A federal republic in the northwestern part of South America, composed of 9
States. Area, 504,773 square miles. The country is traversed by three
ranges of the Andes Mountains. There are numerous large, navigable rivers,
tributaries of the Orinoco and Amazon.
The constitution was adopted in 1863. Government in the hands of a
President, elected for 2 years, a ministry of 7 members, and a Congress
composed of a Senate and House of Representatives. Capital, Bogota;
population, 100,000. Strength of the Federal Army determined by Congress.
Peace footing for 1882-83, 4,000 men.
The climate varies according to the elevation: the coast lands are usually
hot and sickly: but the high table lands, as a rule, possess a genial
climate; that of Bogota is unusually fine.
The mineral wealth of Colombia is very great; one-sixth of the exports
consist of precious metals. Agriculture and stock raising are the leading
pursuits. Value of imports, 1883, $11,504,028; exports, $14,857,170.
Two-thirds of the exports consist of cinchona and coffee. The transit trade
through the ports of Panama and Aspinwall is of far greater importance than
the direct commerce; its value is estimated as not less than $85,000,000
per annum.
There are many native products, among which are fine woods, cacao, India
rubber, ipecac, calisaya bark, cochineal, sarsaparilla and logwood. These,
and tobacco, cinchona, coffee, sugar, indigo, rice, cotton, hides, ores and
Panama hats, form the chief exports.
In 1883, 1,513 vessels, of 709,175 tons, entered the ports of Colombia.
Number of miles of railway in the republic, 140. It is expected that the
ship canal across the Isthmus of Panama will be opened in 1888. The company
have a subscribed capital of $125,000,000.
VENEZUELA. V[)e]n'ez-wee'la.
A republic of South America, formed in 1830. The republic was, in 1881,
subdivided into 8 States, 1 Federal District, 8 Territories and 2 national
settlements. Area, according to an official statement of 1884, 632,695
square miles; population, 2,121,988. The Andes Mountains cross the northern
part from west to east; the Orinoco and other important rivers pass through
the southern part.
Executive power is in the hands of a President, who exercises his authority
through a ministry of 6 and a Federal Council of 16 members; legislative,
in a Congress of two Houses, the Senate and House of Representatives.
Vice-President chosen by the Council. Capital, Caracas; population, 55,638.
Chief towns, Valencia (population, 36,145) and Barquisimeto (population,
28,918). Army: peace footing, 2,545 officers and men; war footing, 350,000.
Mineral resources very great. Venezuela gold fields among the richest in
the world; iron and copper abundant. Value of mineral products, 1884,
s.4,452,050; gold, $3,243,380. Latest reports give value of imports as
$17,253,130; exports, $19,720,225.
Agriculture the most important industry. Number engaged in it, 1884,
375,820; number of acres cultivated, 852,500. Coffee the most important
product; total value of product, 1884, $11,255,000; value, of sugar
product, $7,686,000; corn, $6,000,000; cocoa, $2,998,000. Latest reports
give number of cattle as 2,926,733; goats and sheep, 3,490,563; horses,
291,603; mules, 906,467; swine, 976,600.
State religion, Roman Catholic; all others tolerated. In 1883 the
government spent $500,000 in public instruction. Number universities, 2;
colleges, 33; normal schools, 5; other schools, 1,794. Number of miles of
railway, 1884, 102; telegraphs, 1,145 miles. {184}
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BRITISH GUIANA. Ghe-a'na.
A territory in northeast part of South America. First settled by the Dutch,
1580. Acquired by the British in 1803; formally ceded in 1814. Estimated
area, 76,000 square miles. Population, 248,110. Crossed by two great
mountain systems. Contains many rivers; largest, Essequibo, 600 miles long,
noted for magnificent cataracts. Thermometer rises to 90deg in warm
weather; falls to 75deg in winter season; mean annual average at
Georgetown, 81deg. Rainfall per year, about 72 inches.
