318 National Geographic Magazine. 



In the vicinity of the lakes and between them and the Pacific,, 

 the isolated mountain peaks which bound the plain of Leon 

 on the northeast ; the mountain islands of Madera and Ometepe ;. 

 the towering turquoise masses of the Costa Rican volcanoes ;, 

 and the distant blue mountains of Segovia and Matagalpa, visible 

 beyond the sparkling waters of the lakes, feast the eye with 

 scenic beauties, unsurpassed elsewhere in grandeur, variety and 

 richness of coloring. 



The products of the country are numerous despite the fact that 

 its resources are as yet almost entirely undeveloped. 



Maize, plantains, bananas, oranges, limes, and indeed every 

 tropical fruit, thrive in abundance. Coffee is grown in large 

 quantities in the hilly region in the northwest ; sugar, tobacco,, 

 cotton, rice, indigo and cacao plantations abound between the 

 lakes and the Pacific ; potatoes and wheat thrive in the uplands 

 of Segovia ; the Chontales region east of Lake Nicaragua, a 

 great grazing section, supports thousands of head of cattle ; and 

 back of this are the gold and silver districts of La Libertad,, 

 Javali and others. 



Numerous trees and plants of medicinal and commercial value 

 are found in the forests. Game is plentiful and of numerous, 

 varieties ; deer, wild hog, wild turkey, manatee and tapir ; and 

 fish abound in the streams and rivers. The temperature of 

 Nicaragua is equable. The extreme variation, recorded by 

 Childs, was 23° observed near the head of the San Juan in 

 May, 1851. 



The southeast wind predominates during the rainy season. 

 Occasionally, in June or October as a rule, the wind hauls round 

 to southwest and a temporal results, heavy rain sometimes falling 

 for a week or ten days. 



The equatorial cloud-belt, following the sun north in the spring, 

 is late reaching Nicaragua, and the wet season is shorter than in 

 regions farther south. The average rainfall, based on the records 

 of nine years, is 64.42 inches. The "trades" blow almost, 

 throughout the year. Strong during the dry season and fresh- 

 ening during the day ; the wind comes from the east-northeast, 

 and blows usually for four to five days, when, hauling to the east 

 or southeast for a day or two, it calms down, then goes back to. 

 northeast and rises again. 



The Spanish discoverers of the great Lake Nicaragua, coming 

 upon it from the Pacific, and noting the fluctuations of level caused 



