ITALY.It´a-le.

A kingdom in the South of Europe. Consists of a peninsula, the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, Elba, and about 66 smaller ones. Area, 114,410 square miles. Population, 28,459,628. Mean annual temperature: at Milan, 55°; at Rome, 59°; at Naples, 61°. Climate most unhealthy in Europe; due to miasma generated in lagoons and marshes. Has many famous and picturesque lakes.

Government is a constitutional monarchy. Executive power vested in King and responsible ministers: legislative rests conjointly with the King and a Parliament, composed of a Senate, appointed for life; and a Chamber of 508 Deputies, elected by the people for five years. Suffrage universal; freedom of the press unrestricted. Famous rivers are the Po, Arno and Tiber.

Italy abounds in historic and populous cities. Rome, the capital, has pop. of 273,268; Naples, the largest, 463,172; Milan, 295,543; Palermo, 205,712; Genoa, 138,081; Florence, 134,992; Venice, 129,445; 31 cities of over 30,000 inhabitants.

Agriculture chief industry, though in a primitive condition; 87 per cent. of total area productive; 12 per cent. under forest, 36 per cent. cultivated; 28,000,000 acres in crops. Acreage of wheat, 12,000,000; annual yield, 140,000,000 bushels. Vineyards occupy about 5,000,000 acres; olive groves, 2,200,000. About 1,225,000 acres are devoted to chestnut culture. Italy ranks next to France in wine production; average yield per annum, 605,000,000 gallons; average annual value of all agricultural products for last 5 years, $640,000,000.

Number of cattle in 1881, 4,783,232; sheep, 8,596,108; goats, 2,016,307. In 1883, exported 127,003 cattle; sheep, 273,939; swine, 38,668. Wool product insufficient for home consumption; import, in 1883, 20,987,500 lbs.

Mining is an important interest in Italy. Value of iron and steel mined annually, $4,250,000. Sulphur is the chief mineral product; value, in 1882, $9,328,505. Quarries employ 20,000 men. In 1883, total weight of cocoon harvest, 92,886,200 lbs.; value, $26,491,665.

Leading imports, 1883: raw cotton, $18,173,400; coal, $13,166,200; tobacco, $2,321,800; sugar, $10,633,200. Exports for same year: raw silk, $49,712,400; olive oil, $20,156,600; wine in casks, $15,668,200; fruit, $8,685,800. Total imports, 1883, $257,241,023; exports, $236,321,513. In same year, 111,296 vessels, of 18,465,381 tons, entered Italian ports; cleared the same, 110,554 vessels, of 18,367,948 tons.

Length of railway, in 1883, 5,651 miles; about 1,410 miles the property of the state. In 1879, Italian Parliament passed bills for construction of 3,739 miles, to complete the railway system; cost, $200,000,000. Number of postoffices in 1883, 3,497. Miles of telegraph, 17,258; about two-thirds owned by the government; telegraph offices, not including railway and private, 1,747; number of telegrams, 6,454,942.

There is a universal liability to military service. Total war force, 2,119,250: permanent army, 750,765 strong; mobile militia, 341,250; territorial militia, 1,021,954; reserve, 5,281. Navy, 1884, consisted of 89 steamers, manned with 15,055 officers and men.

Roman Catholicism is the prevailing creed; not more than 124,000 Protestants and Jews in the kingdom. The present Roman Pontiff, or Pope Leo XIII., is regarded as about the 263d Pope from St. Peter.

Recent improvements in education have been made. There are 17 state universities, 4 free universities, 11 superior colleges, and 219 special schools. Number of primary public schools, 41,423; sum allowed for expenses, $6,485,505.

AUSTRO-HUNGARY.Aws´trŏ Hŭng´ga-re.

A monarchy of Europe. Ranks next to Russia in size. Much of the territory is mountainous, the Carpathians extending over about 800 miles. Four-fifths of the area of Austria is 600 feet above sea-level.

Mean annual temperature ranges from about 48° in the north to 59° in the south. Average temperature at Vienna, 50°; highest, 94°; lowest, 2°. Rainfall: on Hungarian plains, 22 inches; in Alpine regions, 60 inches.

