The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1909-12-10
CONCERNING NICARAGUA.

Everybody seems to be asking. in
view of present developments, what,
exactly, is Nicaragua. how large is IT,
what are its resources. commerce and
climate? Some interesting COMPARE
sons and facts. prepared by the Inter-
national Bureau of American Repub-
lies, will help to answer these pertin-
ent, natural questions.
There is only four square miles diff
erence between the area of Nicaragua
and the state of New York. Take
Connecticut out of New England. and
Nicaragua would cover the rest of it.
II is approximately half the size of
the state OF Washington. To be exact,
it covers 49,2O0 square miles. which is
larger than Holland Belgium and Den
mark combined. 1t has a remarkable
extent of coast line on two oceans.
on the Caribbean IL reaches nearly 300
miles due north and south; on the Pa
cific it extends 25 miles. It's great
est width is 275 miles, or approx
mately the distance from Washington
70 New York. It's least width is 1926
miles. or approximately the distance
from Chicago To the Mississippi River.
II has the smallest population Of
any Central American country. but Is
correspondingly capable of great ma
terial development. There are only
about 100000 people within it's linn.
it's. OF these fve-sixths are upon the
western or Pacific side. The eastern
or Caribbean shore lies low and is
drained by many rivers. The only in
dustry of this section is the grow
ing of bananas which were shipped in
1903 to the number of 100000 bunch
es valued at so cents a bunch. The
principal town here i'm Bluefields, a little
south of the center. having 5000 in
habitants. 1t is 1.1S6 miles from New
Orleans and $40 miles from Colon.
The only other important places on
this east coast are Greytown, at the
southern point with 1000 inhabi-
tants near the mouth of the San Juan
River which was to have been the
course Of the Isthmian Canal If built
through Nicaragua. and Cape Gracias
Dios. at the northern point. with only
500 people. on the populated Pacific
slope the chief cities are Leon, the
historic and interesting old capital,
with 10000 inhabitants: Managua, the
present capital, with 10000; Matagal-
pa. with 10000; Granada, with 10000
and several other towns of from 5000
TO 10000. The principal port on the
Pacific side is Corinto, near the nor
thern end. with only about 1000 peo-
pie. At the southern end is the har-
Dor of San Juan del sur.
There is one railroad i'm Nicaragua
which starts at Corinto and runs tc
Managua and thence across to Grana-
da on Lake Nicaragua. which is the
largest inland body OF water i'm al
Latin America.
The total value of the foreign
| trade of Nicaragua i'm 1908 amounted
ltc $7.5OO,OOO, of which exports were
81, 500 900 and imports s3.OOO000 Nj
caragua bought from the United States
textiles, clothing, machinery, ETC., val.
ued at $1.3OO,OOO. She sold to the
United States bananas. coffee, rub
Der. mahogany. cattle. hides, ETC., val
ued at s1,O5O.OO0.
Nicaragua has President, a Cab
met with Ave ministers OF secretaries
thirteen departments or States, an'
FIVE divisions like our territories. II
National Assembly consists of onl
one chamber, which is now in ses