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COMPILED BY 'JAR SERVICES SECTION OF THE
WORK PROJECTS ADLUJSTTRiTION IN ILLINOIS.
/
STATE OF ILLINOIS, DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE
DIVISION OF REPORTS
State-Wide Sponsor of the Illinois
Writers' Project
FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY
General Philip B. Fleming, Administrator
WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION
Howard 0. Hunter, Commissioner
Florence Kerr, Assistant Commissioner
Charles P. Casey, State Administrator
Evelyn S. 3yron, Director,
Division of Community Service Programs
Harry T, Fultz, Chief of Public Activities Programs
Puhli&hecC
M [lRI CVI
GOOD NEIGHBOR FORUM
of CHICAGO
Edward 1. Sparling, President.
Ernst Schwarz, Director.
ITS PURPOSE
is to promote political,economic and cultural understand¬
ing and cooperation among all races and creeds among all
nations of good will, especially those of the Americas.
ITS PROG-1 LI 1
L. Lectures and discussions in Chicago and else'1./here,for
colleges, schools, religious and other groups and asso¬
ciations.
2. Exchange with Latin America of boohs, journals, pic¬
tures,maps and other teaching and informational material.
5. Arranging for correspondence between individuals in
the United States and Latin America.
4. Sponsoring Pan American education and the teaching of
Latin American subjects, including the languages of the
Americas, in all types of schools all over the he stern
Hemisphere.
5. Practical advice to local Good neighbor groups con¬
cerning the most effective "ways of promoting Pan Ameri¬
canism.
6. Publication and distribution of a bi-monthly publica¬
tion in English and another in Spanish, Both are distri¬
buted free of charge and are designed to awaken and fos¬
ter interest in the three Americas and to aid local Good
Neighbor groups in all parts of the .mericas in the de¬
velopment of their activities.
794-2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Credit for the research and writing
for this outline belongs to Boris
Kritchensky. His work was supervised
and edited by Ethel Eyre.
GEOGRAPHY OF LATIN AMERICA
-a speakers' outline-
Introduction^
Among the factors that are instrumental in the building of a civil-
zation, geography ranks high. The development of a country depends to
a large extent upon its location on the globe, its climate, topography,
relative position to the principal industrial, commercial and agricul¬
tural centers of the world, and its access to the principal trade and
travel routes. This has been especially true of Latin America where
geographical conditions have strongly influenced not only the economic
development but political relationships as well.
A topography of huge mountain barriers, great coastal swamps, and
periodically flooded river valleys has divided one country from another
in Latin America, and hampered communications both within the separate
republics and between them and the outside world. "Great distances,
towering mountains, dense forests,impenetrable jungles separated peoples
of the same country."
English, Dutch, French,and other colonists migrating to North Amer¬
ica found the interior accessible and the topography and climate similar
to their homelands. The Spaniards, on the other hand, avoided the for¬
bidding interior of South America with its extreme heat, deserts, para¬
sitic insect life, disease, and impregnable jungles, and turned their
attention Ohiefly to the readily accessible west coast with its gold and
silver mines.
These facts go far towards explaining what has been, until recent
times, the slow economic development of Latin America. It was not until
the middle of the nineteenth century when the demands of American and
European farmers sent ships sailing around Cape Horn for Peruvian guano,
and later, for Chilean nitrates, that the west coast of South America
renewed its contact with the rest of the world. The real awakening of
the Latin Americas did not come, however, until the opening of the Pana¬
ma Canal in 1914, when the increased frequency of sailings from European
and American ports stimulated the development of Latin American re¬
sources.
It must not be supposed however, that Latin America is one vast
fever-ridden wasteland steaming under a tropical sun. These far-flung
countries have every conceivable kind of soil and climate. While it is
true that there are vast stretches of Amazonian jungle entirely uninhab¬
ited by man, cool sea breezes from the Antarctic and temperate mountain
and highland climates make possible many thriving, modern cities and
busy settlements.
I. SIZE AND POSITION OF LATIN AMERICA.
From the Rio Grande south of Gape Horn, Latin America stretches
for nearly 7,000 miles. Within this vast expanse lie 20 independent re¬
publics including Mexico in North America; the six Central American
states of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and
Panama; Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic in the West Indies; and
the ten South American countries of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,
Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil.
Together, the Latin American countries, with a total area of
about 8,500,000 square miles, are three times as large as the United
States, not including Alaska. South America alone, lying south of the
Isthmus of Panama and east of Detroit, is two and a third times the size
of the continental United States. Central America, north of the Isthmus,
is slightly larger than thS combined areas- .of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio,
and Wisconsin. Mexico is larger than Texas, Oregon,Arizona, New Mexico,
and California combined; while Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti
are about the size of Nebraska.
II. TOPOGRAPHY.
A. General Resemblance to North America.
The major physical features of South America bear a strik¬
ing resemblance to those of North America. Like the northern
continent, the southern appears a huge stage with a mountainous
background (the Andes on tie west coast, part of a range that
stretches up to Alaska), an immense area in the center (the
tropical Amazonian jungle and grassy Argentine pampas), and a
vast open door to the east. The Brazilian highlands on the
east coast match the Appalachians in our own country.
B. Mountains.
The most important physical feature of the southern con¬
tinent is its great mountain chain which extends southward from
Mexico to Cape Horn, and, as its name implies, is the cord that
binds the Latin Americas. The Cordillera provides an agreeable
climate and contains great mineral resources, but it is also a
barrier which isolates peoples of the same country. In some
mountain fastnesses, Indians retain the same customs and trad¬
itions they had in pre-Columbian days.
1. The South American Cordillera (Andes). The Andes consti¬
tute the most continuous mountain range on the globe. In
much of its extent the chain rises close to the coast on
the west and from the low plains on the east, giving 7 per
cent of the continent an elevation of more than 10,000
feet. (Seven peaks rise to more than 20,000 feet). Its
2
aspect may change greatly from one section to another, but
its continuity is never broken. Sometimes it is a chaotic
tangle of mountains and sometimes, as in Bolivia, it is an
orderly array of gigantic ranges, between which lies the
floor of a great plateau. The Andes fall into three major
divisions: the southern, central, and northern ranges.
a. The Southern Andes. The southern Andes are the nar¬
rowest zone of the system, stretching from the south¬
ern border of Puna de Atacania in Argentina to the
southern extremity of the continent where they disap¬
pear under the ocean. A good part of the land lies
above 10,000 feet, and makes a beautiful lake and
mountain country suitable for national parks.
b. The Central Andes. The central Andes lie between
northern Argentina and southern Colombia. The area is
of considerable width and elevation, and, despite its
height and ruggedness, is one of the richest agricul¬
tural and mining regions in the world.
c. The Northern Andes. The northern Andes form one of
the most favorably located regions, lowest in eleva¬
tion, varying from 8,000 to 9,000 feet in height. They
contain important mineral deposits and are the center
of the northern South American population.
d. An Area of Volcanic Disturbances and Earthquakes. Be¬
cause of their comparatively recent geological origin,
the Andes are a source of many seismic and volcanic
disturbances which, in some parts, have occurred on
the average of once a week.
2. Central American and Mexican Ranges. The South American
Andes are linked with the Central American mountain system
by means of the low and heavily forested Cordillera of
Baudo which makes the surface of the six Central American
republics rough and mountainous. Entering the Mexican
state of Chiapas, the Central American range continues
parallel to the Pacific Ocean at a short distance from the
sea, and breaks down into a tangled maze of hills at the
Isthmus of Tehuantepoc. North of the Isthmus, the basic
Mexican range breaks down into the Sierra Madre Occidental
leading to the west and the Sierra Madre Oriental follow¬
ing the east coast.
G. Highlands.
1. Brazilian Plateau. While the great Brazilian Plateau does
not reach the altitude of the Cordilleras, as its general
3
level is between 1,500 and 4,000 feet, it is sufficiently
high to exert an influence on the climate of this region
which would otherwise be a true tropical area. This ele¬
vated land mass of nearly a million square miles is the
major physical factor in the life of Brazil. It contains
over 35 percent of Brazil's population and a far larger
share of its wealth. The Mineiro and Paulista highlands
and their southern continuation are different from the
rest of the Brazilian Plateau because of their greater
altitude which reaches over 9,000 feet. They also possess
superior fertile soil.