Austria, a German monarchy, and Hungary, a Magyar kingdom, together form a bipartite state. Each has its own Parliament, ministers and government; they are connected by a common ruler, Congress, army and navy. The legislative power of Congress is limited to war and foreign affairs.

Area of Austro-Hungary, 240,942 square miles; area of Turkish Provinces controlled by the monarchy, 24,247 square miles. Population, including military, 37,883,226; in Austria, 10,819,737 males and 11,324,507 females; in Hungary, 7,702,810 males and 7,939,192 females. In Austria, 6,000,000 people engaged in agriculture, 2,117,098 in manufacturing, and 177,870 in mining. Farm population of Hungary, 2,848,868; miners, 25,905; manufacturers, 766,416; traders, 177295

Vienna, the capital, has a population of 1,103,857. Budapest, 360,551. Ninety-four per cent. of whole area is productive. Number of acres under crops, fallow and grass, 67,608,070. Total production of cereals, 586,029,352 bushels; potatoes, 365,574,706 bushels; wines, 178,425,280 gallons. Total number of horses, 3,282,790; cattle, 13,181,620; sheep, 13,093,463.

Value of exports, 1883, $374,960,255. Chief exports: grain and flour, $60,389,350; textiles, $55,516,850; animals, $48,519,015; fuel, $38,979,570; sugar, $35,086,975.

Railway mileage, 1884, 12,820. In 1883 there were 32,684 miles of telegraph line in operation. Commercial marine, 1884, consisted of 9,174 vessels, with a combined capacity of 321,402 tons.

Army, in war, 1,072,300 strong; during peace, 291,078. Military service compulsory on all males over 20 years of age.

The Roman Catholic is the state religion; 67.6 per cent. of inhabitants are Catholics; other creeds are tolerated.

MONTENEGRO.Mon`tā-nā´gro.

A small state of Europe; independence recently admitted by Turkey. Area, 3,550 square miles. Population, 1879, 250,000. The land surface is composed of a series of elevated ridges, with high mountain peaks. Agriculture chief occupation. Main products, maize, potatoes, sumac, sardines, smoked mutton, hides, skins and furs. Total yearly imports amount to $100,000; exports, $1,000,000.

Constitution dates from 1852; government is a limited monarchy; executive power rests with the reigning Prince; legislative, with a State Council. Suffrage is extended to male citizens who are bearing or who have borne arms. There is no standing army; but all male inhabitants are trained for the service. The state could raise an armed force of 21,850 men.

Public schools are supported by the government; education is compulsory. Capital, Cetigne; pop., 2,000. Podgoritza has 4,000 inhabitants; and Dulcigno, 3,000.

Miles of telegraph, 280; number of offices, 15.

SWEDEN.Swe´den.

This kingdom, united with Norway, forms the Scandinavian peninsula. The government is vested in a King, a Council of State and a Parliament. Area, 170,979 square miles. Population, 4,603,595. Capital, Stockholm; population, 194,469. The armed forces number 172,260 officers and men. The Royal navy consists of 66 vessels, with 4,068 men.

The country has numerous lakes and rivers. In the north it is cold and sterile; but the climate, on the whole, is milder than that of other countries in the same latitude, and south of latitude 59° the country is generally fertile. About 7 per cent. of the land area is cultivated, and 5 per cent. is natural meadows. Agricultural population, 2,309,790. Emigrants in 1883 numbered 29,490, of whom four-fifths came to the United States.

Value of imports, 1882, $63,840,000; exports, $70,524,000. Chief exports: timber, $32,482,290; metals, $11,861,580. Mining is one of the chief industries. In 1883 there were exported 34,319 tons of iron ore, 52,126 tons of bar iron, 3,602 pounds of silver, 945 tons of copper and 54,423 tons of zinc ore. Mining population numbered 410371

The state religion is Lutheran Protestant. The census of 1880 returned 4,544,434 persons of that faith, with 2,408 churches. There are 2 universities, with 2,540 students. Education is free and compulsory. The total number of schools is about 9,800; pupils, 660,000; expenditures, $2,718,390.

