Chileans face numerous challenges and the earthquakes and volcanoes we talked about above are only one of many. Landslides are a huge problem here since nearly all of Chile is on the land between huge mountains and the ocean. Beyond this, Chile also has a variable climate that sometimes has long droughts and then heavy rains. For my job I study the ocean, which is very close to Chile's heart. The ocean is the source of an incredible bounty for Chile through one of the most productive seafood fishing grounds on the planet. It can also be very dangerous with large waves and storms causing flooding and damaging cities. Everywhere you go along the coast has signs warning of "Tsunami Danger" and pointing to the nearest route to safety in case of a Tsunami.
The environment of Chile makes for a very robust people who can and will rebuild when the ocean rises up and takes away everything they own. The city of Valparaíso has been destoryed by earthquakes, fires, and tsunamis (eathquake-caused waves) many times. Chileans then rebuild and continue living here as they always have. This is part of the reason for the crazy construction of Valparaíso, as Chileans will build right on top of a destroyed house. Chileans are almost proud of their natural hazards and laugh and joke about the extreme environment they live in. For example, Chileans don't even use the word "earthquake" unless it is over a 7 in magnitude (which is a very large earthquake).