Vegetation is luxuriant. Large sections are covered with valuable forests,
which furnish exhaustless supplies of timber, largely used for
shipbuilding. Number sugar plantations, 120; coffee estates, 12. Sugar
forms 92 per cent. of exports; latest reports give 111,156 hhds. Rum
exported, 32,531 puncheons; rum issued for home consumption, 330,392 gals.
Export of molasses, 17,084 casks; timber export, 464,436 cubic feet. Total
imports, 1882, $10,498,160; exports, $16,043,155.
Government administered by a Governor appointed by British Crown, and a
Court of Policy.
Georgetown the capital; pop., 36,562. Number of schools sanctioned by Board
of Education, 177; Church of England, 81.
DUTCH GUIANA. Ghe-a'na.
Lies east of British Guiana, often called Surinam from the river of that
name. Coast line, 220 miles. Dutch first visited the country about 1580;
but the first settlement in Surinam was made by an Englishman, in 1630.
Area, 46,060 square miles. Population, 68,255; 54,602 negroes.
Local government consists of a Governor and Colonial Assembly. Capital,
Paramaribo; population, 27,416.
Mean annual temperature, 80.4deg; coldest month mercury falls to 78deg;
warmest, mercury rises to 99deg. Rainfall, 99 inches; at Paramaribo the
average of eight years was 101 inches.
Large tracts of territory covered with primeval forests. Great staple of
Guiana is sugar; average yearly export, about 10,645 tons. First cocoa sent
to Amsterdam, 1733; the average yearly production is now more than 13,000
tons. Cotton and coffee rank next. Gold-mining is a growing industry.
Latest reported value of exports, $1,151,070; imports, $1,316,355.
FRENCH GUIANA. Ghe-a'na.
East of Dutch Guiana. Area, 48,000 square miles. Population, 36,760. Coast
line low and swampy. Large portion of the territory is covered with dense
forests. Rainy season from November to June. Rainfall at Cayenne, 10 feet
per year; heavier in the interior. Temperature: in summer, 86deg; winter,
mean, 79deg, and seldom sinks so low as 70deg. In this century there have
been three earthquakes.
Administration in the hands of Governor and Military Commandant.
Capital, Cayenne; pop., 10,000.
Coffee, introduced in 1716, is extensively grown. Guiana cocoa,
bread-fruit, arrow-root, bananas, yams, oil, and date palm are among the
products; but the principal source of food is manioc. Contains valuable
gold deposits. French criminal penitentiaries located in this country.
{186}
BRAZIL. Bra-zil'.
This is the largest of the South American countries, and the only empire in
the New World. Contains many rivers. Amazon, the longest, drains 800,000
square miles of Brazilian territory. Temperature in the valley of the
Amazon ranges from 68deg to 85deg, while at Rio Janeiro the average is
75deg. Area, 3,288,963. Population, 9,883,622. Capital, Rio de Janeiro;
pop., 274,972.
Executive power is vested in the Emperor, ministers and Secretaries of
State; legislative authority rests with the Senate and and Chamber of
Deputies. The empire is divided into 20 Provinces.
Country rich in minerals and precious stones. Total value of diamond
washings for the first 100 years was about $20,000,000. Diamond mines are
now owned by private individuals. Manufactures in late years improved by
the introduction of American machinery.
During the last 16 years the increase in exports has been 20 per cent.; in
imports, 22 per cent. The value of coffee exported in 1882-83 was
$52,720,000; sugar, $16,250,000; raw cotton, $4,063,650; tobacco,
$5,344,500; India rubber, $5,965,000. Total imports, 1882-83, $111,434,300;
exports, $134,945,100. In 1883, 2,989 vessels, of 2,367,296 tons, entered,
and 2,522, of 2,095,237 tons, cleared, Brazilian ports.
Number miles railway, January, 1884, 3,500; 1,500 in process of
construction. Telegraph system under the control of the government; miles
of wire in 1883, 4,900. Army, on peace footing, 13,500 strong; in time of
war, 32,000. Naval force consists of 35 steam vessels, with 123 guns and
5,704 seamen.
