﻿COSTA 
  RICA, 
  LAND 
  OF 
  THE 
  BANANA 
  

   By 
  Paul 
  B. 
  Popenoe 
  

  

  THE 
  geography 
  of 
  Costa 
  Rica 
  is 
  

   a 
  repetition 
  of 
  that 
  of 
  its 
  sister 
  

   republics 
  of 
  Central 
  America: 
  

   masses 
  of 
  mountains 
  arranged 
  without 
  

   much 
  regard 
  for 
  symmetry, 
  but 
  furnish- 
  

   ing 
  many 
  fertile 
  valleys 
  and 
  occasionally 
  

   spreading 
  out 
  into 
  rich 
  table-lands 
  which 
  

   provide 
  admirable 
  grazing; 
  few 
  navigable 
  

   rivers 
  or 
  good 
  harbors, 
  and 
  a 
  low, 
  rich 
  

   coastal 
  plain, 
  hot 
  and 
  unhealthy. 
  

  

  Its 
  northern 
  and 
  southern 
  boundaries, 
  

   long 
  in 
  dispute 
  with 
  Nicaragua 
  and 
  Pan- 
  

   ama, 
  respectively, 
  have 
  recently 
  been 
  set- 
  

   tled 
  by 
  the 
  usual 
  procedures 
  of 
  com- 
  

   promise 
  and 
  arbitration. 
  The 
  northern 
  

   boundary 
  was 
  important 
  half 
  a 
  century 
  

   ago, 
  when 
  the 
  only 
  access 
  to 
  the 
  republic 
  

   on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  side 
  was 
  through 
  Grey- 
  

   town, 
  Nicaragua, 
  by 
  canoe 
  up 
  the 
  Colo- 
  

   rado 
  River, 
  and 
  thence 
  on 
  horseback 
  over 
  

   a 
  rough 
  trail 
  to 
  the 
  capital. 
  The 
  establish- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  Port 
  Limon 
  allowed 
  this 
  traffic 
  to 
  

   die 
  and 
  the 
  northern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  coun- 
  

   try 
  to 
  relapse 
  into 
  its 
  primitive 
  condition. 
  

   The 
  Aguacate 
  range 
  is 
  largest 
  in 
  the 
  

   mountain 
  system, 
  but 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  greater 
  

   peaks 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  isolated, 
  rise 
  as 
  

   high 
  as 
  11,000 
  feet, 
  and 
  are 
  often 
  active 
  

   volcanoes. 
  Blanco, 
  in 
  the 
  south, 
  is 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  highest; 
  better 
  known 
  is 
  Irazu, 
  

   which 
  is 
  blamed 
  for 
  earthquakes 
  that 
  

   have 
  twice 
  practically 
  wiped 
  out 
  the 
  city 
  

   of 
  Cartago, 
  lying 
  at 
  its 
  base. 
  

  

  SAN 
  JOSE 
  IDEALLY 
  SITUATED 
  

  

  San 
  Jose, 
  the 
  capital 
  city, 
  with 
  50,000 
  

   inhabitants, 
  including 
  its 
  suburbs, 
  is 
  set 
  

   near 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  republic, 
  in 
  a 
  broad 
  

   valley 
  surrounded 
  by 
  picturesque 
  moun- 
  

   tains. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  nucleus 
  of 
  the 
  coffee 
  dis- 
  

   trict, 
  holds 
  a 
  strategic 
  position 
  with 
  re- 
  

   gard 
  to 
  the 
  Aguacate 
  Mountains, 
  chief 
  

   source 
  of 
  mineral 
  wealth, 
  and 
  is 
  favor- 
  

   ably 
  situated 
  for 
  shipping 
  to 
  all 
  points 
  in 
  

   the 
  interior. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  developed 
  land 
  

   is 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  it, 
  the 
  territory 
  north 
  

   and 
  south 
  being 
  much 
  less 
  utilized. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  coast 
  is 
  lacking 
  in 
  good 
  

   harbors, 
  that 
  at 
  Port 
  Limon, 
  on 
  the 
  At- 
  

   lantic 
  side, 
  has 
  been 
  converted 
  into 
  a 
  sat- 
  

   isfactory 
  port 
  of 
  entry 
  by 
  English 
  capital. 
  

