SOUTH AMERICA. 
miles, and up most of its afluents for the greater part of 
their courses. On the Madeira are remarkable falls. 
The tide flows into the Amazon as far as 550 miles from 
its mouth, and at spring tides is headed by a bore, or tidal 
wave, which frequently swamps any boats on the river. 
The La Plata is formed by the juncetion of the Uruguug 
and Parana Rivers, rising in the high table-lands of Bra- 
zil, the latter receiving from the west the Salado, and 
Paraguay, which also has several large tributaries. La 
Plata is 2,400 miles long, and is navigable for large ves- 
sels for 1,800 miles. At Buenos Ayres, 200 miles from its 
mouth, it is 30 miles wide. 
The Orinoco rises in the Parime6 Mountains, and flows, 
by a number of mouths, into the Atlantic, a little south 
of the Island of Trinidad. Its length is about 1,600 
miles, and it is navigable for more than half this dis- 
tance. "The Orinoco connects with the Rio Negro and 
Amazon by the Cassiquiare River, forming a complete 
chain of inland navigation, 
The other important rivers are the Magdalena, flowing 
into the Caribbean Sea; the Kssequtbo, Para (with its 
afluent the Tocantins), Paranahyba, and San Francisco 
in the north, and the Colorado and Negro in the south, 
flowing into the Atlantic. The Para may be considered 
a8 an arm of the Amazon, separating Marajo Island from 
the mainland. 
West of the Andes there are no rivers of any conse- 
zuence, the mountains being near to the coast, and the 
intervening country generally hot and dry. 
South America is very compact, the coast-line being 
almost unbroken. "The principal capes are on the east 
coast—Gallinas, St. Roque, Frio, St. Antonio ; and Horn, 
at the southern extremity. 
The bays, straits, etc., are few in number. The chief 
Aarei 
The @ulfs of Darten, Maracay- 
bo, and Paria, on the narth; 4X 
Yainta Bay, Gulfs of Sarı Matias 
ınd St. George, on the enst; the 
Wratit of Magellan, between Pata- 
zonia and Tierra del Furcgo at the 
south; the Guifa of Guayaquil 
ınd Panama on the west ; besider 
the estuaries of the rivers Amazon 
and La Kata. 
To the south are the Falkland Islands, Tierra del Fuego, 
Dane Horn, Stuten Island, and numerous small groups of 
islands off the west coast of Patagonia, the principal of 
which are Wellington Island and Chiloe Island. To the 
west of Chili is Juan Fernandez Island, and off the coasi 
of Ecuador are the Galapagos or Turtle Islands. 
The climate of South America varies greatly even 
within the distance of a few miles. At the equator the 
anow-line is about 16,000 feet above the sea, and from 
this height to the base of the mountains are to be found 
in succession the climate and vegetation of all the zones. 
It is generally hot and unhealthy on the coast; on the 
east within the tropies it is very moist, but on some parts 
of the west coast rain seldom falls. No part of the world 
is so subject to volcanic ernptions and earthquakes as the 
countries situated near the Andes. Nearly all the prin- 
cipal eities in the western part of the continent have been 
more or less destroyed by them. An earthquake at one 
time permanently raised a great part of the coast of Chili 
from two to seven feet above its former level. 
The soil of South America is remarkabıle for its fertility. 
Humboldt estimates the vegetable productions of South 
America at about one-third of all the varieties in the 
world. Along the banks of the Amazon the country is 
densely wooded ; but the courses of the other large rivers 
are chiefly through vast grassy plains. Cassava, c0coa, 
indigo, sugar, Cotton, corn, coffee, arrow-root, Peruvian 
bark and other medicinal plants, and all the tropical 
fruits and spices, are produced abundantly and with but 
little labor ; but owing to the unsettled political state of 
the continent, and the want of enterprise in the inhabi- 
tants, agriculture is greatly neglected, and the vast re- 
sources of the country are still undeveloped. 
The animals peculiar to South America are the llama 
and the alpaca; the first a species of small camel, but 
without a hump ; the other resembling a sheep or goat, 
and yielding fine wool. The condor of the Andes, the 
aloth, tapir, armadillo, are also to be found; while mon- 
keys, serpents, birds of brilliant plumage, and a great 
variety of insects abound, especially in the forests of 
Guiana. 
South America is also rich in the most valuable min- 
erals; gold, diamonds, and precious Stones are exten- 
sively found, together with iron and other metals in Bra. 
zil and other parts; silver is largely met with in Peru 
and Bolivia, 
The Portuguese formerly possessed Brazil, and the 
Spaniards the rest of the continent, except Patagonia, 
which is little known and little valued ; but all the Stater 
are now independent. 
When Peru was first conquered by the Spaniards, the 
inhabitants were to a great extent civilized, had a regu- 
lar form of government, and built fine cities, temples, 
and monuments; but most of the other inhabitants of 
the continent were ignorant and barbarous. The present 
population, besides the Spanish and Portuguese colonists 
and their descendants, consists of Indians, and mixed 
races of whites, Indians, and negroes. "The whites prob- 
ably number less than one-third of the whole, 
South America is divided into nine republics, one 
limited monarchy (Brazil), and one European poSSe8SiON 
(Guiana). 
The Countries are: 
Bolivia. 
Chili 
Argentine Republic, 
Paraguay. 
Uruguay, 
United State * (alomt* 
Venezuela 
Eenador. 
OGuiana, 
Brazil. 
Peru,