What in the World? Tokyo (2021) Olympic Medals

The Paris 2024 Olympics have commenced! 🏅 Taking a look back at the previous Summer Olympics, which country did not win medals at Tokyo in 2021? The answer is listed further below!

A — CHILE
B — VENEZUELA
C — UZBEKISTAN
































































Answer:
A — Chile, which won 1 gold and 1 silver medal at Paris 2024 but none at Tokyo 2021

Independence Day Recently Celebrated in Chile

People all across CHILE celebrated their country's Independence Day on Friday, September 18th. Chile celebrates this day which marks the beginning of independence from Spain in September 1810. Independence was officially recognized by Spain in 1844. Happy belated Independence Day!

Independence Day in Chile

The Republic of CHILE traditionally celebrates Independence Day on September 18th, but the elongated country in South America also celebrates an independence-related occasion near the beginning of each year on February 12th. On the 12th, Chile was proclaimed an independent republic. Still proudly depicted on Chilean currency nowadays in the 21st century, independence leader Bernardo O'Higgins approved and announced the Declaration of Independence from Spain on February 12th, 1818. Spain officially recognized this document 26 years later in 1844. Happy belated Independence Day, Chileans!

Chile Exports

The following items are major exports of CHILE: apples, avocados, bananas, blueberries, chemicals, copper, cranberries, fertilizer, fish, fruit juice, garlic, gold, grapes and raisins, iron and steel, kiwifruit, lithium, lumber, onions, oranges, paper and wood pulp, peaches, pears, plums, potatoes, processed food, textiles, transportation equipment, and wine. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include China (top importer), the United States, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, India, Peru, Bolivia, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Canada, Spain, Mexico, Germany, Argentina, Bulgaria, Italy, Colombia, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland.

Rivers Near South American Capitals

Capital cities in all varieties of countries are often located next to or close to rivers and streams. Rivers facilitate trade, convenient transportation, beautification of cities, and recreation activities for residents and tourists. Almost every capital in South America straddles a major river. At the very least, every capital in the continent has rivers, streams, and canals flowing near or within them. In the text below, every country's name has a convenient link to their posts; these links open in new tabs or windows.

Buenos Aires, the capital of ARGENTINA
     ― Río de la Plata and Riachuelo (Río de la Matanza)

La Paz, one of the capitals of BOLIVIA
     ― Río Choqueyapu and Río Seco

Sucre, the other capital of Bolivia
     ― Río Cachimayu

Brasília, the capital of BRAZIL
     ― Ribeirão Taguatinga (stream) and Río São Bartolomeu

Santiago, the capital of CHILE
     ― Canal San Carlos (manmade canal), Río Maipo, and Río Mapocho

Bogotá, the capital of COLOMBIA
     ― Río Bogotá and Río Tunjuelo

Quito, the capital of ECUADOR
     ― Río San Pedro

Cayenne, the capital of FRENCH GUIANA (overseas territory)
     ― Canal LeBlond (manmade canal) and Rivière des Cascades

Georgetown, the capital of GUYANA
     ― Demerara River and east of Essequibo River

Asunción, the capital of PARAGUAY
     ― Arroyo Leandro Sosa (stream) and Río Paraguay

Lima, the capital of PERU
     ― Río Lurín, Río Rímac, and south of Río Chillón

Paramaribo, the capital of SURINAME
     ― Suriname River (Surinamerivier in Dutch)

Montevideo, the capital of URUGUAY
     ― Arroyo Miguelete and Arroyo Pantanoso (streams north and northwest of Montevideo)

Carácas, the capital of VENEZUELA
     ― Quebrada Caroata (stream) and Río Guaire

Recent Post Updates

One of my blog-related missions is to update country posts and other posts from several years ago. The following posts have been updated recently. All links open in a new tab or window.
Angola
Armenia
Athens
Chile
French Guiana

Of course, you are always free to submit a comment on any post for suggestions, complaints, or compliments about the GeoFact of the Day Blog!

