t. Borate of lime also furnishes another important export, though
a less valuable one than nitrate of soda. Extensive deposits of borax
and common salt have been found in the same region, which with several
other products of these saline deposits, such as iodine, add
considerably to its exports. The coal deposits of Chile are found
chiefly in the provinces of Concepcion and Arauco, the principal mines
being on the coast of the Bay of Arauco at Coronel and Lota. Coal is
found also in Valdivia, on the island of Chiloe, and in the vicinity
of Punta Arenas on the Straits of Magellan. Sulphur is found in the
volcanic regions of the north, but the principal mines are in the
provinces of Talca.

The relative magnitude and value of these mineral products may be seen
in the following abstract from the official returns of 1903:--

+-----------------------+---------------+------------+-------------+
| | Unit. | Quantity. | Value pesos |
| | | | (of 18d.). |
+-----------------------+---------------+------------+-------------+
| Gold | grammes | 1,424,625 | 1,745,115 |
| Silver | " | 39,012,382 | 1,284,308 |
| Copper | kilogrs. | 29,923,132 | 21,438,397 |
| Lead | " | 70,984 | 9,097 |
| Cobalt ore | " | 284,990 | 99,695 |
| Lead and Vanadium ores| " | 2,000 | |
| Manganese ore | " | 17,110,000 | 682,400 |
| Coal | tons | 827,112 | 8,250,720 |
| Nitrates |metric quintals| 14,449,200 | 140,102,012 |
| Iodine | kilogrs. | 157,444 | 1,687,327 |
| Borates | " | 16,878,913 | 2,363,048 |
| Salt |metric quintals| 162,635 | 324,270 |
| Sulphur | kilogrs. | 3,440,642 | 337,515 |
| Sulphuric acid | " | 1,600,000 | 176,000 |
| Guano |metric quintals| 111,335 | 267,466 |
| Various | kilogrs. | 200 | 800 |
+-----------------------+---------------+------------+-------------+

_Government._--Chile is a centralized republic, whose government is
administered under the provisions of the constitu