2. Guiana Plateau. The Guiana Plateau covers a considerable
area in southwestern Venezeula and a narrow zone of Brit¬
ish Guiana. This region is almost entirely undeveloped
and much of it, heavily forested, is little known to man.
D. Lowlands.
1. The Jungles. The jungles of South America are located for
the most part in the upper Amazon basin. This region has
an equatorial climate and is covered with dense tropical
forests. It is thinly populated by people who hunt, fish,
and gather such forest products as rubber and nuts for a
living. Life is extremely precarious in the jungle where
nature threatens to reclaim even the small section of land
man has so laboriously cultivated.
In the northern part of the continent, the Orinoco
basin, though covering a vast area between the Venezuelan
Andes and the Guiana Plateau, is considerably smaller in
extent than the Amazon basin and the Argentine pampas,
and is even more backward in economic development than
the upper Amazon Valley.
Another Latin American lowland is on the east coast
of the northern continent where a thin layer of soil sup¬
ports such short rooted crops as henequen and a dense
growth of low jungle. The Mosquito Territory is a fairly
broad stretch of jungle on the eastern side of the Cen¬
tral American bulge, v/ithin the borders of Honduras and
Nicaragua. The narrow belt on the west coast of South
America presents a variety of physiographic conditions.
2. The Pampas. The Argentina pampas are the culmination of
the great belt of lowlands which extends north and south
through the interior of the continent. The pampas cor¬
respond in economic value to our Mississippi Valley,
though they are much smaller in size. Their uniform level
4
surface retards.natural drainage and prevents the develop¬
ment of large streams with well-defined beds and networks
of tributaries. The outstanding resources of the pampas
are rich soil and moderate climate and rainfall "which
make this region a center for the raising of cattle and
the cultivating of wheat, corn, and cotton.
E. Rivers.
The rivers of Latin America are the main means of trans¬
portation, and the life blood of the republics bordering them.
1. The Amazon. The Amazon River (with three times the vol¬
ume of the Mississippi) and its tributaries form the
largest river system in the world. The Amazon's navigable
section from Papra in Brazil on the east to Hualaga in
Peru on the west, is over 2,000 miles long, and there are
hundreds of navigable side channels parallel with the main
stream. The Amazon River spreads over a plain so wide
that in many places it looks like a sea rather than a
river.
2. The Orinoco. The Orinoco, rising in the highlands between
Venezuela and Brazil, flows west and north before turning
east' towards the Atlantic. Dense forests cover the banks
of its lower course, and its vjaters are navigable during
certain seasons for a thousand miles. Together with its
many tributaries, the Orinoco offers a total navigable
length of about 4,000 miles.
3. The Rio de la Plata. The Rio de la Plata, between Argert-
tina and Uruguay, is an important shipping lane. Its
estuary, forming the greatest trading harbor in the west¬
ern world, is formed by the confluence of its tributaries,
the Parana, Paraguay, and Uruguay Rivers.
4. The Sao Francisco. The Sao Francisco River rises in the
highlands of Minas Geraes in Brazil, and flows entirely
through hilly and mountainous country. It is navigable
for 140 miles below the Falls of Paulo nffonso and for
some distance above them.
5. The Magdalena. The Magdalena River in Colombia is 2,000
miles long and is navigable for 700 miles. It is one of
the main arteries of transportation, connecting the in¬
terior of the country with the coast.
F. Lakes.
Latin American Jakes include the following;
5
1* Titioaca, situated between Bolivia and Peru in the Andean
highlands, is the highest steam-navigated body of water
in the world.
2. The Chilean-Argentine Group, including Nahuel Huapi.
3. Nicaragua, in the republic of Nicaragua is a link in the
proposed Nicaraguan canal.
4. Maracaibo in the oil region of Venezuela.
G. Islands.
The surface of the Latin American republics located in
the West Indies is predominantly rough, that of Haiti and the
Dominican Republic in particular. The other islands off Latin
America are geological curiosities,many of them merely detach¬
ed pieces of continental land mass separated from the mainland
by arms of the sea.
III. CLIMATE.
Latin America has every conceivable type of climate from the
bitter cold of the Antarctic at the extreme end of South America,
through the moderate climate of the South Temperate zone in Argen¬
tina, Chile, Uruguay,and southern Brazil and Paraguay, to the trop¬
ical heat of the Torrid Zone in northern South America, Central
America, and Mexico.
While most of Latin America does lie in the torrid zone, the
great range of the Andes Mountains thrusts large parts of Bolivia,
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala,and Mexico into the cool temper¬
ate zone. Over 40 percent of the Latin American people live in a
cool and comfortable climate, one writer says:"Boara a train in
the tropical lowlands where banana fronds rustle near the window,
and within a few hours' travel you will be shivering inside a top¬
coat as the train climbs upward through fragrant pine forests."
People in the tropical lowlands along the Atlantic, Pacific and
Caribbean coasts in the jungles and swamps of the interior, suffer
from intense heat, tropical diseases, malaria, pellagra, and swamp
fevers. But in the highlands (such as the plateaus in Ecuador which
are 6,000 to 9,000 foot above sea level with some peaks reaching
20,000 feet, and in Guatemala which, except for coastal regions,
lies at an altitude of 4,000 to 11,500 feet) the air is cool and
pleasant. Climate contrasts arc shown in the throe areas below:
A» Argentina.
The northern part of Argentina is subtropical while the
southern is cold and dry. The pampas, or. groat ccnthal plains,
6
are similar to our own Middle Jest in climate. In the south
temperate zone, seasons are the reverse of our own. Summer in
3uenos Aires means winter in New York.
B. Brazil.
In northern Brazil, the valley of the Amazon River is ex¬
tremely hot. South-central and southern Brazil, however, have
a cooler climate and moderate rainfall.
0. Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies. The wide coastal
plains of Central America are hot and wet, but the interior
highlands are mild. In Mexico also, while the coastal area is
hot, the central plateaus are mild. The Nest Indies escape
continuous heat by means of the northeasterly trade winds.
IV. THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE AND TOPOGRAPHY ON THE PEOPLES OF TEE LATIN
AMERICAS.
A. Social and Psychological Effects.
Contrary to the population principles effective in the
rest of the world, the peoples of Latin America, because of
the close inter-relation of climate and topography, are con¬
centrated in the highlands. The people of the highlands, where
the climatic conditions are more favorable for agricultural,
economic, and cultural activity,are more energetic, ambitious,
and aggressive than the inhabitants of the lowlands.
B. Political and Economic Effects.
A topography of huge mountain barriers and impassable
jungles, which made the exchange of goods and ideas virtually
impossible, divided the continent into a number of different
and often hostile countries. The commercial advantages which
the great variation in climate could give Latin America over
the rest of the world (such as diversified crops and crops
grown in summer when it is winter in other parts of the -world)
is negated by the difficulties of transportation and communi¬
cation.
V. FLORA AND FAUNA.
A. Vegetation.
The tropical regions of Latin America are covered with
luxuriant vegetation. Dome species are of gigantic propor¬
tions. Characteristic of these regions are the tropical
forests called selvas which extend throughout the entire Ama¬
zon valley and constitute the greatest continuous forest area
7
in the world.
In the subtropical regions are bamboos, palms,cedars,
mahogany and ebony trees, while the mountains are covered
with conifers.
B. Animal Life.
1. Animals. Latin America is noted for the richness and
variety of its animal life which differs in many par¬
ticulars from that of North America. The southern
continent not only contains a great number of species,
but has many species not found on any other continent.
Latin America is the habitat of one-fourth of all
known animals, but curiously enough, almost all those
animals so abundant in Asia and Africa are missing.
The most powerful of all flesh eating animals is
the jaguar, which is also the only formidable beast
of prey on the southern continent. There are several
families of monkey and a group of toothless animals
such as the bloodsucking bats, sloths, anteaters, and
armadillos. Animals such as the llama and vicuna,
distant relatives of the camel, are also found.
