COLOMBIA
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The Atrato River, which rises in the foot
hills of the Andes and empties into the Gulf
of Darien, an arm of the Caribbean Sea and
which England threatened to make into a
canal connecting the two oceans if not given
special privileges in the Panama Canal, is
navigable for about 225 of its 350 miles. The
largest river on the Pacific side is the San
Juan, being navigable for 150 of its 200 or
more miles. The rivers emptying into the
Amazon are navigable for canoes and lighters,
but are so remote and in such a sparsely popu
lated region as to be negligible quantities in
this connection.
Agricultural experts estimate that only one-
third of Colombia is susceptible of cultiva
tion, the eastern part being swampy and the
high mountain lands incapable of sustaining
any growth, especially at an elevation of
13,000 feet. The belt of coast lands with the
plateau regions can be made highly produc
tive.
Coffee is perhaps the largest crop grown, in
1913 the output being nearly 53,993 tons val