Step 1 : Introduction to the question "By magnitude, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded hit what country?"
...On May 22, 1960, the most powerful earthquake in recorded history—magnitude 9.5—struck southern Chile. The rupture zone stretched almost 621 miles along the country’s coast. The event was named after the city most affected by the quake, Valdivia. The Valdivia earthquake left 2 million people homeless, injured at least 3,000, and killed approximately 1,655. The Valdivia earthquake triggered a massive tsunami that raced across the Pacific Ocean. Waves wracked coastal communities as far away as Japan, Hawaii, and New Zealand.