2. Birds. The birds of the Latin American tropics, re¬
markable for their brilliant plumage and varieties,
include the humming birds, flamingos, parrots, and
many others. The condor, the largest bird of prey,
is found in the Andes. The colored feathers of birds
were used as ornaments by the Aztecs who fashioned
them into beautiful headresses and embroideries.
3. Fish. The rivers teem with fish, and the number of
varieties found here are greater than in any other
part of the world.
4. Insects and Reptiles. Chief among the Latin American
reptiles are alligators, boas, rattlers, and turtles.
The insects are very numerous in the tropical regions,
and include many species of butterflies large in size
and of gorgeous hue. The beetle family is also well
represented and some species are much larger than
those found in other regions.
NATURAL RESOURCES.
A. State of Development of Latin American Resources.
Latin America is a vast storehouse of natural riches.
The value of its actual and potential wealth is incalcuable.
8
Although its wealth has "been tapped for centuries, many of its
resources still remain undeveloped. A great amount of its
agricultural and forest wealth remains hidden in the inacces¬
sible jungles and.forests, while only a few of its large min¬
eral deposits, like the Chilean iron mines and some petroleum
fields, are located relatively near transportation facilities.
The rest of its mineral wealth is located well inland, in re¬
gions inaccessible to modern machinery and transportation. The
comparatively recent development of rail and air transport-
service may in time open many of the hitherto inaccessible re¬
gions and, together with the current wartime scarcity of many
materials, may lead to the fullest possible development of'
Latin American resources. Until such time however, the ex¬
ploitation of its agricultural resources remains Latin Ameri¬
ca's basic industry.
»
B. Agricultural Resources.
1. Foodstuffs.
a. Corn. The most important agricultural product of
Latin America is corn, the staple food everywhere.
Coffee. Brazil leads all countries in coffee produc¬
tion, with Colombia a close second. Two-thirds of the
Latin American coffee crop comes from Brazil, and SO
percent of the coffee exported by Colombia comes to
the United States, A dozen other countries including
Guatemala, which won the highest award for coffee at
the Panama Exposition in 1915 — Venezuela, Costa
Rica, El Salvador, and Mexico also produce this crop.
c. Sugar. If Brazil is the Coffee Pot of the world, Cuba
is the Sugar Bowl, The United States imports 05 oer-
cent of its needs from Cuba. Thirty-five percent of
the world's total crop of sugar cane is produced by
the Latin Americas including, besides Cuba, the Dom¬
inican Republic, Peru, Mexico and the rich valleys
along the west coast.
d. Eruits. An enormous industry has been built out of
the demand for bananas which 'were introduced in the
United States only seventy years ago. Costa Rica
leads in the production of bananas. Other fruits
grown in Latin America are oranges, pineapples, and
grapefruit.
c. Cacao. Cacao is grown in most of the coffee-produc¬
ing countries (Brazil, Caribbean, and west coast). It
has been estimated that 2,730,000,000 cues of cocao
are consumed annually in the United States, as well
9
as millions of candy bars, ice-cream, sodas and sun¬
daes, and chocolate eclairs made from Latin America.!
cacao.
Yerba Kate. This popular Latin American tea is made
from the leaves of a tree of the holly family found
in the upper basin of the Rio de la Plata. Argentina,
however, is the largest producer of this healthful
drink.
g. Wheat. Argentina produces four-fifths of Latin Amer¬
ica's wheat (200 million bushels in 1930-9). Other
grains and crops grown in Latin America are barley,
oats, rye, rice, beans, lentils, and potatoes.
Plants.
a. Tobacco. Tobacco is grown in the Caribbean and west
coast regions, in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and, to a
lesser extent, in Uruguay, Paraguay, and on the east
coast.
b. Cotton. Cotton is grown in Brazil,Argentina, Uruguay,
Paraguay, Peru, Colombia and Mexico. In 1937,Latin
America produced about 8.8 percent of the -world's out¬
put.
c. Fibers. Ilenequen, the most important fiber for the
production of rope, is found in Haiti, Mexico, Central
America, and Cuba. Rope fiber is also made from var¬
ious kinds of palm trees growing in Brazil, a substi¬
tute for jute is extracted from the fiber of the
curcus. Jipijapap, of which Panama hats are made,is
found in Ecuador.
d. Coffee Plastic. Plastic made from green coffee beans
is used for flooring, roofing, buttons, and novelties.
Coffee oil is a by-product of coffee plastic.
Vegetable Oils. Vegetable oils are usually extracted from
cottonseed, linseed, peanuts, sun flower seeds, sesame,
rapseed, and the coconut palms. Babassu nuts of Brazil
are used in the manufacture of oleomargarine, for olive
oil in cooking, and soap making. There are also many
species of oil bearing palms in Brazil along the Amazon
lowlands and its tributaries. Brazilian castor beans are
used in the textile industry, as well as in the making of
castor oil, soaps, perfumes and lubricants. Each year the
United States buys 2 million dollars worth of castor beans
from Latin America. Newly discovered oiticica oil, made
10
from the seeds of a Brazilian tree, is used as a dryer in
the manufacture of paints and varnishes.
4. Cattle and Sheep. Seventy percent of the world's wool is
produced south of the equator on the plains of South
America. The United States buys much of its wool from
Argentina; and Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay export
v/ool in large quantities. In Peru, llamas are also used
as a source of wool, and herds of alpacas graze at an
altitude too high for sheep.
Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay combined produce ap¬
proximately a quarter of the world's beef and veal. Be¬
sides wool, hides and skins are Important by-products of
stock raising in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, and
Peru.
5. Forest Products. Latin American forests are an important
part of its wealth,and constitute an enormous reserve for
future development. Ivlost forest products are native to
Latin America; but some have been transplanted to other
parts of the world thus creating competition with the
native products.
a. Timber. Latin America possesses the. largest timber
area in the world, with over 3 million square miles
or 40 percent of its land area covered with forests.
However,only 7 percent of this is used because of the
small demand for building materials and the fact that
most of the tropical lumber is hard wood, not very
suitable for building purposes. Most of the soft
wood is localised in Mexico and Brazil. Brazil, in
fact, possesses the world's greatest timber reserve—
more than a million square miles. Argentina and
Colombia each have more timber than the United States,
excluding Alaska. Mahogany, Brazilian jacaranda,
rosewood, andiroba, crab, and ivory wood are used for
the manufacture of beautiful furniture, boats, and
musical instruments.
b. Rubber. Although rubber is found in Brazil, Bolivia,
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, its cultiva¬
tion and production has been neglected for years,
only to be revived under the pressure of war demands.
Brazil takes second place to Malaya in the production
of rubber.
c. The Coconut Tree. The coconut tree is of great com¬
mercial value. The dried coconut meat is used to
make oil for butter, soap, candles, perfume,and other
articles. The shell is used in making linoleum. The
11
stiff fibers on the outside of the shell are used in
making felt. Furniture, lumber, cement, and vinegar
are made from other parts of the tree. We get mill¬
ions of our coconuts from Panama and a half dozen
other Latin American countries.
d. Chicle. Chicle found in the sap of the sapodilla
tree in the forests of Mexico, British Honduras, and
Guatemala, is used as a base in the manufacture of
chewing gum.
e. Tanning Materials. Many of our tanning materials are
derived from quebracho extract found in the Chaco
country west of the Paraguay River, and from divi-
divi found in the Caribbean region,Chile, ana Mexico.
f. Medicinal Plants. The Latin American forests are
also rich in plants which have therapeutic value. The
natives use puchuri for dysentary and other digestive
troubles. The curare poison of the upper Amazon
valley is very useful in the treatment of spastic
paralysis. Rotentote is used for the manufacture of
insecticide, and the cacao plant, grown in Mexico,
Central America, and the Andean countries, is the
source of cocaine. Thgutiny republic of El Salvador
produces the well-known balsam of Peru. The main
obstacle to the full development and regular use of
these plants is the lack of a continuous supply be¬
cause of the difficulty in persuading the natives to
produce them.
