Timothy L. Bearth, age 11, of Jiehita, Kan., for his question:

How did Patagonia get its name?

Patagonia is a large tract of land at the southern end of South America. It was named by Spanish explorers before the continent was divided into separate countries. It was named for a tribe of Indians who wore large boots stuffed with Straw. The Spanish found them living there and named the territory patagonia, meaning Big feet. Some people think that patagonia is a country and try to find its borders on a map. But it is not a country. Part of this territory which belonged to the so called Big feet Indians lies in  Argentina and part lies in Chile.