With a larger territory than that covered by France, Germany, and Spain together, and a smaller population than the French capital claims, Bolivia certainly seems to offer plenty of scope for the development of large enterprises. Colonization presents an inviting opportunity, and immigration may be fostered with golden results to the individual as well as to the state. To the natural advantages of a productive soil and healthful climate are added those which arise from a great variety of resources. Bolivia is comprised in three well-defined regions: the Altaplanicie, about five hundred miles long and eighty miles wide, which extends from Lake Titicaca to the southern boundary of the republic; the great system of the Royal Range, which includes the serranias that are its offshoots, and their fertile valleys; and the vast plains, grassy or forest-grown, which stretch away from the Andes to the eastern and northern boundaries, and are noted for the valuable rubber trees that make this section one of the most important centres of Bolivian industry. In each of these regions there is a great deal of territory unoccupied, and very rich in the products peculiar to its locality. Of the Altaplanicie, the northern part is famous as the centre of the copper-mining district of Corocoro in the department of La Paz; in its central province of Carangas are located some of the most valuable silver and tin deposits of the department of Oruro; and the southern district, included in the department of Potosí, is rich in borax and other saline products. Deposits of borax are found not only in the southern part, where the Lago de Sal, or “Salt Lake,” is situated, but also in the central and northern sections, especially in the province of Carangas, where the salt marsh of Coipasa covers a territory of fifty square kilomètres. A subterranean river connects Coipasa with Lake Poopo, or Pampa-Aullagas, as it is also called. The Altaplanicie is not entirely level, an occasional mountain peak, usually of conical form, giving a pleasing variety to its landscape. Some of the mountains are snow-capped, and others appear like irregular brown rocks set up on the plains. A curious freak of nature is seen in the sinking ground of the Cerro Milluni, near Huayna Potosí, where great rugged monoliths are brought into picturesque relief by the sinking sand.

The Altaplanicie is not only productive in minerals, as the wealth of Corocoro and Carangas proves, but it yields good harvests of barley, maize, and potatoes in the more sheltered regions, and provides pasturage for large flocks of sheep and goats. The inhabitants regard the chalona, or salted mutton, of the plateau as an excellent food, and the cheese known as queso de Paria is esteemed a delicacy throughout western Bolivia. Alpacas are found on the Titicaca plateau in large numbers near the eastern slope of the Royal range, and a few are to be seen in every province, from Pacajes and Sicasica in the department of La Paz to Porco, Chichas, and Lipez in the department of Potosí. This valuable wool-bearing animal seeks the coldest and loneliest regions, where snow falls instead of rain, on the slopes of the high serranias and in the clefts of the Cordilleras. The raising and shearing of the alpaca is in the hands of the Indians, who by their patient methods succeed better than any other class of shepherds in getting good results from the care of these animals. Alpacas are black, white, brown, or yellow in color, and yield wool of very fine quality. They are sheared every other year, the fibre being sometimes a foot in length, and a shearing amounts to as much as fifteen pounds. As the demand for this wool increases in the European markets, greater attention is paid to the industry, but it has never occupied the place it deserves, and the output might be made many times what it is to-day,—about two million pounds. In form and size the alpaca resembles a large sheep, though its neck is long like that of the llama, to which it is similar in general appearance, but having shorter legs and a less graceful form. The alpaca is never used as a beast of burden, but is reared only for its wool. The vicuña,—camelus vicogna,—a smaller and more delicately proportioned animal than either the llama or the alpaca, though it bears some resemblance to both, is highly prized for its valuable coat, vicuña furs being very much appreciated by connoisseurs, because of their fineness of texture, their extremely light weight, and the exquisite tones of mauve and tan that distinguish their color. They are particularly suitable for rugs, carriage robes, and automobile coats. In all South American countries the ponchos woven of vicuña wool are greatly valued and bring a high price. The vicuña is about the size of a young fawn and quite as timid. Its favorite haunts are above the region of perpetual snow, and it is seldom seen on the highways of travel. It is more frequently met with than the alpaca, on the Bolivian highlands, especially in the departments of La Paz and Oruro. On the higher Andes, in the departments of La Paz, Oruro, and Potosí, the precious little chinchilla is also found, on the high slopes. It is very difficult to catch and is becoming rarer every year. It feeds on small grasses and herbs with the dew on them, but it drinks no water from other sources. The chinchilla is about the size of a mouse, which it resembles, though its color is a light blue-gray.

