GEOGRAPHY-ASIA.

STANDARD VI.

1.-Extent and Boundaries.

Asia comprises more than one-half of the Old World. It is bounded on the N. by the Arctic Ocean; on the E. by the Pacific Ocean; on the S. by the Indian Ocean; and on the W. by the Red, Mediterranean, Black, and 'Caspian Seas, and the Ural River and Mountains. It is joined to Africa by the Isthmus of Suez, only 73 miles wide. The Caucausus Mountains, Ural Mountains, and the River Ural separate Europe from Asia. Area 17,500,000 sq. mls.; and Coast line 35,000 mls.

2.-Inland Seas, Gulfs, &c.

North Gulfs of Kara, Obi, and Yenesei; parts of the Arctic Ocean.

East: Sea of Kamschatka or Behring Sea, the Sea of Okotsk, Japan Sea, Yellow Sea, East Sea, China Sea, the chains of the Aleutian, Kurile, Japan and East India Archipelago Islands.

South: Bay of Bengal, Persian Gulf (area 95,000 sq. mls), and (area 180,000 sq. mls).

3.-Straits.

North Behring Straits, between the Arctic Ocean and Sea of Kamschatka.

East: Strait of Corea, between Corea and Japan; Strait of Formosa, between China and Formosa; Strait of Macassar, between Borneo and Celebes.

South: Strait of Malacca, between Malay and Sumatra; Palk's Strait, between Ceylon and India; Ormuz Strait, between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea; Strait of Babel Mandeb, between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

4.-Capes.

North Cape Taimur, North Cape, and Cape Shelatskoi.

D

Fast: C. Lopatka, C. Cambodia, and C. Romania. South C. Negrais, Dundra Hd, Ras-al Had. 5.-Peninsulas.

East: Kamschatka and Corea.

South Eastern and Western India, or Hindostan, and Further India, with the Bay of Bengal between; and Arabia.

6.-Table Lands.

(a) Plateau of Tibet, north of India, between 15,000 and 16,000 feet high; the loftiest in the world.

(b) Plateau of Pamer, west of Tibet, 15,000 feet high.

(c) Plateau of Mongolia, between 3,000 and 4,000 feethigh.

(d) Gobi or Shamo, in Mongolia, 2,600 to 3,000 feet high.

(e) Plateau of Afghanistan, 6,500 feet high.

(ƒ) Plateau of Iran, or Persia, from 3,000 to 4,000 feet high.

(g) Plateaus of Armenia and Asia Minor, 6,000 feet high.

(h) Plateau of Arabia, 3,000 to 4,000 feet high. (i) Plateaus of Mysore, Deccan, and Malwa, in India, from 2,000 to 3,000 feet high.

7-Plains.

(a) Plain of Siberia, from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, and from the Altai Mountains to the Arctic Ocean.

(b) Turkestan Plain.

(c) Plain of China, drained by the Yang-tze-Kiang; the most populous district on the globe.

(d) Plain of India, watered by the Ganges.

(e) Plains of Mesopotamia and Babylonia, watered by the Euphrates and Tigris.

8.- Deserts.

(a) Gobi or Shamo, Chinese Tartary, covered with thin grass, the water of the rivers and lakes of which is very salt.

(b) Great Indian Desert, area 150,000 sq. mls., from the River Indus to the Aravulli Mountains; consisting of sand.

(c) Great Salt Desert of Persia.

(d) Desert of Mesopotamia, or Al-jezirah, covered with rank grass, shrubs, &c.

(e) Syrian Desert, dry and gravelly.

9.-Mountains.

In Siberia Altai Mountains, Yabloni Mountains, and Stanovoi Mountains; running from west to east. Thian-Shan, Kuen-lun, from 15,000 to 20,000 feet high; connected with the great central table land.

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In India Himalayas, highest in the world, 1,500 miles long, and from 200 to 250 miles broad; forming the southern fringe to the central table land.

Mount Everest, 29,000 feet.

Kunchin-Jinga, nearly 29,000 feet high.