Established religion, Roman Catholic. Clergy are supported by the state.
Compulsory education exists in several Provinces; 84 per cent. of
population is illiterate. Total number of schools, 5,685.
BOLIVIA. Bo-liv'e-a.
A republic of South America, named in honor of Simon Bolivar; formed, in
1825, from provinces of Upper Peru; ceded all coast territory to Chili in
1880. Area, 842,729 square miles. Population, 2,300,000. Surface broken by
two mountain ranges. Highest peak, Sahama, 22,350 feet; many volcanoes.
Lake Titicaca is the largest inland body of water in South America; area,
4,000 square miles; Madeira river, with tributaries, navigable for 3,000
miles in Bolivia; La Paz chief city; pop., 76,372. Capital, Sucre or
Chuquisaca.
President elected for 4 years. Legislative power rests with a Congress of 2
chambers,--Senate and House of Representatives. Universal suffrage
prevails; Vice-President is appointed by President.
The climate embraces all degrees of heat and cold. The products of two
zones are found in Bolivia. Ebony, rosewood, mahogany, cinchona, and other
valuable trees abound. Manufactures limited to coarse cotton cloth, hats,
cordage, leather and alpaca. Tin, copper, gold, and vast quantities of
India rubber of the finest quality abound. Silver mines almost
inexhaustible; annual yield of the Cerro de Potosi mines, $2,250,000.
Two-thirds of exports are silver. Imports average $6,150,000; exports,
$9,000,000.
Standing army, 2,421 men; generals and other officers, 1,021; two-thirds of
revenue goes to support the army.
Roman Catholic the prevailing religion; other creeds tolerated; 4
universities. In 1884 but 12,000 pupils and students at schools and
colleges. Three railroads open for traffic. {187}
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ECUADOR. Ek-wa-d[=o]r'.
A republic of South America, constituted 1830; situated on the equator,
from which it takes its name. Extremely mountainous; traversed from north
to south by three ranges of the Andes. Most lofty peaks: Cotopaxi, 18,880
feet; Chimborazo, 21,424; Cayambe, 19,831. Climate, on the coast, hot; on
the high table lands, cold and bleak; valleys are free from extremes of
temperature. Area, 248,370 square miles. Population, 946,033. Quito, the
capital, has 80,000 inhabitants; Guayaquil, the principal seaport, 26,000.
Quito is the highest inhabited city, being 9,500 feet above sea-level.
Ecuador was formed from the American Free State, founded by Simon Bolivar.
Executive power rests with a President, elected for 4 years; legislative,
with a Congress of two houses. President and Vice-President are nominated
by 900 chosen electors. Vice-president is President of the Council of
State. Hereditary rights or privileges prohibited by law. Belief in the
Roman Catholic church, qualification for suffrage.
The soil of Ecuador will grow the products of every zone. There is a
copious growth of the cinchona tree, sarsaparilla, vanilla, copaiba, balsam
of Tolu, etc. Many fibrous plants, suitable for the manufacture of paper
and cordage, are found in profusion. The immense mineral wealth is
untouched; agriculture is neglected; manufactures are insignificant. The
roads afford no facilities for commerce, being mostly mule tracks. Miles of
railway number but 75.
Export of cocoa, 1883 valued at $3,372,200; India rubber, $428,800. Total
value of exports, $4,923,300; imports, about $6,000,000. In 1883, 151
vessels, of 155,283 tons, entered, and 160 vessels, of 158,970 tons,
cleared the port of Guayaquil.
Only 7.5 per cent. of population can read or write. In 1884, standing army
fixed at 1,600 men.
PERU. Pe-roo'.
A republic of South America. Area, previous to the war with Chili, 503,718
square miles. Population, 2,699,945. Since the war about 70,000 square
miles of Peruvian territory are occupied by Chili. Traversed by two systems
of the Andes Mountains; highest point is the volcano of Misti, 20,300 feet
above sea-level. Temperature at Callao about 60deg; Lima about 70deg.
