NO. 2 FRASER : SCIENTIFIC WORK, VELERO III, EASTERN PACIFIC 1 55 



Central American Coast 



Guatemala 



Plates 77-80; Chart 74 



The coast of Guatemala extends from Suchiate Bar, southeasterly 

 and then easterly for 140 miles. The sandy coast is regular, with no in- 

 dentations of importance, although there are several roadsteads, the most 

 important of which are Champerico and San Jose. At both of these there 

 are ports of entry, connected by rail with the interior. Champerico is 30 

 miles from the Mexican border, and San Jose 40 miles from the boundary 

 of El Salvador. The landward slope from the shore is rather gradual, 

 but it extends to a continuous range of high mountains in the interior, 

 some of which are actively volcanic. The two most notable of these vol- 

 canoes, directly north of San Jose, are Agua, 12,334 feet, and Fuego, 

 12,603 feet, connected by a high ridge. When the atmosphere is clear, 

 in the morning or early forenoon, these are readily visible far out to sea. 

 Later in the day they are likely to be obscured by heavy smoke. 



No shore collecting has been done off the coast of Guatemala, but 

 there are several dredging stations, all in sand, in the vicinity of San Jose, 

 in 3-5 fathoms inshore to 56 fathoms 30 miles out. 



El Salvador 



The coast of El Salvador extends slightly south of east from the 

 Guatemalan boundary, approximately 140 miles, to the Gulf of Fonseca. 

 The coast and its background are similar to that of Guatemala. The 

 mountains are closer to the sea, but the highest of them are far from 

 being as high as those in Guatemala. There is one irregular bay, Jiquilisco 

 Bay, 30 miles west of the Gulf of Fonseca, but it is largely filled up with 

 low islands. There are two ports of entry, Acajutla, 20 miles from the 

 western boundary, and La Libertad, 30 miles east of Acajutla. No col- 

 lecting has been done along the coast of El Salvador. 



The Gulf of Fonseca is a large inlet, 19 miles wide at the entrance 

 and practically that width for 12 miles, after which it diverges to a width 

 of more than 40 miles, giving off a number of secondary inlets, the 

 farthest point from the entrance being 25 miles. The landward portion 

 consists largely of mud flats, and there are numerous islands, large and 

 small, in various parts of the gulf. 



Three countries share the coast line of the Gulf — El Salvador, the 

 western shore, for 16 miles; Honduras, the northern and most of the 

 western shore, for 38 miles; and Nicaragua, the remainder, 17 miles to 