Peru was the first country to produce quinine
from the bark of the cinchona tree. 'Without this
drug to control malaria, the Panama Canal might never
have been built.
(Other medicines produced in Latin America — not
forest products — are iodine from Chile which pro¬
duces 90 percent of the world's supply and snake
venom for snake bite produced on Brazil's snake farms.
The castor bean, from which castor oil is made, has
already been mentioned)f
g. Other Forest Products. Balata, a coagulated latex
from trees found in northern South America, is used
in the manufacture of machine belting. Oil of petit
grain, distilled from the leaves of the bitter orange
tree in Paraguay, is used as a base for many lotions
and perfumes. Tagua nuts or vegetable irvoy, growing
on palms common in Mie upper Amazon region, are used
fox* the manufacture of small articles.
12
C. Mineral Resources.
The mineral resources of Latin America range from precious
stones to tin, and are found in almost every part of the
southern continent and Mexico, with the exception of some parts
of Central America, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti where the
mining industry is negligible.
Rich and varied though Latin American mineral products
are, few of them enjoyed- an uninterrupted demand and a firm
price — until the present shortage of materials due to war —
because of the synthetic products that were displacing them.
1. Precious Minerals and Metals.
a. Stones. Colombia controls the world market in emer¬
alds, while Brazil ranks next to the Union of South
Africa as a producer of diamonds, its 1957 exports
amounting to 125,043 carats. In Bahia, Brazil, there
is also considerable production of carbonadoes or
black diamonds for industrial purposes. Brazil also
produces a variety of semi-precious stones such as
opals, tourmalines, turquoises, topazes, garnets,
beryls, and amethysts, while Mexico yields, opals,
tourmalines, and turquoises.
b. Cold and Silver. In 1939 the eight republics of Mex¬
ico, Colombia, Chile, Peru,Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador,
and Bolivia produced ij?84,000,000 worth of gold. Mex¬
ico, with a record of 40 percent of total production,
leads the world in the production of silver, followed
by Peru and Bolivia.
2. Coal, Petroleum, and Iron. Only Brazil, Chile, Colombia,
Mexico, and Peru have active coal industries of any jj>-
portance. The iron ore deposits found in many Latin Amer¬
ican countries are of little industrial use because of
their distance from coal fields and alloys necessary for
the manufacture of steel. Brazil has an immense reserve
of iron ore, probably the largest in the world; Chile,
however, leads in present production.
Six of the southern republics account for 15 percent
of the world's crude petroleum output, and rank as follows
in the order of their annual production. Venezuela,
205,056,000 barrels; Mexico, 42,799,000 barrels; Colombia,
22,037,000 barrels; Argentina, 18,486,000 barrels; Peru,
13,508,000 barrels; and Ecuador, 2,313,000 barrels. Total
production is 302,079,000 barrels annually.
3. Alloys, Latin America has large reserves of metals used
as alloys in the making of steel. The important manganese
13
producers in the Western Hemisphere are Brazil and Cuba.
In 1937 they supplied 31 percent of the United States'
needs. Peru has the largest known supply of vanadium,
producing 45 to 55 percent of the world's supply. Mexico
is the world's second largest producer of molybdenum.
Cuba is the most important producer of chromium, although
it is also found in Brazil, as is zirconium. Mexico and
Peru rank high among the mercury producing countries.
Bauxite, from which aluminum is made is found in Brazil.
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil,Mexico, and Peru have reserves
of tungsten used to make incandescent lamps.
4. Other Useful Metals end Minerals. Brazil exports carnauba
wax with which we make phonograph records, carbon paper,
varnishes, and shoe polish.
Bolivia's tin resources are among the richest in the
world. Latin America furnishes one-fifth of the world's
copper, with Chile leading in production, and Mexico fol¬
lowing. Mexico leads Latin America in lead production.
Due to the frequency of volcanic formation, sulphur
occurs widely in many parts of Latin America, especially
Chile, Mexico, and Colombia. Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and
Mexico lead in the production of bismuth. Sodium nitrate,
a widely used fertilizer, is found in great quantities in
Chile. Mexico, Peru,Argentina, and Bolivia produce zinc.
In 1937, Latin America produced 42 percent of the
world's antimony output, with Mexico, Bolivia, and Peru
as the principal producers.
VII. GEOGRAPHICAL AND RACIAL DIVISION OF THE LATIN AMERICAN POPULATION
(See "Peoples of Latin America," a speakers' outline prepared by
Illinois i/Jr iters' Project, Work Projects Administration).
Latin America has 6 percent of the world's population and 15
percent of the earth's land surface, with an average density of 15
persons per square mile. The 127,000,000 Latin American inhabitants
are geographically apportioned as follows:South America,90,500,000;
Central America, 8,000,000; Nest Indies, 9,000,000; and Mexico,
19,500,000.
Latin America is made up of two original stocks. Iberian
(Spanish and Portuguese) and Indian. Negro slaves brought from
Africa constitute the third basic stock. Nineteenth century immi¬
gration added a fourth element consisting of peoples from Europe
and Asia: Italians, Germans, English, Scottish, Irish, Poles,
Russians, peoples from the Balkans, Japanese, Chinese, and Jews.
Latin Americans are proud of their lack of race prejuaice.Portuguese
is spoken in Brazil, French in Haiti, and Spanish throughout the
rest of Latin America, in addition to yarious Indian dialects.
14-
Racially, the population of Latin America falls into the fol¬
lowing division:
Mestizos (mixed unites and Indians) 65,000,000
Whites 25,000,000
Indians 17,000,000
Negroes and iiulattoes 17,000,000
Zambos (mixed Negroes and Indians) 2,000,000
Asiastic and Unclassified 1,000,000
VIII. COUNTRIES
A. Argentina.
1. Size and Location. Argentina extends north and south
from Bolivia to Cape Horn — a distance of 2,500 miles;
and east and west from the ridges of the Andes to the
southern Atlantic, its greatest breadth being about 930
miles. It is bounded by Bolivia on the north; Paraguay,
Brazil, Uruguay, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east; and
the Antarctic Ocean and Chile on the west. Its area is
1,156,119 square miles or about one-third the area of the
United States.
2. Key Cities. The capital, Buenos Aires, with a popu¬
lation of 2,317,000, is Argentina's most important trade
center and seaport. Other cities of importance are:
Bahia Blanca, a sea port; Rosario and Santa Be, river
ports; Cordoba, La Plata, Avellaneda, and Tucman.
Industries. Argentina's principal industries are, in
the order of their importance: meat packing, wine making,
and sugar refining. The textile industry, of recent
growth, has expanded greatly since 1930. There have also
been some important developments in the chemical field.
4. Principal Imports. Argentina's principal imports are:
coal, petroleum, food products, tobacco, textiles, chem¬
ical and pharmaceutical products, paper, lumber, iron,
steel, machinery, automobiles and parts, rubber products,
hides, skins, and electrical goods.
Total imports for 1939 amounted to 1,248,352,958
paper pesos (about ^652,219,005), of which 17 percent
came from the United States.
5. Principal Exports. Principal exports are: hides,
skins, meats and animal by-proauc-ua, woox, linseed, oats
barley, flour, butter, cotton, wood and quebracho ex¬
tract.
The total value of all 1939 exports was 1,570,226,299
15
paper pesos (about ^1,126,164,567), of which 12 percent
went to the United States.
Bolivia.
1. Size and Location. Bolivia is bounded by Peru and
Chile on the west; by Brazil on the north and east; by
Paraguay on the east; and by Argentina on the south. It
has a area of 537,792 square miles or nearly 10 times
that of Illinois.
2. Key Cities. La Paz, the actual seat of the government,
although Sucre is nominally the capital, has a population
of 200,000. Other important cities are: Cochamamba,
Oruro, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Sucre, and Tarija.
3. Industries. The most important industry in Bolivia
is mining. Agriculture, animal husbandry and manufactur¬
ing are carried on mainly for local needs.
