SOUTH AMERICA. 



435 



leagues south of the 2 former islands, is about 24 miles long and 10 broad. Its climate is 

 salubrious, but the water is unwholesome. The soil is fertile. Almost every spot of ground 

 is in a high state of cultivation. The capital of this island is Christianstadt., which is one of 

 the handsomest towns in the West Indies. 



Swedish Islands. The only island belonging to Sweden is St. Bartholomew^ which is 

 about 15 miles in circumference. It is very fertile, and produces sugar, cotton, tobacco, mdi- 

 go, and cassava, but there is no water, except what is supplied by rains. The coast is sur- 

 rounded with rocks, and is difficult of access, but there is a good harbor at Gustavia, whifh 

 has 10,000 inhabitants. The island was ceded to Sweden by France, in 1785. 



CHAPTER LVII. SOUTH AMERICA. 



1. Boundaries and Extent. South America is bounded N. by the Caribbean Sea ; E. by 

 the Atlantic Ocean ; S. by the Southern Ocean ; and W. by the Pacific Ocean. It extends 

 from N. lat. 12° to S. lat. 56°, and from 35° to 82° W. long., having an area of 6,900,000 

 square miles. 



2. Mountains. Three systems of mountains pervade South America. Of these the Jlndes 

 is the longest and loftiest, stretching through the whole length of the continent, from Cape Fro- 

 ward, the southern extremity of Patagonia, to the Gulf of Paria and the Isthmus of Panama, 

 where it is connected with the great mountainous chain of North America. The Andes in some 

 parts branch off into several chains, which are particularly described in the accounts of the .«-epa- 



