BOLIVIA 



797 



BOLIVIA 



velopments. Many thousands of wild cattle 

 are found in the rich lowlands in the south- 

 eastern sections. 



Among the principal rivers of the country are 

 the Beni and the Mamore, which unite to form 

 the Madeira, the largest tributary of the Ama- 

 zon. Others are the Itenez, the Madre de Dios, 

 the Pilcomayo and the Bermejo, the two latter 

 forming part of the River Plata system. 



Climate. Lying entirely within the tropics, 

 Bolivia is saved by its varying altitudes from 

 a monotonous tropical climate. The plains of 

 the east, it is true, afford just what one might 

 expect in that latitude intense heat and exces- 

 sive moisture; and they are therefore very 

 unhealthful, especially for white men. In the 

 high mountains is the other extreme of com- 

 paratively cold weather, with a yearly average 

 of about 50, but between the two, in the 

 plateau and mountain basins, lies a temperate 

 region with moderate rainfall and little menace 

 to health. Thus we can account for the fact 

 that the eastern plains are sparsely settled and 

 several large districts are yet unexplored. 



Animal Life. One of the most characteristic 

 animals of Bolivia is the llama. This valuable 

 beast roams the mountain regions, and its im- 

 portance to the people can scarcely be over- 

 estimated. It is the beast of burden which 

 finds its way over precipitous mountain passes ; 

 it yields long, strong wool, and its flesh, though 

 not palatable to Europeans, is eaten freely. 

 The armadillo, peccary, tapir, puma, jaguar and 

 various monkeys flourish, while the swampy 

 river banks are the home of huge alligators, 

 the high mountains, of the vulture and condor, 

 and the plains, of the rhea, the South American 

 ostrich. The forests swarm with brilliant tropic 

 birds, harsh-voiced but beautiful. Each animal 

 named above is described in these volumes. 



Agriculture. The gradations in the climate 

 cause distinct zones in the plant life, for what 

 flourishes in the hot lowlands will not grow in 

 the cold, clear air of the mountains. In these 

 highest regions little will grow no trees, and 

 only such grains as mature very rapidly, but 

 the intermediate districts, in the mountain 

 basins and on the eastern slopes of the Andes, 

 produce most of the temperate and sub-tropic 

 growths. These are almost the only regions 

 which have been really cultivated, and they 

 yield lemons, oranges, sugar cane, bananas, 

 pineapples, coffee and some cotton. 



The great eastern plain, it is believed, con- 

 tains much exceedingly fertile land, but agri- 

 culture is as yet almost entirely neglected and 



the methods used in cultivating the soil are of 

 the most primitive sort. The great wealth of 

 this lowland region lies in its forests. Rubber 

 trees are plentiful, and the occupation of many 

 of the Indians of the forest region is the gather- 

 ing and transporting of rubber. The peon sys- 

 tem prevails here as in Brazil (see BRAZIL, 

 subhead The Great Forests and the Rubber 

 Industry). Every year thousands of tons of 

 crude rubber, worth almost $8,000,000, are ex- 

 ported. See, also, PEONAGE. 



Mineral Wealth. Bolivia is rich in minerals, 

 but the development of the mining industry 

 was long hindered by poor transportation facili- 

 ties and lack of capital. In recent years rail- 



COMPARATIVE AREAS 



Bolivia Is of uncertain area, but the best 

 authority ranks it nearly equal in size to Idaho, 

 Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. 



road construction through the Bolivian high 

 plateau has somewhat remedied this condition; 

 the tin, silver and copper mines in operation 

 are worked with the latest mining machinery, 

 and the country produces each year about 

 40,000 tons of tin, 3,000 tons of copper and 

 silver worth millions of dollars. Once Bolivia 

 was noted for its gold. A part of that which 

 the Spaniards found decorating the buildings 

 and the apparel of the Incas came from that 

 country, but after the conquest the mines were 

 not worked until the Spaniards made slaves of 

 the natives and compelled them to labor. Since 

 the country became independent comparatively 

 little attention has been paid to the mining of 

 gold. 



Transportation. The mountainous character 

 of the most thickly-settled part of Bolivia 



