So well wooded are certain areas that the forests of the 'Gran Chaco' are said to contain sixty thousand square miles of timber. The forest-woods include the quebracho, the nundubay (acacia) lapacho (bignonia, red and white cedar, amarillo (mimosa) the palm-tree introduced by the Jesuits, poplar, willow, walnut, and the celebrated yerba mate, whose leaves make a stimulating tea. The valuable quebracho (break-axe) takes a hundred years to arrive at maturity. It is largely used in the making of railway sleepers, etc., and also provides an export trade of about a quarter of a million tons annually, mainly for tanning purposes. This wood bears so strong a resemblance to red marble that it is a difficult matter to distinguish between the two. The 'Gran Chaco', the northern division of the country, is singularly interesting. It is the home of the native Indian tribes, and, in sharp contrast to the Mendozan area, its climate is tropical. Its fauna include the jaguar, the puma, wildcate, fox, tapir, many varieties of deer, and the alligator. The north is marshy, the south covered with dense forests. The capital of the Chaco is Resistencia.