None of the resources of the Altaplanicie have been fully developed, and there are still possibilities for the acquirement of wealth in its mines and borax fields, as well as in its pasture lands. The climate is severe, but healthy, and for immigrants who come from cold countries it has advantages over the more enervating climates of a warmer zone. The average altitude of the Altaplanicie is twelve thousand feet above sea level. In the south, a serrania of the Occidental, or Coast Range, crosses the plateau and unites with the Royal Range in what is known as the Cordillera de los Frailes, one of the most majestic snow ranges of the whole chain of the Andes. It divides the departments of Potosí and Oruro south of Lake Poopo, and is an imposing sight as viewed either from the city of Potosí, from which it appears in the distance like a bank of fleecy clouds against the purple of lower peaks, or as seen from the Oruro side of the range, where the view, though of different aspect, is one of enchanting beauty. The name, which means the “Friars’ Range,” is said to have been given to commemorate the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767, when many of their number died from exhaustion and exposure while trying to find their way across its frozen passes.

The most thickly settled and generally developed region of Bolivia is that which belongs to the division of the country made by the Cordillera Real and its fertile valleys. From the Yungas of La Paz and Cochabamba on the north to the serranias of Tarija on the south, the vast riches of this wonderful region have been exploited, to some extent, in its mines, agricultural industries, and other productions; yet there are mineral districts which have never been explored, and fertile tracts of farm land that remain untouched by the plow. Almost every kind of mineral may be found in the mountains of the Royal Range. Besides the more important gold, silver, tin, copper, and bismuth mines, there are indications which point to extensive deposits of coal in the departments of La Paz, Chuquisaca, and Santa Cruz. Anthracite coal has been discovered in large quantities near the Argentine boundary, which, it is claimed, is of a quality to compete with the best in the market. Iron is found in the departments of Santa Cruz, Oruro, La Paz, and the Beni, but the deposits have never been worked to any extent. Antimony is exported from Oruro, Potosí, and La Paz. An excellent quality of marble comes from the neighborhood of La Paz, as well as from several districts between La Paz and Cochabamba. Of precious stones, the amethyst, emerald, opal, topaz, and turquoise are found in the departments of La Paz, Potosí, and Santa Cruz.

Nearly all writers on the subject of Bolivia’s natural resources and the opportunities they present to the foreign capitalist emphasize the riches of Bolivian mines, but very few call attention to the enormous wealth which may be gained by investing in large agricultural projects. It is true that enterprises which involve the occupation and development of vast tracts of land can only be successfully promoted where the advantages of railway transportation are assured; and this fact no doubt accounts, in a measure, for the indifference shown to colonization in Bolivia in the past. But now that a complete railway system is under construction, the greatest obstacle to investment in farm lands is being removed. Already there is a tendency among Bolivians to give greater attention than ever before to the agriculture of the country, and to investigate the possibilities of this industry, which has hitherto been practically ignored except in the most favored sections along the highways of travel. One hears a great deal of the fertile lands of the Yungas, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, and the Beni, and their productions are shipped to all parts of the country. But though tobacco, rice, sugar, wheat, corn, and other products have been harvested in increasing quantities from year to year, not one of them is cultivated to the extent possible in the fertile region where it grows.

