=Valparaiso=, one of the two Provinces bordering on Aconcagua at the south, is next to the smallest in the Republic, and the first coming from the north which does not extend across the country. With Aconcagua on the north it has Santiago on the east and south. The surface is mountainous with extensive valleys, the Coast Range here reaching a height of 7000 feet. Several rivers and a number of bays are among its favorable features. With a mild climate and sufficient rain agriculture is the principal industry aside from the commercial interests of the chief port of the West Coast, Valparaiso. =Santiago=, south of Aconcagua and east of Valparaiso, extends from Argentina on the east, south of Valparaiso to the sea, and has the two Provinces of O’Higgins and Colchagua on the south. The Central Valley, which occupies a great part of its area, is here a broad plain, part of which is well watered and fertile but with some sections arid; the foothills and valleys are well wooded. The Central Valley slopes towards the west, having an altitude of nearly 3000 feet at the foot of the Andes, and about 1000 feet near the hills of the Coast Range. The highest point of the Andes, here south of Mt. Aconcagua, is less than 20,000 feet while the Coast Range approaches 8000. Cereals, vegetables, fruit, and wine are the chief products. Among other towns in the Province is the port of San Antonio. =O’Higgins=, a very small Province, occupies what may be called a jog at the southeast corner of Santiago, which is therefore on the west and north, while Argentina is east and Colchagua south. Although a rugged district, irrigation is developed and large crops of cereals and fruit are grown. Rich in mineral deposits, copper alone is exploited. =Colchagua=, south of Santiago and O’Higgins, extends across the country from the sea to the mountains, which have three easy passes into Argentina. The plains of the Central Valley have a rich soil and good rainfall, but as the summers are dry, as in Santiago, irrigation is needful. Crops of wheat, beans, alfalfa, etc., are important, and also the cattle industry. =Curicó= follows across the south with similar features and productions. =Talca= is next, also extending from the coast to Argentina. With a temperate climate, there are greater extremes of heat and cold on the plain. Besides the agricultural and cattle industries, the dense forests here afford opportunity for exploitation. Two Provinces are on the south. =Linares=, the more eastern, has Argentina on the east, Nuble south, and Maule west. With considerable agricultural land, along the lower slopes of the Andes it has dense woods. =Maule=, the coast Province south of Talca, has both Linares and Nuble on the east, and Concepción south. The valleys of the Coast Cordillera, which are fertile, afford opportunity for increased agriculture, but unwise deforestation has been injurious.