The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-03-27
IN COLUMBIA.
COL. SCRUGGS WRITES OF SOUTH
IN ERICA.
IL Has All Sorts of Climates-The Country
Abounds in Great Forests of Bamboo
Valuable in Japan-Etc.

i.
ter to Venezuela ana the United States
of Columbia.
The territory of the present republic or
Colombia corresponds approximately to that
OF the Old VlcerOyalty Of New Granada III
1919 New Granada united with Venezuela
and Ecuador in the formation of the NrSt
republic of Colombia; but in 1881, when the
union was dissolved, New GRANADA resumed
its colonial name and divided Its territory
into departments. These departments were
divided into provinces; the provinces were
divided into cantons, and the cantons INTO
parishes. Subsequently, when New Grana-
da assumed the name anL title of the
United States of Colombia the five de-
partments were subdivded into common
WealthS called states; but in 1883, when the
name Of tfe country was again changed TO
that of the Republic of Colombia" the
states became departments thuosh they
still retained their respective names. 1t IS
important to keep these changes in mind, if
we would avoid confusion and obscarty in
studying the geographical position and gen
eral aspect of the country.
IL.
X glance al any good map of the Ameri-
can continent will show that the republic
of Colombia occupies u conspicuous and
commanding position upon ii, although we
may not be able to quite agree
with Colombian writer who
claims that his country is the
navel of the world" The republic is bound
ed on the north and northwest by the Car
lbbean sea and the free state of Costa
Rica; on the south and southeast by Peru,
Ecuador anS Brazil; on the east by Vene-
Zuea and Brazil, and on the west by the
Pac4Ic ocean.
We thus have a vast irregularly shaped
country, extending from the equator to
little beyond the nth parallel of north lati-
tude, and from the 10th to the SD degrees
west longitude and containing an area OF
about 5l4,000 square miles, exclusive of it's
numerous islands on the Caribbean and
Pacific coasts. in other words, the area OF
Colombia is larger han that OF either
france or Spain, and is about equal to that
OF the original thirteen commemorative of
our first federal union.
ne observe also that the coast line of the
republic IS something over a thousand miles
on the Calibbean~the only distinctly Amer
lean sea on the continent, and that it has
coast line Of nearly two thousand miles on
the Pacific. Both these lines are marked
ny numerous bays, CULTS, iulcts and hlr-
hofS and along both, within easy distance
OF the mainland are numerous fertile IS
lands, which constitute part of the national
domain. AS yet however few of these IS
lands are Inhabited, and perhaps not more
than one-fourth of the mainland is occu-
pied by actual settlerc
HI
The Typographical fe2 +ures of the country
are varied and interesting. There ore
ranges of high mountains, broad and deep
valleys. rolling steppes, elevated plains, icy
pyramids and snow-capped sierras-au in
tersperscd with great rivers fresh water
lakes and rapidly running streams in the
language of Baron Hum holdt the tourist
needs but "a thermometer and a mule to
find any climate he wants within the COM
pass of a few leagues" When he tires of
the torrd heat Of the coast and deep val
IeYS, the frozen regions OF the sierras are
just III sight, and when he has had enough
of perpetual spring mt easily find au-
tumn or summer
Near the southern border OF the republic
the Andes part into two distinct ranges
and little farther northWard one of these
IS again divided INTO two others, thus maxi
ing three distinct cordilleras one of these,
turning westward, runs parallel with the
Pacific coast and passes through the 18TH
mus 'Rto Central America ana Mexico; the
second or middle range, running due north
ward, soon terminates in the Caribbean
sea, while the third. bending eastward, e,1-
tends to the shores OF the Atlantic. Nearly
all these ranges attain to great height, but
the most conspicuous peaks are on the CEN
tral ana eastern curdillcras Thus, for iu-
stance, the peaks Of Alto del Trio are nearly
10000 feet above the sea level; those Of Alto
del Monte are over 1900 feet, and those of
Inc oItIld -NtNdpd dllalN 10 Inc eNtrdOlII-
nary height OF nearly 2IV9V feet.
The most extensive ana fertile OF the II =
merous table lands are those Of Paste,
Iopyan and Tuquerres, in the department
Of the CauCa; Santa Rosa and Hervco in
the department of Antidquia; B0Gota
bate and Slmajaco in Cuudinamarca;
SOgamoso. Tunja and Chiquinduira in
Koyaca, and PamplonA ana Jelidos, in san
tander. The climate on all the plateauX is
that Of perpetual spring. and the soil is eX-
ceptiOnaIly fertile. Two and three crops
may be easily raised ON the same ground
within the year, and the planting and the
harvest season may be in almost any month
of the twelve.
The great prairies, or lianOs, as they are
known in The language Of the country, are
generally eastward of the cordilera of SUI
mapaz ana extend to the borders of north
eIn Brazil and southeastern Venezuela.
They are vast treeeSs regions, but generally
well Watered and thiCllly matted with pc
rcnniai grass 5, which afford excellent pas
ruraSe, The soil is a black loan Of immense
depth and needs but cultivation to be even
more productive than the plains OF Louisi-
ana and Texas.
The great forests of the republic occupy
the valleys of the rivers. the coves of the
mountain ranges, and the rolling stcppes
southeastward OF the prairies Many of
tIese forests are so dense to be almost
impenctrable, but nearly all of them. at
abound with all varieties Of cabinet and
dye woods, and every species and variety
OF medicinal plants known to modern
science The dense groves Of bamboo would
be d source of great wealth in countries
like China and Japan, where that pictur-
esQue and beautiful plant is 50 extensively
utilized in the arts.
The geologic formation of the country is
generally iSneouS ana metamorphic except
where it is purely aluyial as in the deItas
and in many of the valleys OF
the great rivers. The masses of
the corGilleraS are granite, enetss
porphyry and bas<. IN MANY localities
there are thick carboniferouS strata which
often crop out TO the very surface, but are
so generally broken and distorted by vol
canic ac'' on as to be difficult to trace In
most places these disturbances appear to
have been of compare lively recent date
and in others the volcanic forces are still
actively at work. Thus, for instance the
s,lbterranean heat is great near Sega
1nosa as to sensibly effect the climate and
the extinct VOLCANOES near Nillete periodical
" emit heat and smoke. Deep gravel beds
of glacial origin seen the sides and
foothills of many of the high mountains;