake that affected Haiti was the 8.0 Dominican Republic one in 1946 (Haiti and the DR are on opposite sides of the island of Hispaniola).

4.- The 1960 quake in Valdivia, the one with the 9.5 magnitude was the impetus for states, towns, and builders to re-evaluate construction codes for new buildings to withstand strong earthquakes. Codes were re-written not only in Chile but in places as far as California to prevent as much damage as possible. Codes were not applied in places that are less likely to be hit by earthquakes.

A little trivia on Chile:
It is roughly 2800 miles long and 200 miles wide, on the Pacific side of the southern cone of South America. In January 2006 Chileans elected their first female president, Michelle Bachelet Jeria of the Socialist Party, to a 4 year term. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) states that it leads Latin American nations in human development, competitiveness, quality of life, political stability, globalization, economic freedom, low perception of corruption and comparatively low poverty rates.

Geografía de Latinoamérica

If you have ever heard of a country and not known where it is, this post is for you. Personally, I still miss Carmen Sandiego and her travels all over the world running from Chief and the gumshoes! Anyone remember the TV show?

I have found a few games online that focus on finding countries and capitals in Latin America. This first one is good because it gives you a number of levels to choose from. Feeling brave? Try Level 3, where you need to drag the country where it belongs. A good hint is to follow the contour of the shore line. That will really help except for Bolivia and Paraguay; the first is landlocked, and the second has ocean acces via rivers. Of course you can also start at Level 1 and work your way up. There are quizzes on rivers and capitals too.

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/South_America_Geography.htm

The following web page gives you the name of the country and you need to click on it. For Central and South America, go to:

http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/Samerica.html

South America only is at:

http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/samericaquiz.html

and for the Caribbean:

http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/Caribbean.html

or here:

http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/centralamquiz.html


This last one has games that include capitals of the countries:

http://www.funbrain.com/where/index.html

¡Disfruten! Enjoy!

Tengo Ganas de Aprender!

Welcome to the blog, Tengo Ganas de Aprender. Tener ganas de aprender means to want, to have a desire, to learn. Most of our learning comes from outside the classroom - for the basic reason of time - and we are never given a pencil and paper test. We learn what we need for work or to keep up a hobby. We may speak Spanish with co-workers or fall in love with a painting or song, and later find out the artist is Spanish-speaking. We may be politics buffs, and wonder what is going in in Latin America, from the left-leaning governments that are there to the 3 female presidents who now hold office (in Chile, Argentina, and Costa Rica). We may want to plan a quick trip to Cancun, or a study abroad summer in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. For whatever reason you visit, I hope you find something you enjoy.

Although this is set up for students in the Spanish Department at Suffolk County Community College, it is an open blog so anyone can comment. If you are a student, a professor, or simply interested in the language and culture, you may find helpful information. The main focus in on Latin America, but posts on Spain are also welcome.

The entries will cover many aspects of culture that will round out classroom knowledge in Spanish. There will be entries on art, politics, music, and geography to start, but the list will grow over time. Please feel free to suggest topics, web pages or entries that catch your fancy and I will see what I can do.

¡Bienvenidos!