about two and one-half miles high. Sev eral peaks of the Andes are four miles above sea-level. The Brazilian and Guiana plateaus are broad and low, and are crossed by several rounded, flattopped mountain ranges, which show that they are among the oldest mountains of the Western Continent. The Llanos, Selvas, and Pampas form a continuous plain, the low water-partings hardly breaking the level of the land. It is said that, with the exception of about seven miles, a boat could make a continuous passage from north ern sides are precipi. tous. There frightful perpendicu lar rents which form narrow, dangerous passes in the mountains from two to three miles above sea-level. These are traversed by means of llamas and packmen. In a few places railroad bridges have been constructed, at great expense, across these chasms. The Andes have many glaciers, which are the source of numberless mountain torrents. These torrents rush down the slopes to the sea on the western side, and to feed large rivers on the eastern side, of the mountains. Next to Thibet in Asia, the Bolivian Plateau is the highest plateau in the world. It is through this plain. The Llanos are nearly treeless, with the exception of palms which fringe the river banks and cluster in the swamps. The Orinoco River, which drains these plains, is navigable for over a thousand miles. It forms a large delta, which is flooded, as are all the lower parts of the plain, 191 All kinds of climate and products are found as one ascends the high mountains. The northwestern part is well watered, except on the cold and barren mountain summits. For three thousand miles kinds. Much of it is INDIANS BUILDING BARK BOATS. There is a great variety of climate in South America. The entire eastern coast is low, with a fertile soil, but it is hot and unhealthful. Much of the interior is thickly wooded, and has a hot, sultry climate. along the coast of Peru and northern Chili there is no natural harbor, and so little rainfall that this region is a desert. South of this region rainfall is abundant and the soil fertile. From the map on the next page locate the leading production sections of South America. Make a list of the products of each section. Tell which are products of tropical and which of temperate regions. Tell which are cultivated, and which are natural products. What animals belong especially to South America? (Pages 40, 42.) The valuable natural products of the Selvas are: India-rubber, which is gathered, prepared, and shipped to cities of the United States and other countries, to be manufactured into all kinds of rubber goods; cacao-nuts, from which chocolate is made; cinchona, or Peruvian bark, a valuable medicine; vanilla-beans, from which va nilla is extracted; cabinet- and dyewoods, Brazil nuts, and cocoanuts. Farming, grazing, and mining are the leading occupations of South America. Manufacturing is slowly developing in the Plata Basin, and in Brazil and Uruguay. Farming is chiefly carried on in the Plata and Or inoco basins, on the Brazilian slopes and coastal plain, and on the coastal plains and uplands of Chili. Grazing is the principal occupation of the people of the Llanos, the Pampas, the uplands, and the mountain sides. Great herds of cattle and horses and flocks of sheep graze on these plains. Hides and llama and sheep's wool are exported to the United States and Europe. and now sixty per cent. of all the coffee in the world is produced here. Rio Janeiro is the largest coffee market in the world. Cotton, sugar, rice, tobacco, and tropical fruits are extensively grown on the coastal plains of the tropical regions. Bahia and Pernambuco are the principal shipping ports All the products of the tropical' and temperate regions are produced in the farming districts; sugar is the principal product. Coffee is, however, the most important product of South America, and is extensively grown in Brazil and Venezuela. It was brought to Brazil from the Eastern Continent, for these products. In the hot belt there is no special season for sowing or harvesting, and several crops are produced every year. Grains and fruits of the temperate regions are grown on the uplands and in the Plata River Basin. Maté, or Paraguay tea, is cultivated in with the more healthful and inhabitable the Paraguay Basin. Buenos Aires, the Manufactured goods of nearly every description, flour, and steel and iron goods are imported from the United States and Europe. Much of the inland trade is carried on by means of pack-mules, there being few good roads. There are few railroads, Argentina and Brazil having more miles of railroad than all the other countries together. Most of the trade of the Pacific seaports with Europe is carried on by means of a railroad which crosses the Isthmus of Panama. NEGRO HOMES IN QUIANA, SOUTH AMERICAN Steamships convey goods to Panama, whence they are carried to Colon, to PREPARING PARAGUAY TEA OR MATÉ be transported by steamship to Europe. Most of the Pacific ports are connected GATHERING CACAO NUTS FOR CHOCOLATE. in the steep valleys of the mountain streams. One railroad ascends to Lake Titicaca on the plateau. It is one of the highest railways in the world. Wonderful engineering skill has been shown in building two railways across the Andes-one in Peru, the other in Chili. With the exception of Brazil and the Guianas all the countries of South America were settled by the Spanish. The Spaniards came to South America seeking gold. They conquered and enslaved the Indians whom they found. (Read of Pizarro.) The Spaniards as a whole have not maintained as high a degree of civilization as they brought with them from Europe. The Spaniards and the half-breeds, a mixture of Spanish and Indian, have built cities near the coast and in the Plata Basin. The interior of South America is inhabited for the most part by wild tribes of Indians. Many foreign immigrants have settled in the more productive sections. The Spaniards are the aristocrats of the country. They, with the half-breeds, Which lie partly in the Amazon Basin? Which in settled by people from Por tugal, Portuguese is the lan. guage spoken in this country; but in all other countries Spanish is spoken. All the people All of South America be long to the Ro man Catholic branch of the the Orinoco Basin? Which in the Plata Basin? Brazil The most progressive countries are Argentina, Chili, Peru, and Colombia. Brazil and Venezuela are next in progress. These countries have schools; those of Argentina being the best in South America. Name and locate the capital of each country. Which one, having a delightful climate, lies directly under the equator? Locate Cartegena, Maracaibo, La Guaira, Rio Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Christian Church. Education is generally Valparaiso, Callao, Guayaquil. in a backward state, the masses of the people being ignorant and degraded. Name the countries of South America. Which is the largest? Which is second in size? Which is the smallest? Which countries border on the Atlantic Ocean? Which border on the Pacific? Which border on the Caribbean Sea? Which country has the greatest amount of sea-coast? Which has no sea-coast? Which countries lie in the Andes Highlands? Which countries lie mostly in the lowlands? ARGENTINA. Locate this country. Tell what countries and what waters bound it. Tell what surface division Argentina occupies. What great river drains it? In what product section does it lie? Name some of its leading products. Locate the capital and tell what you can about it. Locate La Plata, Tucuman, Cordova. Many Italian, French, and Spanish |