Viticulture promises to be an important source of revenue, when it is given the attention it merits; and from the beautiful vineyards of Parani and elsewhere, in the departments of La Paz, Cochabamba, and Chuquisaca, wine may some day be manufactured in sufficient abundance and of a quality to compete with the best vintage of other countries. There are fertile valleys in every part of the republic which require only small investment to make them yield abundantly. Even the suburbs of La Paz, though on the border of the Altaplanicie, are dotted with pretty gardens, especially along the coach road to Obrajes, and the valley of Sopocachi is a typical agricultural scene as it lies blooming in the beauty of green fields and orchards. The new railroads pass through valleys not only picturesque but fertile, many prosperous-looking farms lying along the line of the La Paz and Arica Railway, in the lower slopes. Between Cochabamba and Sucre there is apparently no limit to the possibilities for industrial development. The flourishing haciendas in the neighborhood of Sucre are a proof of what may be done toward making this region one of the richest farming districts in the world. Everything that is planted on the Cachimayo hacienda grows in abundance, and is of superior quality, and there is not a more prosperous-looking country place to be seen anywhere. Not only its farm products, but also its fruits and wines are of excellent quality. Cattle raising is a profitable industry, and fine specimens are seen at the annual ferias in the chief cities. The large haciendas of Chuquisaca are divided into cattle ranges, farm lands, and fruit orchards, the estates in some cases covering many square leagues. Further in the interior eastward, in the province called La Cordillera, large tracts of land are given up to cattle raising exclusively, especially along the valley of the Parapiti River, a branch of the Otuquis, which is one of the chief affluents of the Paraguay. This section of the country is only partly settled, much of it is still unexplored, and, where cattle roam its wilds no boundaries are established to limit the range. It is very like what western Texas, in the United States, was before the railroads crossed it, though it nowhere presents the arid wastes which are to be found in some parts of the Lone Star State. There is, however, a marked resemblance between these two cattle-raising countries. Not less extensive than the ranges of Chuquisaca are those of Tarija, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz, the lower slopes of the serranias supplying fine pasturage. But very little attention has been paid to this important industry, which is still in its infancy. When once these ranges are well stocked and properly irrigated, the results will be astonishing, as the grass lands are as good here as in some of the best grazing districts of Argentina.

At present, the cultivation of cereals and fruits receives more attention than cattle raising, and the markets of all the principal cities of the central valley are usually thronged with vendors of oranges, lemons, bananas, pineapples, and other varieties of fruits. The Cochabamba marketwoman is a particularly contented-looking creature as she seats herself behind her pile of fruit with her baby by her side. Except for the difference in the appearance of the vendors, the Cochabamba market looks much the same as that of La Paz, but every department shows something distinct from all others in the dress of the Indians and cholas, giving an individuality to the type in each locality. The La Paz cholas are noted for their coquetry in dress, and even when trudging along the country roads from Obrajes and other points to the city, they have a jaunty air and carry their load with an indifference to its weight that attracts attention.