4. Principal Imports. The principal imports of the
country are: textiles, wheat, flour, sugar, mining ma¬
chinery, coal, petroleum products, iron and steel, hubs,
explosives, lumber, automobiles and parts, ore sacks,
cattle, rice, and raw cotton.
Total value of 1939 imports amounted to 4,848,358
pounds sterling (about ^24,241,790), of which 22.7 per¬
cent came from the United States.
5. Principal Exports. Bolivia's principal exports are:
tin, silver, lead, copper, zinc, antimony, bismuth, wol¬
fram, gold, sulphur, chinchona, refined rubber, nuts,
salted hides, cocoa leaves and alpaca wood.
The total 1939 exports amounted to 8,888,777 pounds
sterling (about ^44,443,885), 9.1 percent of which ivent
to the United States.
Brazil.
1. Size and Location. Brazil is the largest of the south
American republics, its borders touching on those of
every state of the continent except Chile and Ecuador. It
has a 4,106-mile coastline on the Atlantic and extends
for 2,691 miles from north to south and for 2,500 miles
from east to west. Its area is estimated at 3,275,510
square miles, which makes it larger than the continental
United States excluding Alaska.
2. Key Cities. Rio de Janeiro, the capital of Brazil,
with a population of 1,171,466 and Sao Paulo, with a pop¬
ulation of 1,120,405 center of the coffee producing area,
16
are the chief industrial cities. Bahia, the third largest
city, is the center of the cotton, sugar, tobacco, and
cocoa regions. Para, in the northern section, is the cen¬
ter of the rubber and cattle industries, and Llanaus is an
important river port about a thousand miles up the Amazon
river.
3. Industries. Brazil is primarily an agricultural coun¬
try with coffee accounting for 40 to 50 percent of the
exports. Other principal agricultural products are: corn
cotton, sugar, rice, oranges, beans, cocoa, potatoes, and
bananas. Among all industries, textiles occupy the chief
place, followed by the beverage industry, perfumes, pharm¬
aceuticals, meat packing, flour milling and petroleum re¬
fining. Silk and wool industries are in process of devel¬
opment .
4. Principal Imports. 3razil imports machinery, wheat,
iron, steel, coal ana coke, petroleum by-products, chemi¬
cals and paper. Total imports for 1939 amounted to
4,933,623 contos (about v318, 919, 712), of which approx¬
imately 33 percent came from the United States.
5. Principal Exports. The country exports coffee, cotton,
cocoa, hides, oranges, carnauba wax, rubber, sugar, tim¬
ber, canned and frozen meats, and rice. Total exports for
1939 amounted to 5,615,519 contos (about ^370,595,254), of
which approximately 36 percent went to the United States.
Chile.
1. Size and Location. Chile lies on the west coast of
South nmerica, occupying the land between the .-aides and
the Pacific and extending from the nitrate deserts to the
frigid archipelago at Cape Horn. Its coast line extends
for 2,653 miles and its area consists of 286,396 square
miles or an area 5 times that of Illinois.
2. Key Cities. Santiago, the capital of Chile, with a
population of 712,533, and Valpariso, the most important
port, are the commercial centers of the republic. Cities
of lesser importance are Concepcion, Antofagasta, and
Punta Arenas.
3. Industries. Aside from wine making and farming the
chief industries of Chile are: textiles, paper, tobacco,
shoes, glassware, cement, silks, furniture, chemical pro¬
ducts, flour, sugar and ether food products.
4. Principal Imports. The country's principal imports
17
are: cotton, cotton yam and thread, lumber, paper, coal,
and coke, fire brick, gasoline, lubricating oil, iron and
steel, machinery, automobiles and trucks, radios and elec¬
trical equipment. Exclusive of specie and precious metal,
1939 imports amounted to 410,500,000 gold pesos (about
$86,205,000), of which 28.3 percent came from the United
States.
5. Principal Exports. Principal exports are: nitrate^
copper, iodine, sulphur, fruit, lentils, beans, wool,
iron, silver and gold ores, hides, and vane. Total ex¬
ports, exclusive of specie and precious metals, amounted
in 1939 to 660,400,000 gold pesos (about V133,684,000), of
which 15,8 percent -went to the United States.
E. Colombia.
1. Size and location. Colombia situated in the extreme
northwestern part of South .America, extends as far north
as the Republic of Panama. It has a cost line of 782 miles
on the Pacific and another of 1,056 miles on the Caribbean
Sea. It3 neighbors are Venezuela and Brazil on the east
and Ecuador and Peru on the south. Its area is about
448,794 square miles or slightly larger than 6 times that
of Illinois.
2. Key Cities. Bogota, the capital, has a population of
331,400. Other cities of importance are: Medellin,
Baranquilla, Puerto Colombia, and Cartagena,Atlantic sea¬
ports; and Belen Buenaventura andTumaco,Pacific seaports.
3. Industries. Agriculture is the principal industry of
the country, followed by petroleum, mining, livestock and
forestry. Manufacturing consists of the making or pro¬
cessing of textiles, flour, sugar, clothing, tobacco,
wheat, rice, cotton, corn, potatoes, soap, candies, sad¬
dlery, glass, beer, ice, and tanned goods. In the mining
industry, gold is the chief commodity, followed by silver,
platinum, copper, cinnabar, manganese, lead, and salt. The
main forest products are: medical barks, roots, extracts,
balsams, gums, resins, waxes, vegetable oils, tanning and
dyeing bark, rubber, and chicle.
4. Principal Imports. The country's principal imports
are: steel and iron pipes, cotton goods, automobiles,
machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals,foodstuffs, leather,
rubber products, glass and glassware, silk, and paper.
The total imports for 1939 amounted to 183,462,000 pesos
(about $704,573,340), of which 56.41 percent came from the
18
United States.
5. Principal Exports. Principal exports are: coffee,
petroleum, gold, bananas, bides and skins, platinum, to¬
bacco, balsam, balata, tagua nuts, and crude rubber. The
value of total 1939..exports amounted to 177,054,000 pesos
(about ^100,900,780), of which 57.66 percent went to the
United States.
F. Jo3ta Rica.
1, Size and Location. Costa Rica is located in the
southern part of Central imierica. It borders Nicaragua
on the north and Panama on the south. Its area is 23,000
square miles or about one-third that of Missouri.
2. Key Cities. San Jose, the principal city as well as
the capital of the country,has a population of 70,568 in¬
habitants. Other important cities are: Lemon, the chief
port and center of the banana industry;Cartago, Aiajuela,
Heredia, and Puntarenas.
5. Industries. Agriculture is the most important indus¬
try of Costa Rica. Principal products are: coffee,
bananas, cocao beans, sugar cane, tobacco, maize, rice,
fruits, and vegetables.
Industries include the processing of coffee, cocoa,
and sugar and the manufacturing of shoes, soap, cheese,
candy, cigars and cigarettes, and beer and liquors. There
is also some mining although this field has been by no
means fully developed.
4. Principal Imports. The country's principal imports
are: galvanized iron tubing, wheat flour, gasoline, agri¬
cultural machinery•• and accessories, cotton cloth, cement,
roofing, iron, hides, diesol oil, electrical appliances,
automobiles, fertilizers, cigarettes, and casimeras. The
1939 imports totaled yl6>884,962, of which 58.8 percent
came from the United States.
5. Principal Exports. Costa Rica's principal exports
are: coffee, bananas, cocoa beans, gold bars, tuna fish,
and mineral concentrates. The total 1939 exports amount¬
ed to >086,498, of which 45.6 percent went to the
United States.
G. Cuba.
1, Size and Location, Cuba, the largest of the islands
in the West Indies, lies at the entrance of the Gulf of
Mexico, which it divides into two channels. It is about
19
730 miles long, from 22 to 150 miles wide, and has a
2,000 mile coastline* The area of the island is 44,154
square miles, or approximately two-thirds the size of
Missouri.
2. Key Cities. Havana, the capital as well as the prin¬
cipal city, has a population of 560,356. Other important
cities are:Santiago,Camaguey,Saneti,3piritus, Cienfugees,
and Santa Clara.
