Page:Maury's New Elements of Geography, 1907.djvu/87

Rh rah'-zo), is so lofty that it can be seen by moonlight at a distance of ninety miles.



Cotopaxi (ko-to-pax'-e), a near neighbor of Chimborazo, is the grandest of all the volcanoes. Its terrific eruptions sound like the discharge of the largest cannons, and can be heard at a distance of 100 miles.

5. Earthquakes occur very frequently in the countries which are crossed by the Andes.

6. Rivers.—The great rivers of South America are the Amazon, the Orinoco, and the La Plata.

These rivers and their tributaries are all on the east side of the Andes, and flow into the Atlantic.

The Amazon, reminds us of our own Mississippi; only, instead of flowing from north to south, it flows from west to east.

It carries more water to the sea than any other river. In some places it is so wide that a vessel sailing on it may be out of sight of land. Steamboats ascend it for 2,200 miles, almost across the continent.

The Orinoco overflows its banks every summer. Its waters teem with alligators, and are the home of the curious fish called the electric eel. The shock given by one of these electric eels is so severe that horses, when fording the pools, are sometimes knocked down by it.

On the Rio de la Plata (lah plah'tah) and its tributaries, steamboats sail more than 1,200 miles into the heart of the continent.



7. Rainless Region.—If we look at the map of South America, we notice that hardly a single river can be seen along the west coast. Why should there be plenty of water and great rivers on the east side of the Andes, but little or none on the west side? Let us see.