Chile is divided into four zones,--“Mineral,” “Mineral and
Agricultural,” “Agricultural” and “Wooded and Fishing.”
In the region of the “Mineral” or north zone, extending from the
province of Coquimbo on the south to the extreme north of the Republic,
rain is unknown; there is very little moisture and scarcely any
water in the streams. As a result of the arid condition of this
territory there is little spontaneous or cultivated vegetation, and
no agricultural interests worthy of mention. But the five provinces
comprising the zone abound in minerals, and form conjointly with the
agricultural resources of other sections the productive wealth of
Chile. Among the products of this section are nitrate of soda and
guano in quantities sufficient to enrich the lands of the world; there
are also deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, quicksilver, zinc,
bismuth, iron, manganese and borax.
The provinces of Tarapaca and Antofagasta comprise the great nitrate or
saltpeter fields of South America, the richest and most extensive in
the world. The province of Tarapaca was acquired from Peru, in the war
with that country in 1879-81, and Antofagasta was Bolivian territory
previous to the same war. Until recent years this arid region,
designated as the pampa or “desierto de Atacama,” was considered
nonproductive and practically worthless. Now the products of nitrate
of soda alone amount to over 100,000,000 Chilean pesos annually,
and comprise two-thirds of the export business of the Republic.
This mineral zone covers an area of 235,000 square miles and has a
population of 355,000. The great mineral wealth of the country is not
limited to this particular section, however, as gold and other minerals
are found in a majority of the provinces in Chile, and mines are worked
from Tarapaca to Tierra del Fuego.
It is within the limit of this zone that the once famous mines of
Chanarcillo and Copiapo are located, from which has been taken
millions of dollars worth of ore. But these and other silver mines,
once productive, have practically ceased to yield, from the lack of
application of modern mining methods, and the silver mining industry
has greatly depreciated in Chile in the last decade. Gold mining is
also less extensive than in former years, except in Tierra del Fuego,
and the product has greatly decreased in the northern zone.
With the decrease in gold and silver mining in the Mineral zone has
come increased interest in the production of copper, which now forms
eighty per cent. of the metal exports from Chile.
The Mineral and Agricultural zone may be defined as a section of
semi-mountainous, sparsely watered country, extending north from
Santiago, to the mineral zone. There are within the territory a
number of small streams extending from the mountains to the sea, in
the valleys of which are small farms, called “fundos.” There are few
towns of any consequence in that part of the country, no railways,
few improved roads, and communication between the coast and interior
is slow and difficult. Mule and burro trains are the common method of
transportation, while more rapid communication is made on horseback.
The Agricultural, or central zone is the garden of Chile. It includes
twelve provinces, extending from Aconcagua on the north to the river
Bio Bio on the south, with an area of 75,000 square miles, and a
population of 1,800,000. About eighty per cent. of the people living
in this zone are engaged either directly or indirectly in agricultural
pursuits. In the northern part of this geographical division is
Valparaiso, the most important commercial center in the Republic; in
the center is Santiago, the beautiful capital city, and in the south,
situated on the Bio Bio is Concepcion, the third city in population and
importance in the country. In this section there is a copious rainfall
between the months of May and September, and consequently a prolific
growth of vegetation. Between the mountain ranges and hills that crowd
close down to the sea, are beautiful valleys, where wheat, maize,
barley, flax, oats, rye, all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and a variety
of grasses grow and mature well. From Santiago, extending several
hundred miles south are wide fertile valleys, high and low table-lands,
wonderfully productive and in a splendid state of cultivation. This
central valley of Chile, lying between the Andes and the coast range,
is a continuous garden of luxuriant beauty. The cultivated loveliness
of the private estates, which surround the capital, offer a pleasing
contrast to the sterner grandeur of mountain forms and color with
which it is enclosed. There are to be found the ideal South American
haciendas, where thousands of acres are included in one domain, where
the primitive system of cultivating the land, introduced by the
Spaniards when they came to the western world, with few exceptions,
still prevails. There is the one storied castle-like residence of the
proprietor, with its wide verandas, roomy corridors, rambling rooms and
beautiful patio. The house is often surrounded by a magnificent garden
and park, where graceful palms, beautiful trees and brilliant flowers
in great variety grow and bloom the year round. There too, are vast
herds of horses, cattle and other domestic animals, all fat and sleek
from feeding upon the rich pasturage of irrigated “potreros” (fields).
Farther south in this zone, the semi-tropical appearance of the
northern regions give place to wood-crowned hills and streams fringed
with forest trees. Rains are more frequent and the growth of vegetation
more general and prolific. Vast farms extend in every direction. Stolid
oxen, drawing primitive plows or carts, plod through fallow fields, and
the mountains, which are always in sight, give up their solitude in
scenes of domesticity and peaceful industry.
The wooded or southern zone, includes all the territory from the river
Bio Bio, south to Cape Horn, and forms the least developed portion
of Chile. In the southern provinces are vast virgin forests, rich in
varied resources, awaiting commercial development. In some sections
of the country the forests, overrun with creepers, are so dense that
they form an almost impenetrable jungle, where the sunlight never
penetrates, and where twilight lingers throughout the entire day. In
these forests are various woods of excellent quality, including oak,
cypress, lingue (the bark of which makes excellent tanning material),
rauli, redwood, laurel, resin pine, poplar, and quillai, the bark of
which is exported in large quantities, and is used as a mordant for
dyeing.
Sawmills have been established in recent years, and are now in
operation in the timber districts of southern Chile, but the lumber
industry, which promises to become one of the important commercial
interests of the country, is only in its infancy. In fact the
mills have so far made practically no impression upon the forests,
their cuttings being limited to choice timber along the streams and
water-ways where transportation facilities are good.
In addition to the valuable timber interests and great agricultural
resources of southern Chile, it possesses large deposits of coal, gold,
iron ores, Portland cement, roofing slate and other minerals, awaiting
development. On the plains and in the valleys luxuriant vegetation
develops annually and remains to enrich the soil for the use of future
generations. Unexplored hills and mountains, hoarding a wealth of
minerals, await the ambitious prospector and industrious miner. In the
sands of Tierra del Fuego is gold to gladden the hearts of men, and the
forests contain material for lumber sufficient to supply the demands of
the continent. In this subdivision there are also extensive fisheries
and oyster beds. Along the coast, rugged hills that reach down to the
sea are covered with forest trees, and on the Cordilleras near the
southern limits of the continent, vegetation extends up to an altitude
where virgin snows and verdant green meet and mingle in strange
contrast. In the mountain and forest solitudes of this undeveloped
region, are many lakes, resting like emerald settings in the landscape.
Viewed from the sea the scenery along the coast of southern Chile
presents a picturesque appearance. The Andes Mountains, grand and
imposing, form a splendid background for the verdant forests forming
the shore line. This range of mountains constitutes a conspicuous
physical feature of the continent. To the south it crowds close upon
the Pacific, and throughout the length of Chile the Cordilleras cover
a double series of highly elevated summits enclosing longitudinal
valleys within the region of perpetual snow. On the western range there
are three smaller mid-land mountain chains called the “Cordillera
Maritima,” running parallel with the Andean, between which are numerous
well-watered valleys possessing a delightfully equable climate. From
any of these valleys the giant peaks of the Andes, royally crowned and
ermine robed are plainly visible. And as the day-god rides over them,
touching their white crests with fingers of gold, the scenes presented
are wonderful in variety and spectacular effect.