Chile Extinct and Endangered Species

As of March 16th, 2015, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for CHILE in southwestern South America lists one extinct species (the Santalum fernandezianium sandalwood tree) and three extinct-in-the-wild species since the beginning of IUCN recordkeeping, 41 critically endangered species, and 44 endangered species. Santalum fernandezianium was previously endemic to the Juan Fernández Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean west of mainland Chile. Some of Chile's critically endangered species on the IUCN List include Arico Water Frog, Chilean Woodstar hummingbird, Darwin's Fox, Juan Fernández Firecrown hummingbird, and Mocha Island Ground Frog. The three flowering plant species that are extinct in the wild but still existing are Borrachero (Brugmansia arborea), Guamuco (Brugmansia sanguinea), and Toromiro (Sophora toromiro). Toromiro exists in at least one botanic garden, while Borrachero and Guamuco are cultivated by humans but are feared for both species' toxicity.

Chile post (link opens in new tab/window)

Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay Languages

Forming the southern triangular wedge of South America, the countries ARGENTINA, CHILE, PARAGUAY, and URUGUAY have a variety of peoples and languages - too many to list all of them on a blog post! Therefore, this post is focused on official languages and other widely spoken languages. In all four countries, Spanish is the official language.

Argentina: Other widely spoken languages include Quechua, Mapuche, English, Italian, German, and French.

Chile: Other languages include Araucanian, Quechua, and Mapuche.

Paraguay: Guaraní is an official language alongside Spanish. Two of Paraguay's many languages include Guaná and Sanapaná.

Uruguay: Portuñol/Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish) is another spoken language.

Topographically Diverse Chile

CHILE, being the long and skinny country along South America's western coast bordering the Pacific Ocean, is a land of extremes as far as geology, climate, and elevation goes. The eastern border with Argentina boasts the Andes Mountains, a tall mountain range with several peaks with elevations over 20,000 feet. While not all mountain ranges have a cold climate, this one does; of course, the tall peaks have snow on them. Meanwhile, an extremely hot and dry desert - Atacama Desert - stretches down the coastline of northern Chile and west of the Andes range. It only receives about 0.04 inches of rain a year, undoubtedly the lowest amount in the world; even the Sahara typically receives a little more rain - only about 0.1, but still more than the Atacama Desert. Southern Chile is relatively low in elevation, and its climate is cool and wet. You would typically find forests and land for grazing here. Central Chile is home to a Mediterranean temperate climate that is perfect for agriculture. Crops grown here include grapes and other fruits, corn, wheat, bean, potatoes, and sugar beets.

Chile

CHILE is a vertically skinny nation straddling the Andes mountain range. Chile is east of the South Pacific Ocean in southwestern South America. Chile's bordering countries are Argentina to the east, Bolivia to the northeast, and Peru to the north and northwest. Chile's southern coastal area is comprised of hundreds of islands - including Archipiélago Reina Adelaida (Queen Adelaide Archipelago) and Isla Tierra del Fuego - separated by somewhat narrow straits. Among those islands are the Straits of Magellan, which Ferdinand Magellan sailed through in 1520. Also known as Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego and simply Tierra del Fuego (land of fire in Spanish), Isla Tierra del Fuego sits along the vertical Chile-Argentina border. Occupying the island's western portion, Chile shares the island with Argentina. Cape Horn marks the southern land-based extent of South America. Almost 3500 kilometers (about 2200 miles) north of Cape Horn is the arid Atacama Desert, featuring the world's most driest locations. At the border with Argentina in northeastern Chile, Ojos del Salado (eyes of salt in Spanish) stratovolcano stands tall at over 8,700 meters (over 22,600 feet) in height and is designated as Chile's highest point. Chile's capital and largest city in terms of population is Santiago. Chile's currency is the Chilean Peso. The peso's ISO 4217 currency code is CLP.