The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-05-09
QIR COUNTRY AND BRAZIL
Another ~. S. Which is
About as Big as We Are.
THEY AIM TO EXPAND
ARA, People and Natural Resources
Of Brazil--Immigratio Welcomed
Attractive Regions With Some
Very Serious Buts-The Coffee
Harvest.

We are not the only United
States in the world. The United
with half OF Alaska thrown In. She
occupies almost one-half of the
whole continent of South America.
As for resources. Brazil is de-
scrsbed by the Review OF Reviews as
unlimited in her, natural products
possessing the largest river system
ard the vastest forests in the world,
producing, moreover, three-fourths
Of the worlds coffee supply and the
greater part OF It's rubber.
On the other hand Brazil's popu-
lniion Is little more than 100000.
mn average of Ave persons to the
square mile. This population Is made
up Of Europeans. aborigines and ne
groes.
Where these have met a triple fu-
siuu long since set in. There is Il
small minority of pure Portuguese
descent Portuguese. by the way. H.
the language Of the country.
Not only is immigration welcome,
but finding that her envious neigh
ho.s we're robbing her of her colo
nists Brazil has retaliated by impos-
ing substantial tax upon all per-
sons leaving the country; a measure
rs effective as 1t Is radical.
Not satisfied with her great size
BRAZIL Is constantly absorbing more
territory. Expansion is the constant
ain; expansion toward the River
Plate. whereby Uruguay for time
lost her Independence and never
regained all the territory that should
be hers; expansion at the expense Of
Paraguay and Peru. and more re-
ccasiy Bolivia, which has surren-
hered for a price her rich territory
OF Acre; expansion toward the north
west and in Guiana. where a recent
award has deprived France of a
large coveted area and added 1t to
this Unsuitable republic.
Brazil Is not lowland country,
quite three-fourths OF her territory
having an altitude Of more than 500
feet.
Politically the country Is divided
into twenty-one States. but so un-
equally that three of these embrace
almost all the lowlands and are
larger than the whole area of the re-
masuing eighteen. These eighteen,
however. contain SO per cent. of the
poulation. so that the first three
States, with territory larger than
that Of China, have a population
smaller than that of Connecticut.
The fertility and resources of this
latter region are great. but lest the
reader may rush off to seize upon
them here is an extract from re-
port made by former United States
Consul regarding the valley of the
Amazon:
"There Is a false impression exist
ing that rubber trees, ebony. rose
great groves or clusters, like our
pine or oak forests. The fact is tina,
these trees are solitary. When two
OF them are only quarter OF mile
apart land remember that the quar-
tor mile Is not open space. but thick.
~ matted. almost impenetrable
swamp forest) they are considered
close together; II they are mile
apart they are not considered to be
very far distant from each other"
The richest mineral deposits are
found in the State Of Minas Garaes
which has been famous for centuries
for It's gold and diamond mines
There are at present six large gold
Et!res in operation, all under for
sagn capital. and others are rapidly
being opened; yet rich as is this
field. It has apparently never ap
petted to the American investor. ant
IS passing almost entirely into the
hands of the English.
The two States OF Rio de Janeirc
and Sac Paulo may be described al
one vast coffee estate. Coffee form.
half. in value, of the total export!
OF Brazil 1t Is three times the valu;
os our tobacco exports and Ave
sisths that Of our iron and steel, Il
Surpasses the entire tea output o
China. India and Ceylon.
Rio is destined to be supplanted a.
the capital Of the country. The Bra
tliian Congress has chosen beauti
fui plateau In the central State O
Goyaz as a site for the new capital
which In time will be connected b!
rail with all the States. some o
which at present are almost inac
tessfble.