The commercial navy numbers 3,356 sailing vessels, of 439,932 tons, and 785 steamers, of 87,524 tons. Number of miles of railway, 1883, 4,000, of which 1,437 miles belong to the state; telegraph, 5,347 miles.

NORWAY.Nor´wā.

In 1814 united with Sweden into a joint kingdom. Area, 122,869 square miles. Population, 1,806,900. Government an hereditary constitutional monarchy; executive power in the hands of the King and Council of State; legislative rests with Storthing, or Great Court. Capital, Christiania; pop., 1884, 124,155.

Norway is an agricultural and pastoral country; but, owing to the light character of the soil, the products are insufficient for home consumption, and one-fourth of the total imports is grain.

Principal imports are metals, minerals, textile manufactures and corn; total value in 1883, $44,810,000. Chief exports are timber and fish; value of all exports, 1883, $32,261,000. Fisheries employ 120,000 people and 25,000 boats, three-fourths employed in the cod fisheries; total product, 1883, $6,757,500. Merchant marine, 7,913 vessels; tonnage, 1,530,004; largest in the world, considering population.

Army raised by conscription and enlistment; war footing, 68,800 officers and men. Armed force to exceed 18,000 unlawful without the consent of Storthing. Navy, 31 sailing vessels and 40 steamers, with 152 guns, manned by a force of 915.

Miles of railway, 1884, 971; 929 miles controlled by the state. Miles of telegraph, 5,629; length of wire, 10,075. Number of postoffices, 1032

Protestants are in the majority; unlimited religious liberty, Jesuitism excepted; none but Lutherans eligible to high offices.

Compulsory education prevails; primary schools, 6,617; 17 public high schools, 1 university; total number of students, 284,035.

DENMARK.Den´mark.

A constitutional kingdom in Europe. Area, 13,784 square miles. Population, 1,969,039. Almost entirely insular. Temperature at Copenhagen, 47°. Country low and level.

Constitution, dating back to 1849, and modified in 1855, '63, '66, vests executive authority in the King and his responsible ministers; legislative, in the Senate and House of Commons. King must belong to Evangelical Lutheran church. The franchise is extended to all males over 30, who are not recipients of charity.

Pop. of Copenhagen, the capital, 1880, 273,323; Aarhuus, 24,831; Adense, 20,804. In 1882, 11,614 emigrants left Denmark; vast majority of them for the United States. Relatively, Denmark ranks among the first states of Europe in point of agriculture. In 1880, 75 per cent. of area productive; area under cereals, 1882, 2,681,691 acres; product, 86,706,937 bushels. Cattle rearing increasing in importance. In 1881, value of cattle, $7,350,395; number of horses, 347,561; sheep, 1,548,613; swine, 527,417.

There were exported 84,586 cattle, 72,487 sheep, 2,230,000 lbs. of wool, and 253,294 hogs. Total value of exports in 1882, $52,225,300. Total imports, $70,297,280. Army is recruited by conscription; it embraces 36,469 men, with a reserve of 14,000. In 1884, navy consisted of 40 steamers. Miles of railway, 1,106; 932 miles operated by the state. Miles of government telegraph, 2,283.

Education compulsory; number of schools supported by the state, 2,940.

RUSSIA.Rŭsh´e-a.

The Russian Empire comprises one-seventh of the total land area of the globe. The area and population are known only through estimates, the latest of which give the total area as 8,520,637 square miles, and the population as 102,682,124. Area of European Russia, 2,041,402 square miles; population, 86,486,959. Asiatic Russia: area, 6,479,235 square miles; population, 16,195,165. The government of Russia is an absolute hereditary monarchy; the whole legislative, executive and judicial power being vested in the Emperor. Capital, St. Petersburg; population, 929,100.

The established religion of the empire is the Greco-Russian, which numbers 63,835,000 members, 636 cathedrals and 41,807 churches. The mass of the population is uneducated. European Russia has about 375 high schools, 61 normal and 22,770 primary schools; pupils number more than 1,220,000. The empire has 8 universities, with 10,700 students.

