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400 miles long by 100 to 200 miles wide. All the western part of this plain drains into Lake Titicaca and Lake Poopo, an inland basin. The waters of the latter are salt and the southwestern part of the plain is a salt desert containing besides common salt many other minerals, especially borax.

North of La Paz the eastern range slopes off into the Yungas region which is montana or wooded slope. Still further north lies the Beni the rain forest of the Amazon valley. This is sparsely inhabited except by Indians and formerly was exploited chiefly for rubber. Trinidad is the chief town of this district.

The eastern part of Bolivia is a plain sloping to the Paraguay river which forms the boundary between Bolivia and Brazil. This plain merges on the south into the plains of northern Argentine, the drainage being into the Paraguay river. The southeastern part is called the Chaco. Some of this territory is in dispute with Paraguay. The eastern part of Bolivia is the Santa Cruz region, mainly devoted to stock-raising, with Santa Cruz as the chief town.

The climate becomes more arid toward the south and much of the region, especially toward the southwest is desert.

Most of the inhabitants of Bolivia are to be found in the southwestern fourth of the country from Lake Titicaca to the provinces of Cochabamba and Tarija, excluding the western parts of the provinces of Oruro and Potosi which are alkali deserts.

The main industry of Bolivia is mining, but agriculture occupies an important position. Much of the alto or high plain is too cold for crops. Barley and beans are grown in protected places. These crops and potatoes, wheat, and alfalfa are grown on slopes and high valleys down to the montana