Page:Maury's New Elements of Geography, 1907.djvu/86



1. South America.—Leaving North America, we come now to South America. The coast line of this continent is broken only here and there by bays or gulfs, and there are only a few good harbors.



South America is crossed by the equator, and all the northern part of it is in the hot or Torrid zone. Here, except high up among the mountains, it is always summer. The flowers are never killed by frost. As we go south from the equator, the climate grows cooler, just as it does if we go north. South does not always mean hot. The southern end of South America reaches down nearly to the region about the South pole, which is always as cold and icy as that about the North pole. 2. Surface.—The surface of South America is very much like that of North America. The western part is mountainous; the eastern is mostly level, and consists chiefly of river valleys.

3. The Andes extend along the Pacific shores of South America from one end of the continent to the other, just as the Rocky mountains extend through North America.



The Andes are the longest mountain range in the world. They are 4,500 miles in length. They are grander and loftier than the Rocky mountains. Many of their peaks are more than four miles high, and are always white with snow.



4. Volcanoes.—More than fifty peaks among the Andes are volcanoes. If you stand in the public square of the city of Quito (kee'-to), you can see eleven snow-capped volcanoes all at once. One of these, Chimborazo (chim-bo- Rh