3. Industries. The principal products of Cuba are sugar,
and tobacco, but coffee, cocoa, cereals, potatoes, and a
variety of fruits are grown in considerable quantities.
The country is the world's largest producer of sugar,
having about 1,500,000 acres of sugar cane and 71 mills.
4. Principal Importsi Cuba imports foodstuffs, hides,
skins, coal, coke, sugar bags, gasoline, petroleum pro¬
ducts, iron and steel, automobile parts, machinery, fer¬
tilizers, soap, paints, varnishes, leather, cotton, wool,
silk, paper, and rubber. Total imports for 1939 were
^105,861,814, of which 74 percent came from the United
States.
5. Principal Exports, The country exports raw and re¬
fined sugar, tobacco, honey, pineapples, bananas, citrus
fruits, coconuts, molasses, cattle hides,iron ore, copper
ore, manganese, henequen, alcoholic beverages, sponges,
and thread and cordage. Total exports for 1939 amounted
to ^147,676,258, of which 75.3 percent went to the United
States.
Dominican Republic.
1. Size and Location. The Dominican Republic occupies
about two-thirds of the eastern portion of the island of
Hispaniola, situated between Cuba on the west and Costa
Rica on the east. Its boundary with Haiti is 193 miles
long. The republic has a coastal line 1,017 miles long
and an area of 19,325 square miles.
2. Key Cities. Ciudad Trujillo, a city of 71,297, is
the capital of the Republic as well as its principal city
and chief port. Santiago, San Pedro de Makoris, and
Puerto Plata are its three major„provincial towns.
3. Industries. Agriculture is practically the only in¬
dustry of the country,the major crops being sugar, cocoa,
coffee, rice, tobacco, corn, beans, and yucca.
20
4. Principal Imports, The Dominican Republic imports
cotton goods, machinery, chemicals, jute bags, paper and
paper goods, gasoline, rice, structural iron materials,
automobiles, trucks, and flour. Its 1939 imports amount¬
ed to $11,342,495, of which 53.5 percent came from the
United States,
5. Principal Exports. Its principal exports are sugar,
coffee, cocoa, yuca starch, tobacco le^f,beeswax, cattle,
corn, bananas, and molasses. Exports in 1939 amounted to
$18,643,302,of which 27 percent went to the United States.
I. Ecuador,.
1. Size and Location. Ecuador, on the Pacific coast of
South America, lies on the equator whence it derives its
name. It is bounded by Colombia on the north and Peru on
the south.
In January 1942, at the third meeting of the foreign
ministers held in Rio de Janeiro, the 125-year-old bord¬
er dispute between Ecuador and Peru was finally settled.
The area of the country is officially estimated by the
Ecuadorian government at 337,400 square miles.
2. Key Cities. The principal Ecuadorian cities are
Quito, the capital, Guayaquil, Cuence, Riobamba, Abato,
and Laja.
Industries. The country's principal industries are
agriculture, animal husbandry, mining, manufacturing, and
petroleum production. The manufacturing of hats, tex¬
tiles, and shoes,the grinding of sugar cane, and the hull¬
ing of rice are practically the only manufacturing indus¬
tries supplying any large quantities of products for
other than local demand.
4. Principal Imports. Ecuador's principal imports are:
metals, machinery, cotton textiles, chemicals, wheat
flour, wool,"trucks, paper, silk, mineral oils, paints,
linens, foodstuffs, beverages, cigarettes, raw cotton,
tires, petroleum products, cement, iron and steel, auto¬
mobiles, radios, automobile and radio parts, explosives,
glass and glassware, hemp, flax, jute, hats, railway cars
and parts, tile bricks, earthware, silk, rayon, and
leather manufactures. The total value of 1939 imports
amounted to 147,860,225 sucres (about $50,272,476), of
which 48.7 percent came from the United States.
5. Principal Exports. The country's principal exports
consist of cocoa, cyanide precipitates,coffee, petroleum,
21
tagua, bats, bananas, rubber, hides and slcins, kapok, live
animals, raw sugar, rice, fresh fruits, cascarilla, balsa
wood, cotton yarns, cottonseed, salt, gold and silver. The
1939 exports amounted to 168,840,543 sucres (about ^57,
405,784), of which 49.1 percent went to the United States.
J. El Salvador.
1. Size and Location. El Salvador, the smallest and
most heavily populated republic of Central America, is
bounded by the Pacific Ocean, Honduras, and Guatemala. It
has a 160-mile coast line, a breadth of sixty miles, and
an area of 13,176 square miles.
2« Key Cities. The principal city and capital of El Sal¬
vador is San Salvador with a population of 102,316. Next
in importance come Santa Ana, San Miguel, and Santa Tecla.
Industries. Although the country is essentially de¬
pendent upon its -agricultural activities, new industries
have been started and some of the old ones encouraged by
the enactment of protective measures. The principal arti¬
cles of manufacture, which are primarily for local con¬
sumption are: brewery products, textiles, chinawure, to¬
bacco, sisal, bags, straw hatd, candies, soaps, furniture,
floor and roofing tiles, iron stoves, and, to a lesser de¬
gree, shoes, liquors, and spare machinery parts..
4. Principal Imports. El Salvador imports gasoline, iron
and steel, textiles, cement, iJheat, flour, cotton yarn,
fertilizers, leather and paper. Total imports fpr 1939
amounted to 22,124,325 colons 'tabout yl8,805»S?6), of
which 53 percent come, from the United States.
5. Principal Exports. The country1s chief exports are:
coffee, sugar, hides, sisal, hemp, henequon, gold and sil¬
ver, balsam of Peru, indigo, and honey. Total 1939 ex¬
ports are valued at 31,848,515 colons,(about .^27,087,237),
of which 60 percent went to the United States.
K. Guatemala.
1. Size and' Location, Guatemala, the northern state of
Oentral America, has Mexico for its nbigh'oor on the north
and west, Honduras and Salvador on the east and south, and
the Pacific Ocean on the southwest. It covers an mrou of
45,452 square miles or about half the combined areas of
Illinois and Indiana.
2. Key Pities. Guatemala City, the capital, has a popu-
22
lation of 164,771, Other cities with considerable popu¬
lation are: Quezaltenango with 30,125; Coban with 26,774,
and Zacapa with 18,094 inhabitants.
3, Industries, The industrial activities of the country-
are directed primarily towards agriculture and mining,al¬
though there is some manufacturing on a small scale.
4, Principal Tmports. The country imports machinery,
iron and steel manufactures, drugs and chemicals, petro¬
leum, wheat flour, paper, cotton, yarns and threads, and
cotton tissues. Its total 1939 imports amounted to 15,
295,729 quetzales (about ^25,897,198), of which 45 per¬
cent came from the United States.
5, Principal Exports. The country exports coffee, banan¬
as, sugar, honey, cattle hides, wood, chicle, and gold.
Its total imports amounted in 1939 to 16,985,310 quetzales
(or about £>28,705,173), of which about 70 percent went to
the United States.
L. Haiti.
1. Size and Location. Haiti, occupying the western part
of the island of Kispaniola, is bounded by San Domingo,
the Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea, and separated
from Cuba by the windward passage. Its area is about
10,204 square miles or about one-fifth the size of Illi¬
nois.
2. Key Cities. Port-au-Prince, the capital, x/ith a pop¬
ulation of 115,000, is the chief city of the Republic.
Other important cities are: Cape Haitian, Aux Gaines, and
Gonaieves.
3. Industries. Agriculture is the republics predomi¬
nant industry, the principal crops being coffee, 3ugar,
and sisal. Manufacturing is confined to sugar, molasses,
rum, cigars and cigarettes, vegetable lard compound, and
lard substitutes.
4. Principal Imports. The Republic of Haiti imports
textiles, foodstuffs, gasoline, kerosene, iron and steel
products, soap, automobiles,and trucks,lumber, chemicals,
pharmaceutical products, and tobacco products.
The total value of its exports for the period between
October 1938 and Serjtember 1939, amounted to 36,338,175
gourdes (about ^7,276,635), of which 34 percent went to
the United States.