Of European Russia, 63 per cent. of the area is productive; 21 per cent. is cultivated. Chief products, cereals; the crop of 1883, exclusive of Finland, was 1,671,012 tons; potatoes, 447,875 tons; tobacco, 119,200,000 lbs. Large areas are covered with forests; value of timber exported 1881, $49,200,000. Value of total exports of Russian Empire, $308,898,000; imports, $283,396,000. Minerals are abundant; the mining population numbers 392,304.

The total strength of the Russian army on a peace footing is 729,770 men and 27,468 officers; war footing, 1,876,358 men and 41,551 officers. The navy numbers 358 vessels, of 349,730 tons.

In 1883, European Russia had 15,274 miles of railway, of which 13,670 miles belonged to the state. Number of miles of telegraph, 65,726. Postoffices, 4,586. The commercial navy, in 1883, consisted of 187 steamers, of 138,291 tons, and 2,155 sailing vessels, of 477,072 tons.

ASIA.

Largest continental division of the globe, and oldest known in history. Area, 17,241,538 square miles. Extends from Arctic Ocean to equator, and through 165 degrees longitude; coast line nearly 40,000 miles.

LENGTHS OF RIVERS.

AREAS SEAS AND LAKES.

An empire composed of islands lying east of Asia. Supposed to have been founded 660 B.C. Area, 148,456 square miles. Pop., 36,700,118. The population is divided into classes, as follows: Imperial family, 39; kwazokii, or nobles, 3,204; shizoku, or knights, 1,931,824; common people, 34,765,051. Tokio, formerly known as Jeddo, or Yedo, is the capital; pop., 823,557.

The government is an absolute monarchy. The title of the sovereign is Supreme Lord, or Emperor (Mikado).

Agriculture is followed to a great extent. The chief annual agricultural products are: rice, 155,629,409 bu.; wheat, 62,049,940 bu.; beans, 10,795,717 bu. The annual value of silk production is $20,500,000. The principal manufactures are silk and cotton goods, japanned ware, porcelain and bronze. The value of the exports, 1883, was $35,609,000; of imports, $28,548,000.

A law went into effect in 1874, by which the government gives nine bushels of rice annually to each person over seventy or under fifteen years of age unable to work, and to foundlings until they reach the age of thirteen. Latest reports place the number of paupers at 10,050, and expenditures at $88,975.

School attendance is compulsory. There are 30,275 schools in the empire, of which 71 are normal, 98 are technical, and 2 are universities; also, a military college and military school, with 1,200 students. Latest reports give 82,213 teachers and 2,703,343 pupils. School age is from 6 to 14. Total number of school age, 5,750,946. Public libraries, 21. Shintoism is the ancient religious faith; but Buddhism is the religion of nearly all the common people.

The first railroad in the empire was opened June, 1875; it extended from Hiogo to Osaka, twenty-five miles. At the end of June, 1884, there were 236 miles of railway in the empire. There are 4,880 miles of telegraph, with 13,144 miles of wire. Postoffices were first established in 1871, and now number about 5,200.

CHINESE EMPIRE.

An immense empire of Eastern Asia; in territorial extent, the second in the world; in population, the largest. Area, 4,419,150 square miles. Pop., 371,180,000.

Longest rivers: Yang-tse-kiang, 3,320 miles; with basin, 950,000 sq. miles. Hoang-ho, 2,800 miles; with basin, 715,000 sq. miles.

Capital Pekin; pop., 500,000. Twenty-three cities have more than 100,000 population; and 66, more than 50,000.

The state religion has no outward ceremonial, except a few symbolical rites observed at New Year. It consists in the study of the teachings of Confucius and Lao-tse. The majority of the people are Buddhists. Education is almost universal, there being few adults unable to read and write. The Chinese have had newspapers at least ten centuries.

Value of imports, 1883, $103,071,415; exports, $98,349,895. The chief imports were: opium, valued at $35,510,260; and cotton goods, valued at $30,888,465. Chief exports: tea,—value, $45,077,135; and silk, chiefly raw, $33,537,990. The coal fields of China are among the first in the world; about 3,000,000 tons are mined each year. The mines at Kai-p'ing, in 1883, produced 600 tons per day.