Dhawalagira,

The Eastern and Western Ghauts, on the east and west coasts of India, 8,000 feet high. Aravulli, Vindhya, and Sautpoora Mountains, from 2,500 to 3,000 feet high.

In Turkestan: Bolur-tagh, 18,000 to 20,000 feet high.

In Afghanistan: Hindoo-Kosh, 20,000 feet high. Soliman Mountains, 15,000 feet high.

Turkey in Asia: Armenian Mountains, highest Ararat, 17,260 feet. Mountains of Lebanon. Mount Hermon, 10,000 feet.

10.-Rivers.

Arctic Ocean Drainage: Obi, 2,600 miles; Yenesei, 2,900 miles; Lena, 2,500 miles; these are frozen over nearly all the year.

Pacific Ocean Drainage: Amour, 2,300 miles; Hoang-Ho, 2,600 miles; Yang-tse-Kiang, 3,200 Canton River, 1,100 miles; Meinam, 900 miles.

Indian Ocean Drainage: Irawaddy, 1,200 miles; Brahmapootra; Ganges, 1,500 miles; Mahanuddy,

Godavery; the Krishna and Cauvery empty themselves into the Bay of Bengal. Tapty; Nerbudda; Indus, 1,700 miles. Euphrates and Tigris; these empty

themselves into the Arabian Sea.

Inland Drainage: Amoo, 1,500 miles; Sir, 1,150 miles, Helmund, 600 miles; and Jordan.

11.-Lakes.

Sea of Aral, area 26,000 sq. mls.
Lake Baikal, area 15,000 sq. mls.
Lake of Tiberias, Palestine.
Dead Sea,

12.-Islands.

In the Mediterranean Sea: Cyprus, 3,000 sq. mls.; Grecian Archipelago, near Asia Minor.

In the Arctic Ocean: New Siberia and Archipelago (remains of fossil ivory).

In the Pacific Ocean: Aleutian Islands; Kurile Islands; Japan Islands, the largest Niphon (area 90,000 sq. mls.); Formosa, off China; Hainan; Sea of China.

East Indian Archipelago: Chief of which are the Philippines, Sumatra, Borneo, Celebes, Java, and Molucca Islands.

In the Indian Ocean: Andaman Islands; Nicobar Islands; Ceylon, 24,500 sq. mls.; Laccadives and Maldives.

13.-Climate.

Every range of climate from the north to the south. Coldest, Siberia; Hottest, Arabia, India, East Indian Archipelago.

14. Minerals.

MINERAL.

Gold:

Diamonds and

Precious Stones

WHERE FOUND.

Ural Mountains, Altai Mountains, India, East Indies, Japan, China, and Cochin China.

India, S.E. of Asia, East Indies.

15.-Vegetation.

Altai Mountains, Southern Siberia,

China.

China, Japan.

South China, Celebes.

In Western Asia.

India, China, Syria, East Indies.
Eastern Arabia, India, and Caspian

Sea.

India.

Dead Sea.

Caspian Sea and Burmah.

In the North: Lichens and mosses, as in Europe. In the Middle: Rank grass abounds.

In the South: Vegetables abound in the richest profusion. Forest: Oak, birci, chestnut, cypress, ebony, teak, iron-wood, ornamental trees, and palms. Fruit Trees: Banyan (Indian fig-tree), orange, bread, fruit, apricot, plum, pear, pomegranate, tamarind, and walnut. Also cotton-plant; coffee-tree, tea-plant, sugar-cane, and vine.

Objects of Culture: Rice, spices, vine, cocoa-nut, sugar-cane, coffee-plant, &c.

16.-Animals.

Domestic: Ox, horse, camel, goat, ass, reindeer, buffalo, and antelope.

Wild: Elephant, lion, tiger, leopard, ounce, panther, wolf, hyena, jackal, fur animals in Siberia, monkeys, ourang-outang.

Birds: Turkey, guinea-fowl, eagle, vulture, owl, hawk, bird of paradise, peacock, and golden pheasant. Reptiles Sea and fresh-water snakes, python, and cobra.

17.-Inhabitants.

Supposed to have between 700,000,000 and 800,000,000 people.