Costa Rica now With its Own Coin Mint Costa Rica now has its own mint following an investment of us$4 millin dollars of Swiss and Costa Rican business interests, which is to provide coins for the Banco Central de Costa Rica and other Central American and Caribbean countries.

The Mint Costa Rica plant was inaugurated on Tuesday by government authorities, Banco Central and Catholic church officials.

Located in Ipis de Goicoechea, the plant is expected to produce up to 100 million coins a year.

The company, Amera International AG, says it will be investing another us$6…

Best Costa Rica Honeymoon Places to visitMarch 9th, 2010 | by admin |

Last week a group of my friends and I who had been to Costa Rica for our honeymoons were debating on which were the best places for a romantic getaways there. As expected, there were differences in opinions as we all had different expectations and requirements when it comes to the places to for our honeymoons. although quite a number of them names Tamarindo, Jaco and Quepos as their favourite places for honeymoons or romantic getaways. In my opinion while those are all great Costa Rica…

There is a live stream from Chile (in Spanish) on latest developments. The country is three hours behind Greenwich Mean Time:

1442 GMT

A PersonFinder tool has been developed quickly by coders for use by concerned relatives and friends of Chileans and foreigners inside Chile. You can visit via Google to submit queries and find out information about your loved ones.

1440 GMT

A map showing when the tsunami generated by the quake will reach different regions in the Pacific Ocean:

1427 GMT

You can get information about survivors and victims from the Chilean Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela by calling one of these numbers: 9923378 / 9923378 / 9925364 / 9931538 / 9935770. You can also seek information from the Chilean consulate in the Ecuadoran city of  Guayaquil by calling (+593-4) 2564619, 2562995 or e-mailing cggye2@gye.satnet.net.

1424 GMT

New death toll: 85, according to the Chilean president. The number is just from one region, Maule, out of the three that have been severely affected by the Tsunami.

1403 GMT

From The New York Times:

[The earthquake] struck at 3:34 a.m. local time and was centered about 200 miles southwest of Santiago, at a depth of 22 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The epicenter was some 70 miles from Concepcion, Chile’s second-largest city, where more than 200,000 people live….

The quake in Chile was 1,000 times more powerful than the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that caused widespread damage in Haiti on Jan 12, killing at least 230,000.

1345 GMT

CNN’s Nick Valencia reports that the Contemporary Art Museum in Santiago has fallen, and the Fine Arts Museum in the city has partially collapsed.

1340 GMT

CaribNews reports: All U.S. Embassy personel, about 118, are accounted for, the U.S. State Dept tells Breaking News Online, but the Embassy has no information on American casualties. A warning message has been sent to any Americans on the ground.

1335 GMT

Update on Airport in Santiago: newest reports indicate that the airport will now be closed for the next 72 hours.

1330 GMT

More news streaming out of Chile report of a dire situation in Concepcion, just 70 miles north of the epicenter of the quake. According to twitter sources, collapsed buildings can be seen in many parts of the city and communications are mostly down. CNN’s Betty Nguyen tweets: “Chile TV reporting 15-story building collapsed near epicenter. Witnesses hearing screams from people trapped inside.”

1320 GMT

CNN has provided the following number to call from the US if you’re looking for people in Chile: 1-888-407-4747.

1315 GMT

ABS-CBN News reports:

Chile’s remote Robinson Crusoe Island was hit by a huge wave after a massive earthquake rocked the country and aid ships had been sent to the rescue, President Michelle Bachelet said Saturday. The island, part of the Juan Fernandez Archipelago, lies some 700 kilometres out in the Pacific from the Chilean mainland.

1310 GMT

Two new videos from Chile, showing the impact of the quake:

1305 GMT

Dozens of buildings and bridges have collapsed in Central Chile. The death toll remains at 78 at this point. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of people may be trapped under the rubble.

1300 GMT

In Hawaii, waves of up to 5 meters are expected as the tsunami travels west through the Pacific Ocean. All coasts of the island are dangerous and should be avoided. The tsunami is expected to make impact in Hawaii just past 11 a.m. local time (1900 GMT).

1237 GMT

Information on Hawaii’s evacuation plan has been posted.

1230 GMT

The first set of pictures of devastation from the earthquake has emerged  from Chile, and there is also a picture from the city of Maipú in central Chile.

1219 GMT

The US state of Hawaii is under a Tsunami Warning.In other news, Santiago’s main airport is going to remain closed for the next 24 hours, according to Chilean officials.

1203 GMT:

Tsunami warnings and advisories have been issued by most countries lying within or at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The first wave of the Tsunami is expected to hit Chile’s Easter Island, which lies 3,510 km (2,180 mi) west of continental Chile in the Pacific Ocean and evacuations there have been ordered. Here’s a picture of the areas that will be most affected by the Tsunami generated by the earthquake from Chile:

1144 GMT

Yahoo reports:

A massive magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck south-central Chile early on Saturday, killing at least 47 people, knocking down buildings and triggering a tsunami.

President Michelle Bachelet confirmed 47 deaths and said more were possible. Telephone and power lines were down, making damage assessments difficult in the early morning darkness.

“Never in my life have I experienced a quake like this, it’s like the end of the world,” one man told local television from the city of Temuco, where the quake damaged buildings and forced staff to evacuate the regional hospital.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck 56 miles northeast of the city of Concepcion at a depth of 22 miles at 3:34 a.m. (1:34 a.m. ET).