In June, 1876, a railway of twenty miles, between Shanghai and Woosung, was opened for traffic; but the following year it was purchased by the Chinese authorities, and closed. There are 20,000 Imperial roads in the empire. In 1884 there were 3,089 miles of telegraph line, with 5,482 miles of wire.

ANAM.An`nam´.

An empire of Indo-China under the protectorate of France. Area, 198,043 square miles. Population, 12,000,000. Drained by many rivers. In January, temperature 41° throughout the north; in southern part of Cochin China, mean annual temperature is 83°. The elephant, panther and tiger found in the forests of Anam.

Inhabitants essentially agricultural. Country rich in metals. Government is an absolute monarchy. Social equality exists among citizens. Buddhism and doctrines of Confucius are dominant. Hue is the capital; pop., 100,000.

BURMA.Bur´mah.

As a result of the late war with Great Britain, Burma was on Jan. 1, 1886, declared a part of the British Empire. The government is now administered by the Governor General of India, though the country is not yet incorporated with the Indian Empire. The late government was a despotism, dependent on the will of the King. The area is 190,500 square miles. Population estimated to be about 3,000,000. Capital, Mandalay; population, 70,000. Bhamo, on the Chinese frontier, is an important town. Education is in the hands of the priests, but is very general. Buddhism is the prevailing religion.

The country is not so fertile as British Burma; but wheat, corn, rice, pulse, indigo, cotton, tobacco, and a large variety of fruits are grown. The forests produce valuable timber trees in great variety. Minerals abound, but are not generally worked. Petroleum, however, is quite largely produced. Burma possessing no seacoast, the foreign trade is inconsiderable.

SIAM.Sī-am´.

A kingdom of Southeastern Asia, divided into 41 Provinces. The government is an absolute monarchy. Area and population are but imperfectly known; foreign estimates place the former at 280,564 square miles, and the population at about 5,750,000. Prevailing religion, Buddhism. Siam has no public debt. Capital, Bangkok; population, 600,000. There is a small standing army, and a general armament of the people in form of a militia.

Though much of the land is fertile, it is badly cultivated. Chief products, rice, gums, teak, sandalwood, rosewood, spices and fruits. Foreign commerce centres at Bangkok. Total value of exports from there in 1883, $8,525,655; imports, $4,783,570. Commercial marine numbers 44 sailing vessels and 1 steam vessel. In 1883, 884 vessels, of 185,612 tons, cleared the port of Bangkok.

MALAY.Ma-lā´.

A peninsula of Asia; the southernmost point of the continent.

Area about 70,000 square miles. Estimated population, 650,000. Less known of the interior than of any other point in Asia. Surface very uneven. Climate is moist and hot: temperature on the Makran coast and in Persian Gulf, 110°; and at times, 125°. Out of 365 days, 190 are rainy; rainfall from 100 to 130 inches.

Politically, Malay consists of the Straits Settlements of Great Britain, 6 Provinces of Siam, and a number of small Malay States, either tributary to or in treaty with the above powers. The Straits Settlements comprise the Islands of Singapore and Penang and the territories of Malacca and Province of Wellesley. Area, 1,445 square miles; pop., 423,384.

COREA.Ko-ree´a.

A kingdom of Eastern Asia. Area estimated at 82,000 square miles. Population, 16,227,885. Climate variable, on account of the unevenness of the country; the thermometer at times registers 15° below zero.

The history of Corea dates back to 1120, when the Chinese gained possession of it. Seems first to have been subjugated by the Tartars. Japanese ruled it between 1692 and 1698, when it reverted to China. The country pays an annual tribute of 800 ounces of silver to the Chinese Emperor. The King of Corea is an absolute despot. Capital, Seoul; pop., 199,127.

Minerals are said to abound in the peninsula; but the low state of civilization in the country will not admit of their development. The country is mountainous, and the cultivable portion small; principal crops are rice, millet, beans and jute.

Value of imports, 1881, $1,944,735; exports, $1,882,650. Principal exports, ginseng, hides, rice and silk. Wheeled vehicles are unknown, and there are no bridges over the many streams. Doctrine of Confucius the established creed.

HONG KONG.

