Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MAY 12, 1891. More Geography.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, 12 May 1891, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MAY 12, 1891. More Geography.

-♦ _ The world, day by day, is getting to know of the peculiar Governments that are in existence, that is to say, whenever a war, pestilence, or hurricane occurs. The news is now flashed across the cables that San Salvador, a Central American Republic, has indulged in a revolution ! No one need be much alarmed, the world will not be turned topsy-turvy to keep this wonderful State quiet, the wonder is, where there was room for such an event. In North America, the Dominion of Canada absorbs an immense area, and adjoining,, comes the United States. Just at the point where the continent narrows to form the isthmus connecting with South America, is the State of Mexico, and adjoining it is the small portion of lancl designated Central America. On this point, covering not more than 170,000 square miles there are five independent Republics, known as Guatemala, Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The whole population, of whom some are whites, Creoles of European parentage, Indians and Mestizoes, only number a little over 3£ millions. San Salvador, the Republic which has now been reported to have had a revolution, is only 170 miles long by 43 miles wide, and has a very mixed population of 650,000. The principal exports are coffee, indigo, sugar, tobacco, silver, balsam, rice, hides and cedar. There are rich veins, of silver in Tabaneo and iron mines in Santa Ana. The revenue is stated to be £008,000 and the imports £640,000, in round numbers. It hardly seems a desirable place for residence, even if the inhabitants remained quiets as the volcanoes do not, and earthquakes are frequent. The capital, San Salvador, was entirely destroyed by an earthquake in 1873, but has since been rebuilt. We might mention that Guatemala bounds San Salvador on the north and west, and Honduras on the north and east, and the Pacific Ocean bounds it on the south. There is but a small portion of Honduras between San Salvador and the State of Nicaragua, a territory that will soon come into much prominence owing to the proposal to construct a canal across it. A glance at the map shows that the scheme is very feasible as the canal only needs forming from the Pacific to the Lake Nicaragua, aud then the river flowing from it to the Caribean Sea, gives the needed outlet on the eastern side. It will be remembered that the whole of the isthmus of the Atlantic Coast is closed around by the Islands of Cuba, St. Domingo and others, forming the West Indies.