Chilean television and radio stations said several buildings collapsed in the city of Curico and that there was damage to buildings in the historic center of the capital Santiago, about 200 miles north of the epicenter.
The capital’s international airport was forced to close, a highway bridge collapsed and chunks of buildings fell into the street.

In the moments after the quake, people streamed onto the streets of the capital, hugging each other and crying.

There were blackouts in parts of Santiago and communications were still down in the area closest to the epicenter.

Bachelet urged people to stay calm. “With a quake of this size we undoubtedly can’t rule out more deaths and probably injuries,” she said.

An earthquake of magnitude 8 or over can cause “tremendous damage,” the USGS says. The quake that devastated Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince on January 12 was rated magnitude 7.0.

TSUNAMI

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the Chile quake generated a tsunami that may have been destructive along the coast near the epicenter “and could also be a threat to more distant coasts.”

It issued a tsunami warning for Chile and Peru, and a tsunami watch for Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Antarctica. Chile’s navy said officials had lifted the tsunami warning in southern Chile, local radio reported.

1100 GMT

As news from Chile starts to pour in, there has been another earthquake some fifty miles east of Japan’s Okinawa Islands. Both Chile and Japan lay on geologically active zones and earthquakes strike both countries frequently.

1056 GMT

The number of dead in has now risen to 78.The number is expected to rise as more reports from different parts of Central Chile reach the center. For now, all one could do is hope the loss of life is minimal.

1053 GMT

The US Coast Guard has released a Tsunami Advisory for the West Coast of the United States. According to their website:

A Tsunami Advisory means that a tsunami capable of producing strong currents or waves dangerous to persons in or very near the water is imminent or expected. Significant, widespread inundation is not expected for areas under an advisory. Currents may be hazardous to swimmers, boats, and coastal structures and may continue for several hours after the initial wave arrival.

1044 GMT

Twitter user Elliott Yamin reports that at least 30 aftershocks have so far been felt in the Chilean capital after the initial quake.

1036 GMT

CNN’s Nick Valencia reports that Edmundo Perez Yoma, Chile’s Interior Minister, told local station TVN that the number of dead had now climbed to 64.

1033 GMT

Reuters now reports that the number of deaths in Chile has gone up to 47. According to their report, communications are down in Central Chile as well as telephone lines. This has made damage assessment very difficult. For now, the damage has been assessed as being tremendous. The quake was only 70 miles south of Chile’s second largest city, Concepcion.

1017 GMT

A magnitude 8.8 quake has hit Chile, southwest of the Chilean capital Santiago. So far, sporadic reports are coming in from different sources about the quake. What can be ascertained is that at least 16 people have died as a result of the earthquake. Extensive damage to Central Chile – which is the most populated part of the country – is expected. As more news reports come in, the Associated Press reported that Chilean president Michele Bachelet has declared a ’state of catastrophe’ for three regions in Central Chile. The AP also adds:

In the 2 1/2 hours following the 90-second quake, the U.S. Geological Survey reported 11 aftershocks, of which five measured 6.0 or above. The quake hit 200 miles (325 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Santiago, at a depth of 22 miles (35 kilometers) at 3:34 a.m. (0634 GMT; 1:34 a.m. EST), the U.S. Geological Survey reported…

There has been a tsunami warning issued for all the countries on the west coast of South America as well as some in Central America and others in Eastern Asia.

Quick Facts about Chile:

Location: West of Argentina in Southwestern South America.

Area: 292,183 square miles or roughly the size of the US states of Texas and Oklahoma combined.

Population: Over 17 million, most concentrated in the central part of the country.

Official language: Spanish

Capital and Largest City: Santiago

Chinchilla, formerly Arias’ vice president, has vowed to continue his pro-business policies in the Central American nation, expanding free trade pacts and courting investment.

She won 47 percent of the vote, around double the scores of her two closest rivals, who quickly conceded defeat. She will join a small camp of women leaders in typically male-dominated Latin America that currently includes Chile’s Michelle Bachelet and Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez.

The 50-year-old quickly called for unity among the country’s political parties.

“The first is to talk, seriously and permanently with all of this country’s political parties and the social sectors. My administration will have open doors for all Costa Ricans. This requires that we listen attentively to the voices of those who weren’t with us in this election and we humbly ask for their help and collaboration,” she said during her acceptance speech.

Costa Rica, which has no army and avoided the Cold War-era civil wars that ravaged its neighbors, is known for its low crime but is increasingly a transit route for drug gangs.

Chinchilla promised to deal with the problem intelligently and firmly.

“I have been handed clear mandate to fight criminals and drug traffickers with all firmness and intelligence.”

As supporters waved flags and cheered, she declared victory.

“Costa Rica is my beloved fatherland. I defend her, I love her, I adore her and I give my life to her,” she said to deafening cheers. “Thank you very much!”

Famed for its political stability in a turbulent region, Costa Rica is an economic success story in Central America, with an economy based around tourism, manufactured products like microchips, and exports of coffee, pineapples and bananas.

Popular with eco-tourists, surfers and U.S. and Canadian retirees for its lush jungles, volcanoes and relaxed lifestyle, Costa Rica is proud of its six decades of democratic elections and status as one of Latin America’s most stable countries.