The region which extends from the Royal Range eastward and northward to the boundary of the republic is destined to be the centre of industrial activity in Bolivia when the means of communication are established between this rich country and the outside world. Its western border is marked by the eastern limits of the department of La Paz, Cochabamba, and part of Tarija, its northern boundary by the Peruvian frontier and its southern limits by the Argentine republic. It is not all level land, but generally rolling plain, broken at intervals by scattered ranges and groups of hills, which in some places reach an altitude of four thousand feet above sea level, though the whole territory slopes gently from an altitude of two thousand feet at the eastern foothills of the Royal range to about four hundred feet above the sea on the Brazilian and Paraguayan borders. As the drainage of the great Andean chain is chiefly toward the Atlantic Ocean, eastern Bolivia is watered by important tributaries of the Amazon and La Plata River systems. The Paraguay River forms the eastern, and the Guaporé, or Iténez, River the northeastern boundary, the northwestern limit being still unsettled between Bolivia and Peru, though Bolivia claims as this limit the Acre River from its headwaters to Riosino and a line thence eastward to the Madeira River, near the confluence of the Beni and the Mamoré. The river Beni, with its great tributary the Madre de Dios; the Mamoré, with its affluents the Guaporé and the Rio Grande; and the Paraguay, into which flow the Pilcomayo and the Otuquis, or Rio Negro, with their tributaries, supply irrigation for the whole vast region of eastern and northern Bolivia. Of these rivers the Rio Grande, with the Mamoré, has the longest and most circuitous route, having its source in the serranias between Oruro and Cochabamba and watering, with its numerous tributaries, the departments of Cochabamba, Chuquisaca, Santa Cruz, and the Beni. At its source the Rio Grande is a turbulent stream, and in the rainy season swells to a fierce torrent, destroying everything in its way as it rushes down through the quebradas, widening and deepening its channel, until it reaches a breadth of nearly a mile a few leagues to the east of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, where it sweeps northward to pour its surging tide into the Mamoré. During the dry season, it is confined in a narrower channel, and is a placid, gently flowing stream. This changing character of the Rio Grande is common to all the rivers that water the same region. The Pilcomayo, which rises in the Cordillera near Sucre, receives many foaming mountain streams on its way to the plains of the Chaco, and in rainy weather it is a formidable flood, but it diminishes in volume during its progress through the Chaco, where it widens in some places to more than a mile. After a course of two hundred leagues, it enters the Paraguay a sluggish and shallow river, navigable only for small steamers of two hundred tons, and lighter vessels. Navigation in steam launches is the general method of transportation on the Madre de Dios, Beni, Mamoré, and Guaporé Rivers in the summer months, from December to May, and even in June and July these launches can still be used, but with greater difficulties and delays; during the rest of the year small craft have to take their place. The trip up the river is much slower and more tedious than the descent, though the latter is sometimes dreaded because of the swift currents. It is impossible to have a schedule for river steamers, as everything depends on the condition of the river, and in the dry season boulders and other obstacles may entirely block the channel for an indefinite period, so that even small boats cannot pass. With the increase of industrial development in this part of Bolivia, greater attention is being paid to the condition of the rivers and streams, with a view to utilizing their overflow and providing against blockade. The summer and autumn months, particularly the latter, are usually chosen by travellers in eastern and northern Bolivia, because, although the land journey may be less agreeable on account of bad roads or swollen streams, the rivers are in better condition for navigation. A vast extent of fine forest and rich soil stretches out for many leagues along the course of the rivers of eastern Bolivia, probably fifty per cent of the whole country being forest. The scenery in some parts is very beautiful. Mr. John Minchin, president of the municipality of Oruro, who has lived in Bolivia for many years and has travelled from one end of its vast territory to the other, gives a charming description of a journey from Cochabamba to Santa Cruz, when, he says, “after nine days’ travelling on muleback from Cochabamba, and on reaching the summit of the last range, the eye rests with delight on the dark green forest-clad eastern plains, some thousands of feet below, forming an horizon like that of the ocean, and stretching out, almost without interruption, to the banks of the distant Paraguay. From this point, in the early morning, the wide channel of the Rio Grande, some fifty miles away, winds like a white ribbon through the forest, the river itself, like a silver thread, flashing back the rays of the rising sun.”

It is in the vast region of virgin forest and grassy plain that the Bolivian government most desires to establish foreign colonies, and it is for the purpose of developing its enormous resources that immigration to this part of the country is being encouraged by every possible means. At present the population is extremely sparse, probably not exceeding four hundred thousand inhabitants altogether, in a territory covering about one million square kilomètres. The prospect is brighter now than it has ever been for the realization of ambitious plans in this direction, as the tide of civilization has for some years been moving northward over the plains of Argentina, and, with the increased facilities which the new railroad system guarantees, it can be only a question of a few years when these vast and fertile solitudes will be peopled, not only from neighboring states, but from foreign lands. The teeming millions of overcrowded Europe, who look toward America as their haven of content and prosperity, are already beginning to turn their eyes from the popular goal so long sought in the United States and to shape their course toward a shore where the restrictions upon foreign immigration are less rigorous than those that now govern the laws of the great North American republic. Also, the opportunities offered to immigrants by the United States are lessening with the increasing population; and this fact cannot fail to have its effect in turning the tide to South America, where competition is not so great, and independence is equally assured by the very liberal laws made for the benefit of the foreign citizens. Especially is it true of Bolivia, as foreigners who live in this country invariably testify, that foreign residents are treated with the greatest consideration and enjoy the full benefits of the liberal constitution which governs the Bolivian nation.

