This region comprising nearly two thirds of Peru embraces the eastern forest country, the eastern slopes of the East Cordillera and at the north the lower slopes of the other ranges. The region has much rain, many large navigable rivers, and dense tropical forests rich in useful plants, fine hard woods, and rubber trees. It has some settlements on the river banks and on higher lands, and in the forests, Indians, some of whom are peaceable and friendly, others who might have been so had they not been badly treated by whites of various nationalities, others still who have never seen the white man and do not wish to. Three of these Departments border on Ecuador, the most western, Amazonas, with Cajamarca on the west, La Libertad south, and San Martín east. The last Department, more than twice the size of Amazonas, has Loreto on the east and south. It is traversed by the Central Cordillera and by the Huallaga River, navigable to the important port of Yurimaguas, but for steamers not much farther. The immense Department Loreto, touching Huánuco and Cuzco on the south, with Brazil on the east, is with Madre de Dios naturally the least known and least populated portion of Peru. It is traversed by the Ucayali, and by the Amazon both above and for some distance below Iquitos, to which port ocean steamers regularly ascend. Madre de Dios, east of Cuzco and north of Puno, has been little explored. A few rubber and mining concessions have been slightly worked. Its future will come with transportation. CHAPTER XXII PERU: PORTS AND INTERIOR TRANSPORTATION From the physical character of Peru, it is evident that inland communication and traffic is of extraordinary difficulty. The countries previously mentioned and most of those to follow have rivers by which access to the interior may be gained. In Colombia the Pacific coast barrier is not half so high, and another way is open from the Caribbean. Venezuela presents several doorways, Ecuador also; but in Peru, entrance by navigable rivers would be to journey over 2000 miles from Pará in Brazil at the mouth of the Amazon, then arriving only at the back door, remote indeed from the busy civilized life at the front. Some few do come in and go out that way, but not many.