23
Honduras.
i
1. Size and Location. ''Honduras is bounded by the Carib¬
bean Sea on the north, Nicaragua on tho south and east,
El Salvador on the south and west, and Guatemala on the
west. Its Caribbean coast line is 400 miles long and its
area is 44,275 square miles.
2. Key Cities. The most important city is the capital,
Tegucigalpa, with a population of 42,903. Other towns of
lesser importance are: San Pedro Sula, Choluteca, and La
Ceiba.
3. Industries. Honduras is principally an agricultural
country; manufacturing is done on a small scale, supply¬
ing only a small portion of local needs. The principal
manufactured goods are straw hats, candles, soap, and
shoes.
4. Principal Imports. Honduras imports foodstuffs, iron,
steel, petroleum, cotton, and fabrics. Its total imports
for the period ending June 1938, amounted to 18,935,747
lempiras (about $16,095,384), of which approximately 60
percent came from the United States.
5. Principal Exports. The country's principal exports
are: bananas, coffee, tobacco, coconuts, gold and silver,
livestock, grapefruit, and cyanide precipitates. Its to¬
tal exports for the period ending June 30, 1933 amounted
to 14,712,775 lempiras (about ^17,505,858), of wnich ap¬
proximately 90 percent went to the United States.
Mexico.
1. Size and Location. Mexico, on the northern continent,
is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the United
States on the North, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean
Sea on the east, and Guatemala and Honduras on the south.
Its area is 787,747 square miles or about one-fourth the
area of the continental United States, and has a coastal
line of 4,574 miles along the Pacific Ocean and a 1,727-
mile coastal line on the Caribbean Sea. Its northern
boundary is 1,600 miles long.
2. Key Cities.Mexico City is the capital ana commercial
center of tho Republic. Monterey, Torrson, Veracruz,
Tampa, Guadalajara and Jlichuahua are also of commercial
importance-.
3. Industries. Mining is the principal industry in kex-
24
ico# However, there is a substantial activity in textiles,
shoes, iron and stoel, soap, cement, flour, sugar, paper
furniture, tobacco products, and petroleum#
4# Principal Imports# Mexico imports automobiles, trucks,
petroleum, copra, iron, steal, wool, machinery, chemical
products,pipe,and wood pulp#Total imports for 1939 amount¬
ed to 629,708,225 pesos, of which 71 percent came from the
United States#
5# Principal Exports# The country's exports are: silver
gold, copper, load, sisal, coffeo,bananas, zinc, henequen,
cattle, antimony,petroleum and petroleum products, chicklo
and chickpeas.Total exports for 1939 amounted to 914,389,
882 pesosj of which 74 percent went to the United States#
0# Nicaragua#
1# Size and Location# Nicaragua, the largest republic in
Central America, reaches from the Caribbean Sea to the
Pacific Ocean, and is bordered by Costa Rica on the south
and Honduras on the north. Its east coast measures 290
miles and the west coast is 185 miles long# Its area is
estimated at about 60,000 square miles or slightly larger
than that of Michigan#
2# Key Cities# The main cities of Nicaragua are: Managua,
the capital, with a population of 115,000; Loon Granada,
Matagalpa, and Corinto, the principal Pacific port#
3# Industries# Agriculture is the country's chief indus-
try, with coffee the principal crop in the western part of
the country and bananas in the east. Other industries of
considerable importance are: mining, timber, and manufac¬
turing which consists of a few sugar mills, distilleries,
a brewery, and small factories producing shoes, leather
goods, clothing, and soap for local use#
4. Principal Imports. Nicaragua's chief' imports are:
cotton goods, machinery, iron and steel manufactures,
foodstuffs, leather, petroleum products, paper, cement,
chemicals, drugs, alcholic beverages, silk goods, fibers,
and vehicles# Its total 1939 imports are valued at 6,364,
891 cordobas (about $>10,756,665), of which 68#38 percent
came from the United States#
5# Principal Exports# The country exports gold, coffee,
bananas, cotton, timber, hides and skins,livestock, sugar#
cocoa, corn, beans, rubber, lard, silver, ipecacuanha
roots, and turtles# Its total exports for 1939 are valued
25
at 8,300,972 cordobas (about ^14,028,643), of which 77.49
percent went to the United States,
P. Panama.
la Size and Location. The Republic of Panama, occupying
the entire isthmus of that name, borders Costa Rica on
the north and Colombia on the south, and has an area of
32,380 square miles.
2. Key Cities. Panama City, on the Pacific, with a pop¬
ulation of 127,553, and Colon, on the Atlantic coast,
with a population of 66,448, are the two most important
cities of the Republic.
3. Industries. Although the land is very fertile, it
has been cultivated only to a small extent and by primi¬
tive methods. The principal agricultural products are:
bananas, coconuts, cocoa and coffee. Liquor, hats, fur¬
niture, shoes, cigars and cigarettes are manufactured for
domestic use only.
4. Principal Imports. Panama imports textiles, food
products, machinery, automobiles, iron and steel manufac¬
tures, lumber and building materials, gasoline, kerosene,
electrical supplies, drugs, clothing and shoes. Its to¬
tal imports in 1939 amounted to #20,463,765, of which 58
percent came from the United States.
5. Principal Exports. The country exports bananas,
Ooffee, cocoa, meat, coconuts, hides and skins, rubber,
gold, mother-of-pearl, and lumber. Its total exports for
1939 amounted to #3,487,137 of which 85 percent went to
the United States.
Q,. Paraguay.
1. Size and Location. Paraguay, one of the two inland
countries of South America, is bounded by Brazil and Bo¬
livia on the north, by Brazil and Argentina on the east,
and by Bolivia and Argentina on the south. It has an
area of about 100,000 square miles.
2. Key Cities. The most important city and the capital
of the country is Asuncion with a population of about
105,000. Other important cities are: Villa Rica, Goncep-
cion, Carapagua, and Villa Encarnacion.
3. Industries. The principal industries of Paraguay are
the raising of beef cattle and tobacco cultivation. Man-
26
lecturing is represented chiefly by the packing and cur¬
ing of meat, the distilling of rum, the making of raw
sugar, and the tanning of leather.
4. Principal Imports. Paraguay imports textiles, food¬
stuffs, hardware, fancy goods, wines and spirits, pharma¬
ceutical products, automobiles, ready-made clothing, and
hats. Its 1938 imports amounted to 13,082,101 gold pesos
(about ^21,323,824), of which 9.5 percent came from the
United States.
5. Principal Exports. Paraguay exports oranges, yerba
mate tea, timber, hides, tobacco,beef products, quebracho
extract, cotton lace, and vegetable oils. Its 1939 ex¬
ports amounted to 12,017,228 gold pesos (about *>19,585,
981), of which 13.1 percent went to the United States.
R. Peru.
1. Size and Location. Peru, situated on the Pacific
coast of South America, is bounded by Ecuador on the
north, Colombia and Brazil on the east and northeast,
Bolivia on the southeast and Chile on the extreme south.
Its Pacific coast line is 1,410 miles long. It has a
width of about 800 miles and its area is 482,258 square
miles, or larger than that of Texas and California com¬
bined.
2. Key Cities. The principal cities of Peru are: Lima,
the capital, with a population of 373,835, and Calao, the
principal port, with 70,000 inhabitants.
3. Industries. Agriculture and mining are the country's
principal industries. The most important crops are:
cotton, rice, sugar, and wheat. Leading manufactures,
aside from petroleum products and the smelting of ores,
include cotton and woolen textiles, flour, beer, cotton¬
seed oil, shoes, lumber, candles, soap, and cigarettes,
all of which are largely for local consumption.
4. Principal Imports. Peru imports metals, foodstuffs,
cotton goods, hemp, linen, earthenware, timber, paints,
and dyes, stationery, naval goods, electrical apparatus,
and chemicals. Total imports in 1939 amounted to 225,787
376 soles (about *>121,243,236), of which 39 percent came
from the United States.
5. Principal Exports. Principal exports are: sugar,
cotton, leather and skins, wool, rubber, mineral ores,
copper bars, and gold.
