Omaha daily bee., 1889-10-27
MATERIAL RESOURCES.

oI the Countries With Which the
United States Seeks Trade
MEXICO has an area of 1853 S04 square miles
and a population of 100000, of which
5,OOO,OOO are Indians, 3, QUO, 900 half-caste In
dian and white, 1,500,0OU whites of pure
Spanish descent, 100000 of European and
American birth, and 10000 negroes and Indo-
African hybrids. The City of Mexico has
population OF about 250,000. There are about
5'OOO miles of railway aud 20 900 miles of tele.
graph. Industry is in a backward condition,
Out the natural wealth is too great to calcu.
late. From 1891 to 1880 Mexico exported
s95O, 900, 600 of gold and silver, and in recent
times more than one-half of the silver pro-
duced has come from Mexico In Durango,
one or the central provinces, there is a solid
mountain OF magnetic iron ore. Platinum
ana petroleum are recent discoveries, while
gold and silver are practically inexbaustple.
In 1887 we sold the Mexicans goods valued ut
S,261, l2o; IN 1888, S9,242, ,lSS, against pur-
chases from them in 1857 of sl4, 10, S4O and
in 1885, Sl7,329, $50.
Nicaragua derives her principal impor-
tance TO the United States from the canal
project. The state has a population of 5OO,-
600 ana an area Of 81, 1000 square miles. The
exports are copper and india rubber, valued
at about sl.5OO,OOO annually, besides hides
ana Few other products of the extractive
industries. Considerable advances have
been made toward free education, q feature
OF governmental policy commoh to all the
Spanish American states.
The Argentine Republic has an area of
800 600 square miles, with an estimated
population Of 3,50O,0D0. Three-fourths of
the area ia a rich alluvial plain with soil
three to six feet Deep formed from the rich
decaying vegetable growth Of hundreds of
years. The Patagonian district is sterile.
The climate varies. IL is divided into four
teen provinces, united in federal govern
ment constituted like our own. There are
over 5000 miles of railroads and extensive
telegraph lines. The government has re-
Gently subsidized two lines of steamships
for European trade. Immigration s heavy,
coming mostly from Italy, Germany, Spain
and Ireland. The exports are raw materials.
sugar refinery has recently been started
with government guarantee Of per cent
for fifteen years. In 1886 81, SOC, 900 We're
spent on schools. about one dollar for each
inhabitant. In the year 1888 the Argentine
Republic imported from Europe goods worth
$50, 569, $50, from the United States sl1 ,004,
553, while she exported TO Europe s63, 903,
640, and to the United States S., 93s, sOS.
Brazil covers an area of 3,200,000 and
population OF l4000.0 900 and is the only mon
archy on the American continent Brazil
has D, 600 miles Of railway and 5000 miles OF
telegraph. The government owns the lines.
Of late years Brazil has become very attract
i've 10 immigrants In 1888 she received 140,-
OOO, most or whom were Italians. She sends
us about s6O, 600 900 worth of merchandise
annually, which We pay for with $4,000, 900
worth OF merchandise and $50, 000, 900 of for
eign exchange. The country is full of coal,
iron, gold and lead, while coffee sugar cane,
fruit, spices are the principal agricultural
products. Coffee was brought 10 Brazil in
l'22. Brazil now ranks fourth among the