Independence declared in 1821. The government is administered by the
President, Senate and House of Representatives. The Peruvian constitution
is planned after that of the United States. Lima, the capital, has a
population of about 100,000.
The chief occupations are sheep raising, agriculture and mining;
manufactures unimportant. Mountain valleys are very fertile; mountains are
rich in minerals. Between 1853 and 1872, 8,000,000 tons of guano were taken
from the Chincha Islands. Latest reliable reports give: imports,
$24,000,000; exports (exclusive of guano and nitre), $31,000,000. Principal
exports are guano, nitrate of soda, wool, sugar, silver and cinchona.
State finances deranged by the late war with Chili; foreign debt
$164,765,000; arrears in interest, $65,954,970. Railway system projected in
1852; miles of line, 1878, 2,030. Telegraph lines, 1878, 1,382 miles. The
merchant marine, 1877, consisted of 147 vessels, with a combined capacity
of 49,860 tons. Army and navy almost annihilated in the war with Chili;
army now consists of 13,200 men; navy, of 18 steam vessels, with 66 guns.
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ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. Ar'jen-tine.
A republic of South America. Total area, 1,125,086 square miles. Total
population, 1882, 3,026,000. Foreigners: Italians, 123,641; French, 55,432;
Spaniards, 59,022; Germans, 8,616; English, 17,950. Population of Buenos
Ayres, the capital, was, in 1882, 295,000; Rosario has a population of
32,204; Cordova, 39,651; ten towns have over 10,000 inhabitants. Population
rapidly increasing from immigration. In 1877 immigrants numbered 28,708;
1880. 41,615: 1882, 59,843; during first nine months of 1883, 73,210. The
country is divided into 14 Provinces. Executive power is vested in a
President, elected for a term of 6 years; legislative power is vested in a
Congress, composed of a Senate and House of Deputies. President and
Vice-President must be Roman Catholics. Constitution almost identical with
that of the United States.
Public revenue derived from heavy customs duties. Income for 1884,
$32,400,000; Import does, $21,115,000; export dues, $3,010,000; total
expenditure, $32,460,000. Annual exports: wool, $28,250,000; hides,
$14,000,000; sheep skins, $4,250,000; tallow, $6,000,000; live animals,
$1,750,000; maize, $2,100,000.
The area devoted to agriculture is yearly increasing. In 1882 the
confederation possessed 14,206,499 horned cattle, 72,683,045 sheep,
4,856,808 horses. Total value of live stock, $210,000,000. In 1882 the
wheat product of the province of Santa Fe was 2,250,000 bushels.
Miles of railway, 2,500, and 651 miles are being constructed. In 1884 there
were 9,800 miles of telegraph line, 8,060 miles owned by the state.
Many navigable rivers afford excellent facilities for transportation. The
Uruguay river is navigable for 200 miles; the Rio Negro, for 500; and the
Colorado, for 150.
There are universities at Buenos Ayres and Cordova; professors, 66;
students, 923: there are also 28 middle class and normal schools, and 1,985
primary.
The army in 1884 consisted of 7,812 officers and men; militia and National
Guard, 350,000. Service in National Guard compulsory; regular army supplied
by recruitment.
URUGUAY. Oo-roo-gw[=i]'.
This South American republic formed a Brazilian Province until 1825.
Independence recognized by treaty of Montevideo, 1828; constitution
proclaimed 1831. Area estimated at 73,538 square miles. Population,
438,245. Government in the hands of a President, elected for four years,
assisted by 5 ministers, and a Parliament composed of two houses. Capital,
Montevideo; population, 115,500.
The country forms a vast rolling plain, abounding in natural pastures. The
chief industry is the rearing of cattle and sheep. It is estimated that
35,000,000 acres are used for pastoral purposes, on which are 6,711,778
cattle and 20,000,000 sheep. Chief agricultural products, wheat and Indian
corn. Climate is generally humid, but temperate and healthful.
