48 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY.

tems of the continent, by which it is divided into three
parts: the Llanos of the Orinoco, the Selvas of the Amazon,
and the Pampas of the La Platte.

The Llanos are grassy plains which, during the rainy
season, resemble our prairies, but during the dry weather
are deserts.

The Selvas, or forest plains, are covered by an uninter-
rupted luxuriant forest. The vegetation here is so dense
that in some places the broad rivers form the only ready
means of crossing the country. Near the river-banks are
vast stretches of swampy ground.

The Pampas are grassy plains which in some respects
resemble the Llanos. 5

A coast plain lies between the Andes and the
Pacific. It is widest near the Andes of Chili,

Fig. 46, Section of South America from East to West,

1, Volcano Arequipa; 2, Lake Titicaca; 3, Nevada de Sorata; 4,
Central Plain; 5, Mountains of Brazil.

where in some places it is 100 miles in breadth.
Between the parallels of 27° and 23° the plain

 

is an absolute desert, called the Desert of Ata-
cama. Here rain never falls and vegetation is
entirely absent.

120. Approximate Dimensions of South America.

Area of continent, about 6,500,000 square miles.

Greatest breadth from east to west, 3230 miles.

Greatest length from north to south, 4800 miles.

Coast line, 14,500 miles.

Culminating point, Aconcagua, 23,910 feet.

121. Contrasts of the Americas.—In both North
and South America the predominant system lies in
the west, the secondary systems in the east, and the
low plains in the centre.

They differ in the following respects:

In North America the predominant system is a
broad plateau, having high mountain-ranges; the
principal secondary system is narrow, and formed
of parallel ranges; the low plains are character-
ized by undulations, and contain several deep de-
pressions occupied by extensive lake-systems.

In South America the predominant system is nar-
row; the secondary systems are broad ; the low plain
is alluvial, extremely flat, contains no depressions, —
and consequently no extensive lake-systems.

 

 

243

 

Fig. 47, Orographic Chart of Europe. (Light portions, mountains; shaded portions, plains.)
1, The Alps; 2, Mont Blanc; 3, Pyrenees; 4, Cantabrian; 5, Sierra Estrella; 6, Sierra Nevada; 7, Mountains of Castile; 8, Apennines;
9, Dinaric Alps; 10, Balkan; 11, Pindus; 12, Taurts;.13, Caucasus; 14, Cevennes; 15, Plateau of Auvergne; 16, Vosges; 17, Black Forest; 18,
Jura; 19, Hartz; 20, Bonemian Plateau; 21, Carpathians; 22, Hungarian Forest; 23, Transylvanian Mountains; 24, Kiolen Mountains; 25, Urals.

Ill. EUROPE.
122. Surface Structure.—The Predominant
Mountain-System is in the south.
The Secondary Systems are in thenorth and east.

The Great Low Plain lies between the Pre-
dominant and Secondary Systems.

A line drawn from the Sea of Azoyv to the mouth of the
Rhine River divides Europe into two distinct physical