2010: Chile’s Year Of Despair And Joy

When Sebastian Pinera won Chile's presidential election in January, he can surely never have imagined that his first year in power would be quite so eventful. A devastating earthquake, the dramatic miners' rescue, a horrific prison fire - Chile's bicentenary has been a rollercoaster.

Within six weeks of Mr Pinera's victory, and before he had even assumed office, the country was shaken by one of the most powerful earthquakes on record.

With a magnitude of 8.8, it killed nearly 500 people and destroyed thousands of homes. It caused $30bn (£19bn) of damage, the equivalent of 18% of Chile's gross domestic product. Many towns and villages are still struggling to recover.