Revenue derived from customs duties. Commerce active. Value of imports,
1833, $21,634,475; exports, $26,831,555. Principal articles of export,
cattle, hides, tallow, and dried and preserved meats.
Permanent army numbers 3,494 men, besides an armed police force of 3,200,
and a national guard of 20,000 men. State religion, Roman Catholic. Number
of children in all schools, 40,000. Miles of railway, 1884, 271; of
telegraph, 1,405. {190}
CHILI. Chil'lee.
A republic of South America. Area, 256,399 square miles. Population,
2,271,949. This country is long and narrow, embracing extremes of
temperature. Mean annual temperature at Santiago, 55deg; at Valparaiso,
58deg. Spring begins in September; winter, in June. Lakes and rivers are
few; both are fed by the snow melting in the Andes; they are worthless for
navigation, but valuable for irrigation purposes. Surface is mountainous;
mean elevation of Andes, 11,830 feet; Aconcagua, the highest peak, 22,420
feet.
Chili is divided into 18 Provinces and 4 Territories. The constitution of
1833 vests the legislative power in a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies.
Executive power rests with a President, a Council of State, and a Cabinet
of 5 ministers. Capital, Santiago; pop., 200,000. The potato is indigenous.
Olive trees, mulberries and vines flourish. Cedar is the most important
tree in Chili. Fruit is plentiful. This republic is rich in gold and
silver, and especially in copper. Wheat the most important cereal product;
value of wheat exported in 1882, $6,649,345. Value of chief exports in
1883: iodine, $2,987,490; bar copper, $14,339,460; silver, $4,624,110.
Revenue for 1884, $49,900,000, one-half of which was derived from customs
duties and monopolies; expenditure, $46,536,550. Total exports in 1883 were
valued at $79,732,550; imports, $54,447,060.
The Chilian commercial marine consisted, 1883, of 131 vessels, of 53,071
tons. In 1882, 1,482, of 1,367,849 tons, entered, and 1,428, of 1,431,028
tons, cleared, the various ports of Chili.
One of the first states in South America to construct railways; length of
line in 1883, 1,378 miles, of which 600 miles belonged to the state; cost
of state lines, $42,141,686. In 1883 there were 6,840 miles of telegraph
line, property of the state. By a law of 1884 the strength of the army can
not exceed 12,410; at the same date the National Guard numbered 51,826, of
whom 17,408 were on duty. Navy consists of over 20 war vessels.
State religion is the Roman Catholic; all creeds are protected; clergy is
subsidized by the state; civil marriage is acknowledged by law. Besides the
National Institute at Santiago, there are many colleges of different kinds;
many agricultural and other special schools. There were, in 1883, 5,042
students attending universities and colleges. The attendance at the 724
public primary schools was 60541
PARAGUAY. Pa-ra-gw[=a]'.
A republic of South America, entirely inland. Area 91,970 square miles.
Population, 346,048. Became independent in 1811; was ruled by Dr. Francis
for 25 years. The government is entrusted to a President and Congress.
Capital, Asuncion; pop., 16,000.
Soil and forests are very great sources of wealth. Manufactures are few and
crude. The country is well watered by numerous streams and lakes. Three
crops of tobacco per year are grown; home consumption, 15,000,000 lbs.;
export, about 7,500,000 lbs. Sugar cane yields well; in 1882 there were
37,500,000 pounds of sugar produced. Maize returns one hundred and forty
fold; rice, two hundred and fifty fold. Mate, or Paraguayan tea, the most
important product. Imports, 1881, $1,278,000; exports, $1,928,500. The
state owes Brazil and allies $236,000,000; Foreign debt, $17,315,000.
Army numbers 607 men, lately reduced in order to diminish expenses.
Railway, 45 miles; telegraph, 45 miles. {191}
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