National Geographic February 1909

Kaleidoscopic La Paz: The City of the Clouds
Bolivia’s sky- high metropolis is now reachable by rail, but its local color has not, as yet, been marred by tourism.
One Thousand Miles of Railway Built for Pilgrims and Not for Dividends
Though some of the faithful believe that hardship is part of their religious duty, for those who choose it the new 1, 097- mile Damascus to Mecca Railway can ease the difficulties of their holy pilgrimage.
Scenes in Asia Minor
A photographic essay offers a glimpse of everyday life in Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, and Persia.
The Mountaineers of the Euphrates
Some 3, 000 years ago the indigenous tribes of Mesopotamia took refuge in the mountains from their conquerors. While the empires of those conquerors have fallen, the Kurds, as the descendants of the tribes are called, remain.
A Jack in the Box: An Account of the Strange Performances of the Most Wonderful Island in the World
Underwater peaks around Bogoslof Island, a volcano in the Aleutian Islands, continually appear and disappear.
A Wasteful Nation
President Roosevelt’s first Conservation Commission reports that U. S. mineral consumption is rising faster than the population, while some 300 million dollars is wasted annually during extraction and treatment. It is essential that the U. S. develop a
Conditions in Cuba as Revealed by the Census
Highlights from the 1907 census include a 39 percent population boom per decade and a marked increase in literacy since 1899.