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 bare desert above, brown lava flows on the brink of the valley, gray-brown cliffs, and greens ranging from the dull shade of algarrobo, olive, and fig trees to the brightness of freshly ir- rigated alfalfa meadows. In northern Chile there is no hint of water until one reaches the foothills of the Andes far beyond the Coast Range and across the intervening desert. Where

Fic. 2—The steep coast of northern Chile at the nitrate port of Caleta Buena. A cog railway connects the shore with the upper level which stands at 2000 to 2500 feet above sea level.

water occurs it is so small in volume that its effects are almost completely hidden in the depths of steep-walled ravines, so that in many places one may look for miles along the Andes without seeing a single trace of vegetation or human life.

To reach the desert of northern Chile from the sea one crosses by passes set almost at the crest of the Coast Range. These appear high up in the ocean view of the coast, but from the desert they are mere notches set in low and quite rounded hills with smooth contours. Beyond, the desert opens out, flat in places or gently rolling in the piedmont belt or broken