The earth and its inhabitants .. . ordillera and the parallelcoast ranges, but also by arid, uninhabitable desert spaces. Hence this remoteand almost worthless region was little utilised by Bolivian commerce, and all theforeign trade passed tlirough the Peruvian seaports of Islaj-, Mollendo, Arica,Pisagua and Iquique. But despite their inhospitable character, these coastlands were, unfortunatelyfor Bolivia, extremely rich in nitrates and other chemical substances of greatvalue in the modern industries. A war, caused bj a conflict of interest in thesemineral treasures, broke out between Chili a
The earth and its inhabitants .. . ordillera and the parallelcoast ranges, but also by arid, uninhabitable desert spaces. Hence this remoteand almost worthless region was little utilised by Bolivian commerce, and all theforeign trade passed tlirough the Peruvian seaports of Islaj-, Mollendo, Arica,Pisagua and Iquique. But despite their inhospitable character, these coastlands were, unfortunatelyfor Bolivia, extremely rich in nitrates and other chemical substances of greatvalue in the modern industries. A war, caused bj a conflict of interest in thesemineral treasures, broke out between Chili and Peru ; Bolivia, unable to remainneutral, lost the stakes, and being the weakest of the three states, suffered most. In virtue of an indefinite truce, Chili seized all the coast provinces, andtook the place of Ieru as the intermediary of Bolivian commerce. HenceforthBolivia has to forward her produce through the Chilian seaports of Iquique andAntofagasta. On the north-east the frontier towards Peru coincides fairly well with the. 4 o<: illMlllilill^ _ ^- BOUNDAEIES OF BOLIVIA. 355 ethuiciil parting-line between the Quicliuas and the Aymiras, altbough here alsoPeru encroaches on her weaker neighbour, so as to appropriate Puuo and otherAymara towns. The natural geographical limit indicated by the Yilcanota Knotbetween the Amazonian afHuents and the Titicaca basin is deflected far to thesouth ; even the lake itself has been divided in an oblique direction in such a?way as to leave the larger section to Peru. At the southern , also, the political boundary runs counter to thenatural divisions, although here Bolivia would appear to be favoured at theexpense of her Argentine neighbour. If the formal will of the inhabitants werenot the first consideration iu these matters, the province of Tarija, at presentincluded in Bolivia, should be restored to Argentina, lying as it does to the southof the Rio Pilcomayo, in the upper Bermejo basin. By a royal decree Tarija hadbeen a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectgeography, bookyear18
