3 9 4 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



tion ; and the majority are settled on a small area of highland 

 valleys in the northwest, where branches of the Andes strike 

 northeastward, and then eastward parallel to the coast. The 

 staple product is coffee ; but cacao, cotton, tobacco, and sugar, 

 besides other tropical products, are grown. Gold in the east and 

 copper in the west are important minerals. The plains (llanos) 

 of the Orinoco are devoted to cattle and horse rearing, an industry 

 at one time much more flourishing than now. The chief inland 

 towns are Caracas (the capital) and Valencia, which are situated 

 in inland valleys from eighteen hundred to three thousand feet 

 in height, and are connected by rail with their respective sea- 

 ports, La Guayra and Porto (Puerto) Cabello. Ciudad Bolivar, 

 on the Orinoco, the navigation of which is free to all nations, 

 may also be ranked as a seaport, being accessible to sea-going 

 vessels. 



Colombia is a republic with a similar population to that of 

 Venezuela, settled chiefly in the upper parts of the valleys of the 

 Cauca and Magdalena, where, in consequence of the great eleva- 

 tion, the grains of temperate climates are grown. In the low- 

 lands, on the other hand, rice is grown ; and it is so generally 

 eaten by the people that a deficiency of this commodity has to be 

 made up for by import. The mineral wealth is great, and gold, 

 silver, and precious stones take a leading place among the exports, 

 which include also Peruvian bark and plantation products. The 

 great channel of communication is the Magdalena, which is navi- 

 gable for steamers without interruption as high as Honda, but 

 on account of a bar at its mouth is connected with the sea by a 

 short canal running westward to Cartagena, and a railway from 

 Barranquilla to another seaport nearer the mouth of the river. 

 The Panama Railway (from Colon or Aspinwall in the north to 

 Panama in the south) and the Panama Canal belong to Colom- 

 bian territory. Bogota, the capital, is within five degrees of the 

 equator, but, in virtue of its situation at the height of eight thou- 

 sand feet above sea-level, enjoys a healthy climate, with a temper- 

 ature like that of a perpetual spring. 



Ecuador is a republic chiefly south of the equator, but which 

 owes its name to the fact that its capital, Quito, is almost under 

 that line. Quito lies, like Bogota, between two chains of the 

 Andes, its elevation being between nine and ten thousand feet. 

 The only seaport is Guayaquil, whence cacao, grown on the west- 

 ern lowlands, is exported. At present communication is difficult 

 between Guayaquil and the capital, but a railway between the 

 two towns is now in progress. To Ecuador belong also the Gala- 

 pagos, or Turtle Islands, a group situated on the equator, about 

 seven hundred miles to the west. 



Peru, a republic lying to the south of Ecuador, has a popula- 