27
Total exports for 1939 amounted to 331,421,389 soles
(about #180,793,739), of which 20 percent went to the
United States.
Uruguay.
1. Size and Location. Uruguay, the smallest republic in
South America, situated in the southeastern corner of
the continent, is bounded by Brazil on the north, Argen¬
tina on the south, the Atlantic Ocean on the southeast,
and Rio de La Plata on the southwest. It has an area of
72,172 square miles or approximately twice that of Illi¬
nois.
2. Key Cities. Montevideo, the most important city, and
the capital of Uruguay,, has a population of 524,576 in¬
habitants. Other important cities are: Paysandu, a river
port and the center of the meat pa'cking industry; Salto,
another river port on the Uruguay river; Mercedes, and
Minas.
3. Industries. The livestock and agricultural indus¬
tries are the most important factors in the country's
economy, but several others which deserve mention are
milling, shoemaking, tanning,meat packing, horses, mules,
goats, and hogs. The principal agricultural crops are:
wheat, maize, linseed, oats, barley, birdseed, alfalfa,
peanuts, beans, potatoes, and tobacco.
4* Principal Imports. Uruguay's principal imports are:
sugar, coffee, cigars and cigarettes, edible oils, beans,
sardines, motor vehicles, electrical appliances, fruits,
vegetables, cement, iron tubes and pipes, structural
iron, timber, petroleum products, xvire fencing,cotton
yarn, rubber, silk goods, and woolen goods, coal,and
drugs and chemical products. Its total imports for 1S39
amounted to 65,364,003 pesos (about #41320,241), of
which only 5 percent came from the United States.
5. Principal Exports. The country's principal exports
consist of wool, beef ..aid meat extracts, wheat, cattle,
hides, cattle on the hoof, sheepskins, mineral products,
fertilizers, flour, dairy products, linseed, fats, fruits
and vegetables, mane hair, and bones. The total 1939 ex¬
ports amounted to 101,366,303 pesos (about ^66,901,759),
of which 14 percent went to the United States.
Venezuela.
1. Size and Location. Venezuela is located in the north-
28
western part of South America# It is bounded by the Car¬
ibbean Sea on the north, Colombia on the west, Brazil on
the south, and British Guiana on the east. Its area is
estimated at about 352,143 square miles.
2. Key Cities. Its principal cities are Caracas, the
capital; liaracaibo, Barquismeto, Valencia, Maracay, and
Cristobal. La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, and Ciduad Bolivar
are sea ports, and Encontrados, Maturin, Meridaj San
Fernando,and Trujillo are the more important river ports.
3. Industries. The petroleum industry is the most im¬
portant one in the country, followed by agriculture,
animal husbandry, manufacturing, mining, and forestry.
4. Principal Imports. Venezuela's chief imports consist
of cotton fabrics, automobiles, automobile parts, food¬
stuffs, beverages, building material, petroleum products,
glass and glassware, drugs, leather, bags and sacks,
paper, rayon, iron, steel, and rubber manufacturing. The
total imports for 1939 amounted to 311,860,000 bolivars
(about $102,913,000), of which 55 percent came from the
United States.
5. Principal Exports. The country's principal exports,
are coffee, petroleum, cocoa, sugar, gold, hides, alliga¬
tor and goat skins, furs, cattle, heron plumes, wood,
balata, pearls, divi-divi, tonka beans, fertilizers,
plantains, and bananas. Its 1938 exports amounted to
887,286 bolivars (about $292,804,380), of which 15 per¬
cent went to the United States.
**************
Note on Value of Imports and Exports of Latin American
Countries:
Mexico: No value in dollars given because decree of
August 28, 1936 left monetary unit, the peso,
to be later defined by law.
Paraguay: Foreign exchange value given in terms of
Argentine gold peso.
All values given in dollars are figured on the basis of
foreign monetary units value in United States money as
of October 1, 1940, according to Official Bulletin of
Treasury Department, as quoted in the 1941 World Almanac
and Book of Facts (New York: New York World Telegram)"
29
For Details Consult
Harry F. Bain and Thomas T. Reed, Ores and Industry in South America,
Council on Foreign Relations (New York: Harper and Bros.), 1934.
Carleton Beals, America South (Philadelphia and New York: N. B. Lippincott
Company), 1937.
F. A. Carlson, Geography of Latin Arr-prica (New York: Prentice-Hall), 1936.
Katharine Cam, South American Primer (New York: Reynal and Hitchcock), 1939
P. R. Cutright, The Groat Naturalists Explore Latin America (New York:
The Macmillan Co.), 1940.
Silvino Da Silva, "Unexploited Products of the .Amazonian Region" (Bulletin
of Pan American Union, 70:932-35), December 1936.
Howell Davies, editor, South .American Handbook (New York: H. W. Wilson Co.),
1940.
Julian Duguid, Green Hell: Adventures in the Mysterious Jungles of Eastern
Bolivia ( Appleton, Wis; Nelson),• 1932.
Stephen P. H. Duggan, The Two Americas, An Interpretation (New York:
Charles Scribners Sons), 1934.
H. A. Franck, Vagabonding Down the Andes; Being the Narrative of a
JournevT"Chiefly Afoot, from Panama to Buenos Aires {flew York*
Grosset), 1938.
niivfi P.. (11 hsnn. Tsle of a Hundred Harbors (Boston: Bruce Humphries), 1940.
Richard C. Gill, White Water and Black Magic (Ecuador). (New York:
Henry Holt and Co.), 1940.
Tom Gill, Tropical -Forests' of the Caribbean, Tropical Research Foundation
in cooperation with the Charles Lathrop Forestry Trust, (Washington
D. C.: A. McLochlan), 1931.
Eleanor D. Greene, Panama Sketches (Boston: Bruce Humphries), 1940.
Conrad Guenther, A Naturalist in Brazil (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.), 1931.
Berta and Elmer Hader. Green and Gold, The Story of the Banana, (New York:
MacMillan Co.), 1936.
Handbook of Latin American Studies ^Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University
Press), 1936-40.
Heinrich E. Jacob, Coffee. The Epic of a Commodity (New York: Viking Press),
1935- , _
Preston E. James, Latin America (New York: Lee and Shepard), 1942.
W. H. Hudson, Idle Days in Patagonia (New YodcDutton), 1923.
, Far Away and Long .Ago ( : Button), 1928.
C. F. Jones. South America, A Text Boon in Economic Geography (New York;
Henry Holt & Co.), 1930.
Marcus and Company, Storv of the Diamond (New York: 671 Fifth Ave.,
the company), 1937.
Pan .American Union, The Americas. A Panoramic View (Washington, D. C.:
(The Union), 1939.
Commodities of Commerce Series (Washington, D. C.: The .
" f American National Series and American Cities Series
(Washington, C.: The Union).
Theodore Roosevelt, Through the Brazilian Wilderness (New York: Scribners
Sons), 1914.
Joan Raushenbush, Look at Latin America (New York: The Foreign Policy
Association), November, 1940. Headline Book #27.
Royal Institute, Republics of South America (London: Oxford University
Press), 1937,
William L. Schurz, Latin America, A Descriptive Survey (New York: E. P.
Dutton and Co., Inc.), 1941.
E. W. Shanahan, South America, An Economic and Regional Geography
(New York: E. P. Dutton), 1927.
Survey Associates, "The Americas South and North, Survey Graphic, March, 1941,
Howard J. Trueblood, Raw Material Resources of Latin America (New York:
Foreign Policy Association), August 1, 1939.
William H. Ukers, All About Coffee« (New York: Tea and Coffee Trade Journal),
1935.
Hyatt A. Verrill, Foods America Grave The World (Boston: L. G. Page and Co*),.
1939,
Ray H. Whitbeck, et al, Economic Geography of South America (New York,
London: McGraw Hill Company, In c.), 1940,
Howard and Ralph Wolf, Rubber: A Story of Glory and Greed (New York:
Covici Friede), 1936,
P.A. Zohl, To the Last World (New York: Alfred Knopf), 1939.
T. R. Ybarra, America Faces South (New York: Dodd, Mead & Co.), 1939.