In August, 1903, the department of colonization issued a statement of the regulations governing the acquirement of lands for colonizing purposes, which shows the generous opportunity offered to immigrants. Allotments are made free under special circumstances, such as previous occupation for ten years, or the conditions of applicants who are natives of the place, and of settlers who contribute to and increase agricultural and other industries. Lands may be assigned, on application, to enterprises having in view their cultivation and settlement, subject to regulations previously stated as governing their purchase. For immigrants who wish to go to the country as workmen or as colonists, the acquisition of lands is facilitated, payments are made easy by a system of instalments, and possession is guaranteed. The government frankly states that only colonists who are accustomed to work are desired, especially those who will advance agriculture and aid in developing the rubber industry, and no effort is made to force immigration except where it means assured industrial progress. Immigrants who possess no capital may acquire lands for permanent settlement, if industrious and enterprising; and to those who have families, or are in charge of a group of settlers employed in the cultivation and exploitation of lands, especial facilities and advantages are afforded, both for the acquisition and payment of lands.

One of the first questions asked by foreigners when inquiring about the countries of South America is: “What is the climate?” and there seems to be a general impression that the climate of the whole South American continent is tropical and more or less unhealthy. Yet, with the exception of some localities in the equatorial region, the conditions are as healthful as those prevailing in North America. Bolivia lies within the torrid zone, but its climate depends upon the altitude rather than upon the latitude of the various localities. The temperature lowers in proportion as the altitudes become higher, and varies with the latitude; for each six hundred feet of height, a degree less—centigrade—is observed in the temperature. The modifications which are due to altitude are no doubt responsible for the notable and sudden changes between the temperature in the daytime and at night, varying in colder and warmer zones. In the course of a few hours the thermometer daily runs a scale of from thirteen to seventeen degrees centigrade in the valleys and from eight to fifteen degrees in places close to the Cordilleras. The Oficina Nacional de Inmigracion, Estadistica y Propaganda Geografica describes the climatic conditions of Bolivia in accordance with six divisions of altitude: the region of perpetual snow, at seventeen thousand feet and upward, has an annual average temperature of one degree centigrade; on the highest puna, or tableland, with an altitude of sixteen thousand feet, the annual average is six degrees; the Altaplanicie, fourteen thousand feet high, shows an average temperature of twelve degrees; in the upper valleys, where the altitude is about ten thousand feet, the average temperature registers fifteen degrees; the more fertile valleys in the lower serranias, eight thousand feet above sea level, are subject to a medium temperature of eighteen degrees; and in the Yungas, where the altitude is not more than six thousand feet, the thermometer marks about twenty-one degrees on an annual average. In the region of perpetual snow, the temperature ranges annually from twenty-seven degrees to zero, with an average, as previously stated, of one degree centigrade. Referring to the seasons, the same authority says: “The thermic periods do not coincide with the astronomical seasons, the meteorological changes being totally different from those occurring outside of the tropics, not only because the country lies within the torrid zone, but from other causes. The spring months are August, September, and October; those of summer are November, December, and January; autumn extends through February, March, and April; and winter, through May, June, and July. Summer is divided into two periods, the first being hot and dry, and the second rainy. The heat is excessive, even in high altitudes, where, during the first two months, the atmosphere is heavily charged with electricity, the rains beginning during the third month. Autumn weather is really experienced only during the months of March and April, the summer rains usually lasting through February; and even during the autumn, the humid atmosphere makes the season only a modified summer. In the Yungas and in the level regions of eastern and northeastern Bolivia winter is not known, the only change of climate being marked by a wet and a dry season, but in the higher altitudes frosts are continuous, and snow falls.”

The climate of Bolivia is, in general, extremely favorable, and there are no regions totally unhealthful. On the high tablelands, illness from causes of climate are practically unknown, except in a few instances where heart trouble is developed by too vigorous exercise at this altitude. In the valleys of the Cordillera Real the only illness is from occasional intermittent fevers in the summer season, though these are no more frequent than in the semi-tropical regions of Europe and North America. Only in the wet season are the tercianas, or intermittent fevers of the Beni, developed, and, taken altogether, the great sloping plains between the Andes and the eastern and northern borders of Bolivia are desirable places to live in, the inhabitants, both native and foreign, declaring that, with a few exceptions along the lower levels that border the Madeira and the Mamoré, this region has one of the most delightful climates in the world.

A very important field for the promotion of various industries is now opening up in Bolivia, and not only the people themselves, but their neighbors and the outside world in general, are taking a greater interest than ever before in investigating its natural resources.