39 6 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Bolivia is a republic, now entirely inland, occupying the broad- 

 est part of the table-land of the Andes, with a montana to the 

 east. Its population is about two millions, inclusive of about 

 eight hundred thousand uncivilized Indians. Even the civilized 

 population is mainly of Indian origin. The communications of 

 Bolivia with Peru and Brazil have already been referred to. The 

 capital of the country is Sucre, on the part of the table-land 

 drained to the east. La Paz is the chief town on the table-land 

 of Lake Titicaca. The silver-mines of Potosi, which made Peru 

 so valuable a possession to the Spaniards, belong to this state, 

 and are still productive, though in a greatly diminished degree. 



Chili, a republic, possesses the whole of the coast strip south 

 of Peru, together with the islands that fringe the coast, including 

 part of Tierra del Fuego and both sides of the Strait of Magellan 

 except in the extreme east. The northern portion of the country 

 is a continuation of the desert strip on the coast of Peru, and is 

 valuable solely for its mineral products — guano (near the coast 

 from the frontier to about 21-J- south), nitrate of soda, or cubic 

 niter, as it is also called (in the same latitudes, but farther in- 

 land), gold, silver, and copper. Copper is even more abundant 

 farther south, along the base of the Andes, north and south of 

 Coquimbo. Silver is also found more abundantly to the south of 

 Copiapo. The middle portion of the territory (between about 33° 

 and 38° south) contains the bulk of the population, who number 

 about two million five hundred thousand in all. The agricultural 

 products are mainly wheat, barley, and southern fruits — similar, 

 in fact, to those of Spain, which has a climate resembling that of 

 the more populous parts of Chili. Notwithstanding that whites 

 predominate in this republic (instead of Indians and half-breeds 

 as in most of the others), agriculture here also is generally in a 

 backward condition, except in some parts of the north, where 

 there are some admirable irrigation works. In the more thickly 

 peopled part of the country there are several hundred miles of 

 railway. 



The capital of the country is Santiago, and its port is Val- 

 paraiso, on a fine bay looking to the north. Here is received the 

 great bulk of the imports, but since the greater part of the ex- 

 ports consists of mineral produce, chiefly nitrate of soda, copper, 

 and guano, the northern port of Iquique, whence most of the 

 nitrate and guano is shipped, has the largest share in the export 

 trade, Valparaiso coming only second, and Pisagua (another north- 

 ern port) and Coquimbo next in order. Next to minerals wheat 

 and other agricultural produce form the chief exports. The 

 leading imports are manufactured articles, coal, and iron. The 

 United Kingdom receives the bulk of the exports, and takes the 

 first place in the import trade, Germany and France following, 



