CORDILLERAS OF CENTRAL AMERICA (ante). This section of the great mountain chain which stretches, almost without a break, from the Arctic ocean to the extreme s. point of South America, is confined to the isthmus of Panama and the small states of Central America. In Mexico, the United States, and British America, the main chain is called the Rocky mountains, and the long unbroken line skirtina. the Pacific coast of South America is known as the Andes. The Cordilleras present their lowest.
elevation in the Panama isthmus, where the summit level (of the Panama railroad) is 1...ss than 300 ft.; and there, too, the breadth of the range is least, varying from about 30 to 70 miles. At another point, there is said to be a pass which is only 150 ft. above title. In recent years all this region has been explored with a view to the construction of a ship canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and recently (Mar., 1880) the project has received new impetus from the presence in America of M. de Lesseps, the father of the Suez canal. The great obstacles to isthmus exploration are the extreme unhealthful ness of the climate, the continuous fall of rain, and the impenetrability of the tropical vegetation. Towards the Pacific, the slope of the mountains is abrupt and steep; towards the Atlantic it is more gradual. On what is known as the Nicaragua route, in the state of that name, the San Juan river finds its way through the e. branch of the mountains to Nicaragua lake, and that lake reaches within 12 m. of the Pacific; but on
that narrow strip there runs a belt of the Cordilleras quite too formidable for canal engineering. Extinct and active volcanoes are common in these mountains, more especially in the c. range. Between these e. and w. ranges is a central basin about 300 by 150 in., comprising nearly the whole of the state of Nicaragua, and embracing much grp.nd and beautiful scenery. From the waters, and near the shores of lake Nicaragua, rise enormous volcanoes, their sides rent with fissures and black with lava. Smoke and flame come from some of these volcanoes, but lava is seldom seen. The Cordilleras exhibit about the same scenery in the states of Honduras, San Salvador, and Guatemala. There are five volcanoes in San Salvador, and six in Guatemala; one of the latter, 14,000 ft. high, throws up water only. Silver and copper ores are found, and there is great abundance of red cedar, rosewood, mahogany, India rubber, boxwood, vanilla, cochineal, etc. The temperature in the interior is seldom excessive. Going towards Mexico, the height of the ranges decreases, and at the isthmus of Tehuantepec the highest pass between the oceans is in one place only 700 feet. Further north, the mountains spread out and form the great tableland of Mexico, with here and there isolated summits, some of which arc actively volcanic, and many of which rise to very great heights.