Vol. XV, No. 8 



WASHINGTON 



August, 1904 



a 



THE 



'ATJKDHAIL 



©«AIPIffl(D 



MBAEE 



a 



PERU-ITS RESOURCES, DEVELOPMENT, 

 AND FUTURE* 



By Alfredo Alvarez Calderon, of the Peruvian Legation 



PERU is about three and one-third a land rich in agicultural and mineral 



times as large as Germany, twice products, and where there is unlimited 



as large as France, nearly three scope for those who will make their 



times as large as Texas, and 14 times homes there. 



larger than the State of New York. The population of the coast might be 



The population of this immense ter- fairly estimated at 750,000 inhabitants, 



ritory is about 3,000,000 — equivalent to The white race is the most largely dis- 



4. 1 inhabitants per square mile. How tributed along this zone, and constitutes 



small this ratio is when compared with the main element of progress and wealth 



some of the European countries may be in the country. The city of Lima alone 



seen in. the following table : contains a large number of foreigners. 



Name of country Population per The bulk of the population, however, 



Peru square mile. res [^ es [ n t he highlands or Sierra, and is 



vSweden . 30 composed of 2,ocn ; ooo of the native 



Russia in Europe 51 Indian race, descendants of the noble 



Spain . 97 Incas. The climate of this region is the 



France 188 most healthful in the world and is the 



Germany 270 cause of the strong and healthy consti- 



Italy. 294 tution of the Cholo or Indian. These 



Great Britain and Ireland 346 are of a light-colored skin, and are 



Netherlands 416 • 1 r j ■ .-, • ■ , • 



Belgium s8q mainly employed in the mining exploi- 

 tations as laborers, and are also pro- 



Peru contains a vast sparsely popu- prietors of small tracts of land, which 



lated territory, greater than that of any they cultivate independently. 



European country, Russia excepted, The opinions contained in the follow - 



and capable of containing many more ing quotations admirably picture the 



millions of inhabitants, who would find characteristics of the people. 



*An address before the National Geographic Society, March, 1904. 



