The country is generally high and healthy, of an undulating and picturesque character, and is one of the best-watered states of the Republic. There is no barren land, except the summits of the rocky ranges, as it forms a tropical region tempered by altitude, with corresponding fertility of soil and profuse vegetation. Forests cover the slopes and canyons, and in the valleys and on the plains an extensive _flora_ and range of agricultural products is encountered common to this zone. With an area of 27,250 square miles, the state supports a population of about 361,000. The capital is Tuxtla Gutierrez, which is reached most easily by navigation in low-draught boats up the Grijalva or Mezcalapa river to within about seventy miles of the city. A waggon road connects the capital with Tonala, a port on the Pacific coast, from which a short railway connects with the Tehuantepec line, and so with the general railway system. But apart from this, the principal means of communication are the navigable streams and the waggon roads. Agriculture is the principal industry of this state, with timber-cutting, cattle-raising, and the production of salt from the deposits on the coast. In their relative order of importance are sugar-cane, coffee, chocolate, tobacco, indigo, whilst fibre, rubber, cereals, alcohol, cattle, and other products, as cedar, mahogany, &c., are also exported in increasing value. There is, however, much room for the improvement and development of agriculture in this prolific region. The famous ruins of Palenque render this state of great interest archaeologically. CHAPTER XV NATURAL RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE, GENERAL CONDITIONS (continued) Central and Atlantic States--Chihuahua and the Rio Grande--Mining, forests, railways--Coahuila and its resources--Nuevo Leon and its conditions--Iron, coal, railways, textile industries--Durango and its great plains and mountain peaks--Aguascalientes--Zacatecas and its mineral wealth--San Luis Potosi and its industries--Guanajuato, Queretaro and Hidalgo, and their diversified resources--Mexico and its mountains and plains--Tlaxcala--Morelos and its sugar-cane industry-- The rich State of Puebla--Tamaulipas, a littoral state--The historic State of Vera Cruz, its resources, towns, and harbour--Campeche and the peninsula of Yucatan.