The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-06-23
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prepared by the National Geographic
Society, Washington, ID. CO
Chile, whose diplomats are in CON
ference in Washington with those Of
Peru in an effort to solve the Tacna-
africa problem, might be called "the
South American California" 1t is
long and narrow, and its region of
greatest development and population
is q great, rich valley with low noun
tains separating it from the coast, and
with a steep, snOW-capped range tow
ering above it to the east.
Chile is the longest and narrowest
Of all the countries Of the world. II
stretches 200 miles, from Cape Horn
to the deserts Of Tarapaca and Tacna,
within the tropics. Its width is rare
~ more than 125 miles from the ocean
to the Andean crest. If we were to
place il upon a similar stretch Of coast
in North America, it would cover Low
er California, California, Oregon,
Washington, and British Columbia to
the st. Elias district Of Alaska.
Chile is divided into three sections
by the natural features Of the Pacific
slope of the Andes. The northern is
that Of the semi-arid and desert re-
giOn, which reaches from Peru south
ward to Valparaiso. 1t is an utter deS-
ert in the north and becomes less in
h%oSpitable toward the south. 1t is
traversed from the Andes to the coast
by short, deep valleys. separated by
high spurs Of the mountains, and com
munication from north to south has
always been exceedingly difficult. New
ertheleSs, the Chilean engineers found
a route by which to extend the state
railway which links Puerto Montt, in
q latitude comparable to that of New
York, with Pisagua in the territories
conquered from Peru, which has a lat
itude comparable to that of Mexico
City.
Heart of the Country.
The central section Of Chile extends
through nine degrees Of latitude for a
distance of about COO miles from Val.
paraiso to the island Of Chloe, south
of Puerto Mont. This is the heart
of Chile, the only portion Of the cOun-
try which can support q sufficient pop
ulatiOn to constitute q nation. The
area is not large, about 100000 square
miles, and much of 1t is occupied by
mountain ranges Of great height and
ruggedness.
But between the Andes and the coast
range there extends in this section a
valley similar TO that OF California,
which is the seat o. the Chilean peo-
pie. Many rivers rising In the Andes
descend to it and meander more or
less directly westward through the
coast range Of the Pacific; but the in
~tervening divides are nowhere Of such
altitude as to interrupt the continuity
OF the great valley that extends from
north to south. Santiago Is situated
at its northern end, and fi%Ourishing
cities are located at each favorable
point on the railway that connects the
capital with Puerto Montt.
The climate as we 60 from north to
south becomes ever more humid, and
we pass from the irrigated lands about
Santiago to the dense forest swamps
Of the southern portion Of the district.
While much Of the land has been
cleared or is in the process of clearing,
I'm a state which reminds one of our
own Pacific coast 30 years ago, other
areas remain impenetrable forests,
still unexpiored after nearly 400 years
OF occupation Of the country.
The third section of Chile, extending
southwark from Puerto Mont through
a degrees of latitude to Cape horn,
is like our southern Alaskan coast-a
stretch of islands and peninsulas brOk-
en- by intricate channels and profound
fiords that penetrate far into the land.
Tumultuous rivers descend from the
Andes and debouch into the fiOrds i'm
swampy deltas which are covered with
dense forests.
The large island of Chloe, which
was conquered by Valdivia before the
middle Of the Sixteenth century, is
well populated and occupies a position
with reference to the more freQuented
northern coast similar to that which
Vancouver island holds to San Fran
cisco. Farther south the population
becomes very scanty, glaciers de-
scend from the Andean heights, and
the savage but majestic scenery Of
Smythe channel and the Straits Of
Magellan suggests that Of the inland