Department of La Unión.
Cities.—La Unión, San Alejo, Santa Rosa (3).
It was to form this Department that San Miguel had once again to give up a goodly portion of its original territory. It is now one of the most important of the Republic's various political Divisions, by reason of containing the port of La Unión, of which I give a fuller description elsewhere under the title of "Ports and Harbours" (see Chapter XIV.). Its boundaries are as follows: North, by the Republic of Honduras; east, by that Republic also and the Bay of Fonseca; south, by the Pacific Ocean; and west, by the Departments of San Miguel and Morazán. A great diversity of scenery may be met with, the mountains alternating with valleys, volcanoes with large open plains, and the ocean lending a blue setting to the whole picture. For true tropical scenery the Bay of Fonseca would be hard to beat, and its most beautiful portion skirts the shore of this Department. Unfortunately, however, there is usually a great deal of unhealthy miasma arising from the low, marshy shore, and from the mouth of the Guascorán River to the Honduranean boundary the whole district may be said to be unhealthy. Here and again one comes across dry and rugged spots, but for the most part the country lies very low, and it is extremely hot at almost all times of the year.
Located upon the picturesque peninsula which separates the Bay of Fonseca from the Pacific Ocean is the enormous volcano of Conchagua, towering up to a height of over 4,000 feet above sea-level, and measuring some twenty miles in circumference around its base. There are two magnificent peaks, one measuring 3,800 feet, and the other 4,101 feet. The situation is 13° 16' 28" latitude, and 87° 51' 46" longitude. This mountain was last in eruption in the year 1868, but to all appearances it is now perfectly quiescent.
Both industrially and commercially La Unión is of importance, much of the fine timber employed in various parts of the Republic for both building operations and cabinet-making coming from its forests, which nevertheless as yet have hardly been touched. Great potential wealth is contained here, and, in view of the proximity of the port, its forests should one day be intelligently and profitably exploited.
As to manufactures, the Department possesses lime, hat (palm-leaf variety), mat, soap, candle, steel, and other establishments; while considerable trade goes on in fish, and especially in oyster-curing. La Unión oysters are very delicious, and are much relished as a rule by foreigners, who declare them to be equal to the best Whitstable in flavour. The variety of fish caught off these coasts is not particularly large, but the quality is very fine. The cost of living in this Department, even at the port of La Unión, is cheap, and on the whole one may dwell there very comfortably, if climatic conditions be accepted philosophically.