The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-02-20
NATERIAL RESOUR.
CES.

The region called Central Amer
lea is eight or nine hundred miles
long and from thirty to three hum
dred miles broad. The name has
come to signify geographical di-
vision, like North America or Af-
rica. Strictly the region belongs
to the continent of North America,
but the formation of the republic
of Central America, which main
tanned Federal form of govern
ment from 1928 to 1880, has afIix-
cd the designation permanently.
The areas of the republics into
which the Federation dissolved are
given by the celebrated geograph-
ers Behm and Wagner as follows:
Guatemala, 40,477 square miles;
Honduras, 47,l92; San Salvador,
1880; Nicaragua, 53,120; Costa
Rica, 20,7 The State of Pana-
ma, which lies east of Costa Rica,
is often classed with Central Amer
lea, and the news which comes
from it relating to South America
is always placed under the head of
Central America in the papers;
but it is one of the States of the
republic of Colombia. Since it
lies right across the isthmus divi-
ding the two continents, and on
both sides we give its area: 30, 900
square miles. 1t is the seat of fre-
quent revolutions, aud is attached
to Colombia more nominally than
really. The population of the Cen
trail American States is about as
follows: Guatemala, 1,252, ,497;
San Salvador, 554, 1855; Nicaragua,
275.8l5; Honduras, $50, 900; Costa
Rica, 185, 900. Panama has 2OO,-
600 population.
The temperature of Nicaragua is
delightfully."- equable. At Rivas it
ranges from 78 to So, occasionally
sinking to 20 in fhensRight and ri-
sing to so in the day. Nearly a
hundred inches of rain falls in the
year, but almost all oft from May
to November inclusive. Only
enough cultivated land to satisfy
the wants Of the small population
is brought into requisition; there
is not the slightest difficulty in in
definitely increasing it by removing
the forests The agricultural re-
turn is abundant. The soil is rich
and cacao, sugar cane, cotton, cof-
fee, indigo, tobacco, rice and Indi-
an corn are produced in great per-
fcction. Sugar cane requires re-
planting once in twelve or fourteen
years. Cattle are easily raised, as
good as in the United States. There
are plantains, bananas, beans, chile,
tomatoes, breadfruit, arrovroot,
oranges, citrons, lines, lemons,
okra, pineapples, mamays, chiri-
moays, gnavas, cocoanuts, and 9th
er plants and fruits; sarsaparilla,
annotto, ,aloes, ipecacuanha, ginger,
vanilla, cowhagc, copal, gumarabic
copiba, caoutchouc, dragonsblood
vanglo, and other commercial veg
etable productions; mahogony.
logwood, brazilwood, lignumvitie.
fustic, yellow sanders. pine. oak,
copaltree, cedar, buttonwood, iron
wood, rosewood, calabash, and
other valuable trees. The noun
tains are rich IN gold, silver, cop
per, iron and lead. and deposits Of
coal are alleged to have been found.
The region bordering on the At
lantic is warmer and more humid
and less salubrious than that of the
interior and Pacific. The new CO.
nal by furnishing good commune
cations with all those foreign coun-
tries whose shipping will pass
through it, will supply the neces-
sary impetus for the rapid develop
ment of Nicaragua, many of whose
most valuable products can be
made source of almost boundless
wealth. Railroad building is be.
gun, and will before many years
unite the rich northwestern prov
inces with the navigable region o1
the lakes. It needs but the infu.