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  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  into 
  the 
  countries 
  of 
  the 
  Caribbean 
  not 
  

   merely 
  "took 
  his 
  life 
  in 
  his 
  hands," 
  but 
  

   staked 
  it 
  upon 
  the 
  appetite 
  of 
  the 
  yellow- 
  

   fever-bearing 
  mosquito. 
  

  

  Today, 
  thanks 
  to 
  the 
  genius 
  and 
  the 
  

   sacrifices 
  of 
  American 
  medical 
  science, 
  

   these 
  lands 
  are 
  purged 
  of 
  such 
  scourges 
  

   and 
  are 
  as 
  safe 
  as 
  our 
  own 
  climes 
  (see 
  

   text, 
  page 
  140). 
  

  

  But 
  even 
  twentieth-century 
  science 
  

   bows 
  to 
  the 
  meteorological 
  forces 
  which 
  

   make 
  of 
  the 
  Caribbean 
  area 
  the 
  terrible 
  

   "breeding 
  ground" 
  for 
  the 
  irresistible 
  

   forces 
  of 
  the 
  wind, 
  for 
  here 
  originate 
  the 
  

   hurricanes 
  which 
  periodically 
  loose 
  their 
  

   destroying 
  strength 
  upon 
  plantation 
  and 
  

   settlement, 
  upon 
  puny 
  man 
  and 
  his 
  ships 
  

   at 
  sea, 
  and 
  sweep 
  up 
  our 
  own 
  Eastern 
  

   and 
  Gulf 
  seaboards 
  with 
  devastating 
  

   effect. 
  

  

  As 
  if 
  to 
  make 
  amends 
  for 
  releasing 
  the 
  

   Pandora 
  curse 
  of 
  storms, 
  however, 
  Nature 
  

   has 
  also 
  made 
  this 
  region 
  the 
  birthplace 
  

   of 
  that 
  wonderful, 
  beneficent 
  warm-sea 
  

   river, 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream, 
  which 
  the 
  late 
  

   Admiral 
  Pillsbury, 
  formerly 
  President 
  of 
  

   the 
  National 
  Geographic 
  Society, 
  appro- 
  

   priately 
  called 
  "the 
  grandest 
  and 
  most 
  

   mighty 
  terrestrial 
  phenomenon" 
  (see 
  also 
  

   page 
  153). 
  

  

  AN 
  AREA 
  RICH 
  IN 
  INTEREST 
  EOR 
  THE 
  

   STUDENT 
  OE 
  GOVERNMENT 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  political 
  economist 
  the 
  republics 
  

   to 
  the 
  south 
  present 
  a 
  subject 
  of 
  absorb- 
  

   ing 
  study 
  in 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  popular 
  

   government. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  nations 
  are 
  

   still 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  political 
  flux. 
  This 
  is 
  

   especially 
  true 
  of 
  the 
  newly 
  formed 
  Re- 
  

   public 
  of 
  Central 
  America, 
  composed 
  of 
  

   Guatemala, 
  Honduras, 
  and 
  Salvador 
  and, 
  

   prospectively, 
  of 
  Nicaragua 
  and 
  Costa 
  

   Rica. 
  

  

  The 
  recent 
  revolution 
  in 
  Guatemala 
  has 
  

   given 
  the 
  proponents 
  of 
  the 
  union 
  a 
  

   temporary 
  setback, 
  but 
  the 
  most 
  earnest 
  

   friends 
  of 
  Latin 
  America 
  are 
  confident 
  

   that 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  union 
  is 
  the 
  ultimate 
  solu- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  a 
  stable 
  state, 
  of 
  economic 
  ad- 
  

   ministration, 
  and 
  of 
  gratifying 
  commer- 
  

   cial 
  and 
  social 
  advancement. 
  

  

  The 
  constitution 
  of 
  the 
  republic 
  was 
  

   signed 
  by 
  Guatemala, 
  Salvador, 
  and 
  Hon- 
  

   duras 
  in 
  September, 
  1921, 
  and 
  became 
  

  

  effective 
  on 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  

   month. 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  the 
  plans 
  at 
  this 
  writing, 
  

   the 
  permanent 
  government 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  estab- 
  

   lished 
  this 
  month 
  (February 
  1, 
  1922). 
  

   It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  republican 
  in 
  form 
  and 
  will 
  

   consist 
  of 
  three 
  branches 
  — 
  the 
  executive, 
  

   legislative, 
  and 
  judicial. 
  

  

  THE 
  MAP 
  REPRESENTS 
  MANY 
  MONTHS 
  OE 
  

   RESEARCH 
  

  

  In 
  few 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  has 
  less 
  been 
  

   accomplished 
  in 
  accurate 
  surveying 
  than 
  

   in 
  certain 
  portions 
  of 
  Central 
  and 
  South 
  

   America. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  compilation 
  of 
  data 
  for 
  the 
  "Map 
  

   of 
  the 
  Countries 
  of 
  the 
  Caribbean," 
  there- 
  

   fore, 
  it 
  was 
  necessary 
  to 
  investigate 
  and 
  

   verify 
  many 
  sources 
  of 
  information. 
  In 
  

   this 
  work 
  the 
  National 
  Geographic 
  So- 
  

   ciety's 
  cartographers 
  and 
  research 
  experts 
  

   had 
  the 
  cordial 
  cooperation 
  of 
  United 
  

   States 
  Government 
  departments 
  in 
  Wash- 
  

   ington, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  Hydrographic 
  Office 
  

   of 
  the 
  Navy 
  and 
  the 
  Graphic 
  Section 
  of 
  

   the 
  General 
  Staff, 
  War 
  Department, 
  were 
  

   especially 
  fruitful 
  sources. 
  In 
  addition, 
  

   the 
  several 
  legations 
  of 
  Central 
  American 
  

   countries 
  gave 
  valuable 
  assistance. 
  

  

  For 
  data 
  on 
  specific 
  points, 
  The 
  Society 
  

   is 
  indebted 
  to 
  numerous 
  explorers 
  and 
  

   geographers, 
  who 
  have 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  

   been 
  contributors 
  to 
  the 
  National 
  Geo- 
  

   graphic 
  Magazine, 
  and 
  who 
  were 
  able 
  

   to 
  give 
  first-hand 
  information 
  concerning 
  

   railroads 
  recently 
  built 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  

   of 
  construction 
  and 
  others 
  which 
  have 
  

   been 
  abandoned. 
  

  

  The 
  resultant 
  map, 
  it 
  is 
  confidently 
  be- 
  

   lieved, 
  affords 
  the 
  most 
  concise 
  and 
  accu- 
  

   rate 
  information 
  obtainable 
  on 
  this 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  world. 
  

  

  The 
  issuance 
  of 
  the 
  "Map 
  of 
  the 
  Coun- 
  

   tries 
  of 
  the 
  Caribbean" 
  as 
  a 
  supplement 
  

   with 
  the 
  February 
  Geographic 
  is 
  in 
  con- 
  

   tinuance 
  of 
  The 
  Society's 
  map 
  program 
  

   begun 
  in 
  1921, 
  when 
  large 
  scale 
  maps 
  in 
  

   colors 
  were 
  compiled 
  and 
  issued 
  of 
  the 
  

   New 
  Europe, 
  Asia, 
  South 
  America, 
  and 
  

   the 
  Islands 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific. 
  

  

  Later 
  in 
  1922 
  generous 
  scale 
  Maps 
  of 
  

   Africa 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  World, 
  on 
  which 
  work 
  

   has 
  been 
  progressing 
  for 
  two 
  years, 
  will 
  

   be 
  issued. 
  

  

  