  

  The 
  Pacific 
  port 
  of 
  entry, 
  Puntarenas, 
  

  

  is 
  still 
  lacking 
  in 
  wharfage 
  facilities, 
  but 
  

   is 
  well 
  protected 
  by 
  its 
  situation 
  in 
  the 
  

   broad 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Nicoya, 
  one 
  of 
  three 
  great 
  

   indentations 
  which 
  make 
  the 
  republic 
  con- 
  

   spicuous 
  on 
  any 
  map. 
  

  

  Below 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Nicoya, 
  which 
  runs 
  

   up 
  50 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  broad 
  plain 
  of 
  Guana- 
  

   caste, 
  where 
  stock-grazing 
  is 
  the 
  principal 
  

   industry, 
  is 
  the 
  Golfo 
  Dulce, 
  a 
  large 
  inlet 
  

   into 
  a 
  region 
  which 
  is 
  still 
  undeveloped. 
  

  

  CHIRIOUI 
  LAGOON 
  AS 
  LITTLE 
  KNOWN 
  AS 
  

   IN 
  COLUMBUS' 
  TIMS 
  

  

  Opposite 
  Golfo 
  Dulce, 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  

   coast, 
  is 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Boca 
  del 
  Toro 
  and 
  

   the 
  famous 
  Chiriqui 
  Lagoon, 
  which 
  figures 
  

   so 
  largely 
  in 
  Columbus' 
  account 
  of 
  his 
  

   voyage 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  and 
  is 
  still 
  nearly 
  

   as 
  unknown 
  as 
  when 
  he 
  saw 
  it. 
  The 
  In- 
  

   dians 
  continue 
  their 
  primitive 
  life, 
  resent- 
  

   ing 
  intrusion 
  from 
  strangers, 
  and 
  the 
  

   authority 
  of 
  the 
  government 
  there 
  is 
  as 
  

   nominal 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  Mexico 
  over 
  the 
  In- 
  

   dians 
  of 
  remote 
  Yucatan. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  no 
  lakes 
  of 
  any 
  size 
  within 
  

   the 
  republic. 
  Navigable 
  rivers 
  are 
  non- 
  

   existent, 
  save 
  for 
  some 
  tidal 
  streams 
  

   along 
  the 
  coast 
  that 
  play 
  an 
  important 
  

   part 
  in 
  the 
  transport 
  of 
  bananas 
  to 
  the 
  

   point 
  of 
  shipment. 
  The 
  streams 
  of 
  the 
  

   country 
  are 
  mere 
  mountain 
  torrents, 
  in 
  

   some 
  places 
  deep 
  enough 
  for 
  canoe 
  travel, 
  

   but 
  more 
  valuable 
  as 
  sources 
  of 
  power. 
  

  

  The 
  Pacific 
  coastal 
  plain 
  is 
  narrow 
  and 
  

   unimportant, 
  occupied 
  by 
  jungle, 
  where 
  

   the 
  principal 
  industry 
  is 
  hunting 
  monkeys 
  

   for 
  their 
  skins, 
  which 
  usually 
  appear 
  on 
  

   the 
  furrier's 
  list 
  under 
  an 
  entirely 
  dis- 
  

   similar 
  name. 
  At 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  

   of 
  Nicoya 
  was 
  formerly 
  a 
  great 
  hunting 
  

   ground 
  for 
  egrets, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  likely 
  

   exhausted 
  by 
  this 
  time. 
  

  

  The 
  Atlantic 
  coastal 
  plain 
  is 
  wider 
  and 
  

   richer, 
  chiefly 
  given 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  banana 
  

   industry. 
  

  

  As 
  will 
  be 
  judged 
  from 
  the 
  description, 
  

   Costa 
  Rica 
  is 
  not 
  overpopulated. 
  With 
  

   an 
  area 
  about 
  half 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  

   Pennsylvania, 
  the 
  latest 
  estimate 
  (De- 
  

   cember, 
  1918) 
  was 
  459,423 
  inhabitants, 
  

   of 
  whom 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  thousand 
  were 
  set 
  

   down 
  as 
  aborigines. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  

  

  201 
  

  

  