A colony of Great Britain, formerly a part of China. It consists of the Island of Hong Kong, ceded to Great Britain in 1841, and the opposite peninsula of Kow-loon, ceded to Great Britain, 1861. The government is administered by a Governor, aided by an Executive Council. There is also a Legislative Council. The chief city is Victoria. In 1883 the government sustained 87 schools, with 5,597 pupils. The total population of Hong Kong is 160,420, of whom but 7,990 are white persons.

Hong Kong forms the centre of trade for many different kinds of goods. Its commerce is virtually a part of that of China, and is chiefly carried on with Great Britain, the United States and Germany. Of the exports and imports only mercantile estimates are known; these place the former at about $10,000,000, and the latter at $20,000,000. The tea and silk trade of China is largely in the hands of Hong Kong firms. In 1882, 28,668 vessels, of 4,976,233 tons, entered the ports of Hong Kong.

ARABIA.A-ra´be-a.

A peninsula of Asia. Area, 1,000,000 square miles; length, 1,200 miles; breadth, 900 miles. Sandy desert comprises most of the country; fertile regions are shores of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. Seacoast, 1,200 miles in length. Heat intense: rainfall light.

Population variously estimated from 8,500,000 to 15,000,000. Claims descent from Ishmael; nomadic habits; Mohammedans in belief.

The pearl fisheries, which are of great commercial importance, begin at the Bahrein Islands, and extend southeast along the Persian Gulf, a distance of nearly 200 miles. The yearly produce is estimated to be worth, over $1,250,000.

Coffee, probably indigenous, chief article of export. Wheat, barley, beans, millet, dates and lentils form food of the natives. Rivers unimportant.

Arabia was never subject to one sovereign. Inhabitants broken up into petty tribes, each ruled by its own chief.

INDIA.In´de-a.

An empire of Asia, divided into British territory and feudatory states, acknowledging sovereignty of Great Britain. Richest and most populous dependency of the English Crown. Area, 1,383,504 square miles. Population, 253,906,449.

Government is entrusted to Secretary of State for India; he is aided by a Council of 15 members. Executive authority vested in Governor General, appointed by the British Crown, and a Council of 7 members. Salary of Governor General, $125,000 per year.

Population dense. The density varies from 441 per square mile to 43; the average for all India being 184. Agriculture backward. Means of transportation poor but improving. Eight famines have visited India, and decimated the population of various Provinces. Soil is productive; rice, corn, millet, barley and wheat are grown; cotton, indigo, opium and sugar cane are largely exported.

Large quantities of bullion are imported for the manufacture of ornaments. In 1884, imports of gold, $27,347,280; silver, $37,042,530. Leading imports, 1883-84: cotton manufactures, $125,584,245; metals, $25,909,250; machinery, $8,955,740. Chief exports: raw cotton, $71,806,605; opium, $56,472,300; seeds, $50,450,990; wheat, $44,399,155; rice, $41,816,400. Total imports, 1884, $318,007,480; exports, $445,006,975.

Capital, Calcutta; population, 871,504; 60 towns of over 50,000 inhabitants. Over 19 dialects and languages spoken in the empire.

Number vessels entered Indian ports, 1884, 5,812; cleared, 5,850; number steamships entered by Suez Canal, 1,091; number vessels engaged in interportal trade, 103,503. Miles of railway, 1854, 21; in 1885 there were 10,832; unfinished, 1,823. Miles of telegraph, 21,740; messages, 1,799,179.

Education progressing. Schools, 109,212; scholars, 2,790,783; universities, 3; governmental schools, 15,845; commission of investigation appointed in 1883.

European and native army, 190,476 men. Native states have an army of 349,835 men; 4,237 guns.

CEYLON.See-lon´.

An island situated in the Indian Ocean, southeast of India. Area, 25,364 square miles; length, 260 miles; average breadth, 100 miles. Climate much pleasanter than that of Southern India. Ceylon was first settled in 1505; formed into a separate colony in 1798; fell under British rule in 1815.

By the constitution of 1831 and 1833, government is administered by a Governor, with an Executive Council and a Legislative Council. Minerals abound; precious stones are often found; pearl fisheries of western coast are famous. Bread-fruit, cinnamon, pepper, rice, cotton and tobacco are among the chief products of the soil.

