Wealth of the World's Waste Places and Oceania

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

23546

Title

Wealth of the World's Waste Places and Oceania

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Jewett C. Gilson challenges the notion of "waste places," arguing that desolate regions like the Sahara, polar zones, and arid American deserts hold indispensable resources vital to global civilization. This illustrated volume explores the geological wealth of forbidding landscapes and the diverse cultures of Oceania, revealing how nature's harsh environments often yield the treasures that sustain the world.

Summary up to 500 words

In 'Wealth of the World's Waste Places and Oceania,' Jewett C. Gilson challenges the conventional notion that barren or forbidding regions are useless. He argues that nature strategically places essential resources in these 'waste places,' making them indispensable to global prosperity. Part I explores how the Rocky Mountains divert moisture to feed the Mississippi basin, while Chilean deserts yield nitrates vital for European agriculture. Gilson details how Death Valley produces borax and how the Andes hold immense mineral wealth. He traverses diverse landscapes, from the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone's geysers to the Arctic and the Sahara, illustrating how inhospitable environments provide critical materials like gold, jade, and diamonds. The text emphasizes that compensation is nature's great law; if supplies are scarce in one area, they are abundant in another. Part II shifts focus to Oceania, examining the Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand, and the Dutch East Indies. Gilson describes the sugar plantations of Fiji and Hawaii, noting Hawaii's transition from a kingdom to a U.S. territory. He highlights the unique geology of the Great Barrier Reef and the economic potential of islands like Guam and the Philippines. The work also covers the indigenous peoples of Borneo and New Guinea, detailing their cultures, industries, and the challenges of colonization. Throughout, Gilson asserts that human ingenuity continues to conquer these challenging environments, transforming them into sources of wealth for mankind. Whether reclaiming swamps or mining polar regions, the book concludes that there are no true waste places, only regions whose value has yet to be fully realized by humanity.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Waste lands
• Oceania