Principal exports in 1883: coffee (the least since 1853), valued at $6,338,155; tea, $430,000; cinchona bark, $2,105,000; cocoanut oil, $2,030,000. Total exports in 1883, $16,654,500; imports, $22,643,335.

There were 164 miles of railway open for traffic in 1884; 16 miles in course of construction. Miles of telegraph were 989.

Estimated population, 1884, 2,822,009; 1,698,070 Buddhists, 493,630 Hindoos, 197,775 Mohammedans, and 147,977 Christians. The Europeans numbered about 5,000, of whom 4,000 were English. There were 1,703 schools, with nominal attendance of 102,109 pupils.

Colombo is the capital; pop., 111,942.

PERSIA.Per´she-a.

A kingdom of Western Asia. Area, 610,000 square miles. Population, 7,653,600. Temperature ranges from 10° to 110°; winters severe in central territory; summers hot and dry.

The government is an unlimited despotism. The Koran is law, the Shah being looked upon as the vicegerent of the prophet. Persia has no national debt. Persian army numbers 105,500 men on war basis; peace footing, 30,000.

Soil, in some of the extensive valleys, very fertile. Wheat and other cereals, cotton, sugar, rice, tobacco and opium yield well; silk is an important product of the country. Fruit trees and vegetables flourish. Mineral resources undeveloped. Diamonds have been taken from mines in Khorasan for centuries. Pearl fisheries of the Persian Gulf the most extensive in the world.

Commerce centres at Tabriz. Bushire and Lingah principal ports. Imports, by Lingah and Bushire, in 1883, $5,724,665. Exports, by same ports, $3,071,705; opium, $1,403,415; grain and pulse, $342,250. System of telegraph in the hands of Europeans; miles of line, 3,647; of wire, 5,947; offices, 78. Mail service from Julfa to Tabriz and Teheran, thence to Resht, established in 1877.

Capital, Teheran; pop., 100,000. Of total population, 1,963,800 live in cities, 1,909,800 are nomadic tribes, 3,780,000 inhabit country districts and villages. Education among the upper classes advanced; many colleges are sustained by government.

AFGHANISTAN.Af-gan`is-tan´.

Name given to plateau on northwest frontier of India. Estimated area, 278,000 square miles. Temperature at Ghazni, 10° to 15° below zero; at Kandahar, heat in summer reaches 120°. No other country of equal area has such diversities of climate. Distinguished for the mountain passes, through which India has been frequently invaded.

Government is a despotism. Capital, Kabul. Population, 2,500,000, consisting of numerous warlike clans. The Amir is a military dictator, with a yearly revenue of $2,000,000, and a subsidy of $600,000 from India. Two-thirds of inhabitants Mohammedans.

Agricultural and pastoral pursuits the chief industries of the people; wheat the most important crop; rice, barley and millet grown. On terraces, 6,000 and 7,000 feet high, all the vegetables and fruits of Europe grow; in the south, sugar cane and date palm.

BELUCHISTAN.Bel-oo`chis-tan´.

A country of Asia lying east of Persia. Area, 140,000 square miles. Population, 1,000,000. Climate diverse; in higher parts, extremely cold; in valleys, heat is oppressive. Deficiency of water throughout the whole country. Surface rugged and barren.

The soil is unproductive, but has been cultivated until it supplies the natives with necessaries. Fruits and vegetables flourish near the towns.

The only exports are horses, grain and dates. Imports: Indian silk, cotton goods, rice, sugar, spices, and dye stuffs in small quantities.

The government is a despotism. Khan has unlimited power over life, person and property; resides at Kelat, the capital, a city with a population of 10,000. Inhabitants divided into many tribes, ruled by chiefs.

AFRICA.

A large insular continent lying south of Europe, from which it is separated by the Mediterranean. Area, 11,512,480 square miles; extreme length, 4,330 miles; extreme breadth, 4,000 miles; coast line, only about 16,000 miles, there being few indentations, and a lack of good harbors.

PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES.

LENGTHS OF RIVERS.

LATEST REPORTED EXPORTS.