flows W. by N. over a course of 1000 m. and falls into the S. Atlantic. Its chief tributaries are the Hartebeest from the S. and the Great Fish River from the N. Obs. 7. The Limpopo or Crocodile River rises in the district between Witte Water Band, and Yats Band, towards the S. of the Transvaal Republic. Its general course is N.E., E., and S. E., and it reaches the Ocean at a point some few miles N. of Delagoa Bay. Its chief tributary, the Olifant, is also a river of this Republic. Obs. S. The Zambesi, the largest river of the E. coast, and the fourth in point of size of the African rivers, is formed by the union of the Liba, and Chobe; and has its remotest sources among the Mossamba Mts. After its full formation, the Zambesi flows E. in two large curves and falls into the Mozambique Channel by many mouths, having drained an area of 600,000 sq. m. Its chief tributaries are the Guay, on the right bank, and the Loangwa, and Shire, on the left bank. A few miles E. of the confluence of the Chobe lie the Victoria Falls, where the river, nearly a mile broad, descends into a rift 350 ft. deep and 80 ft. wide, forming a larger cataract than that of Niagara. The Zambesi is navigable from the sandbanks which bar the mouths to the town of Teté, 320 m. Obs. 9. The Rovuma, the next largest tributary of the Indian Ocean, appears to rise in the highland region N. of lake Nyassa, and flowing E. falls into the sea by Cape Delgado. Dr. Livingstone navigated it for 150 m. above the coast. 2. Lakes which form a very prominent feature in the African drainage system, and which, though distributed over all the great basins, occur chiefly in those of the S. and E. regions. They may be classified according to their character as Oceanic, and Continental, lakes. Of the a. Oceanic, the chief are those belonging to the basin of (a.) The Nile, viz., Victoria Nyanza, Albert Nyanza, Baringo, and Dembea. b. Continental, viz., Chad, and Ngami. Obs. 1. Lake Tanganyika lies in a deep longitudinal valley 540 m. from the E. coast on the 30th meridian E. long. It is 10,000 sq. m. in extent, and its waters are brackish. It is drained by the Lukuga, which flows W. Obs. 2. The Victoria Nyanza1 lies on and S. of the equator and between the meridians 32° and 34° E. long. Its length is about 250 m., breadth, 85 m. Elevation, above the level of the sea, 3808 ft., and area, about 30,000 sq. m. It is drained into the Albert Nyanza by the Nile. Its waters are fresh and sweet. Obs. 3. The Albert Nyanza 2 is one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the worl 1. It lies N. W. of the Victoria Nyanza and is connected with it by the Nile. It is about 140 m. long, lies at an elevation of 2720 ft. above the sea, and is upwards of 7000 m. in extent. It is one of the chief feeders of the Nile. Obs. 4. Lake Bangweolo or Bemba is the southernmost of the Congo lakes. It is 150 m. long, from E. to W., 75 m. broad, and lies at an elevation of 3688 ft. above the sea. It receives the Chambeze River on its E. shore and discharges its waters into Moero by the Webb River. Obs. 5. Lake Moero lies to the N. of Bangweolo at an elevation of 3232 ft. above the sea. It is 75 m. long, and is drained by the Lualaba which flows N. into Lake Kamolondo. Obs. 6. Lake Nyassa lies E. by S. of Bangweolo. Its area is 9000 sq. m.; and its elevation above the sea about 1500 ft. It discharges its waters into the Zambesi by the Shire River. Obs. 7. Lake Chad is the largest lake of the N. Continental drainage area. It is situated on the border of the Sahara, and near the 14th meridian E. long. It is shallow and studded with islands and varies much in size according to the season. It receives the Komadugu, and the Shari rivers. Its waters are fresh, and it lies at an elevation of about 1100 ft. CLIMATE.-Africa lies almost wholly within the tropics, and is therefore subject to an extremely high temperature. The hottest parts, however, are not about the Equator itself, but in the Sahara, near the N. tropic--where the summer temperature rises, in spots,3 1 Discovered by Captain Speke in 1858. 2 Discovered by Sir Samuel Baker in 1864. 3 being buried in the sand: at Murzuk in Fezzan, the hottest known spot upon earth, the thermo 3 In the Nubian Desert food may be cooked by meter registers 130° in the shade. to upwards of 100° Fahr. in the shade—and in the Kalahari Desert, near the S. tropic. The central parts of Africa, and especially the coasts, are very unhealthy; but Algeria in the N. and large tracts in the S. are becoming widely celebrated for the excellence of their climate. Obs. The rainfall within the tropics is periodical, and falls during certain months in great quantities over certain localities. At Sierra Leone on the W. coast as much as 313 in. have fallen during the year. The Sahara, however, and the Kalahari Desert are all but rainless regions; so that the mean rainfall for the continent is not large. Parts of the country are exposed to hot and pestilential winds, such as the Harmattan, which sweeps the Guinea Coast; the Khamsin, dreaded in Egypt, and the Samiel or Simoom, the scourge of the Sahara. The S. E. littoral is at times visited by hurricanes. PRODUCTIONS.-The characteristic productions are given in the following table :— Quadrupeds MINERAL. Grain. Wheat, barley, Precious Stones Wild. -The lion,' tiger, leopard, 4 antelope, and monkeys; buffalo, wild horse, quagga, wild ass. Domestic. The dromedary, ass, dog. Birds baobab, figs, grapes, Diamonds in S. Africa, coffee, papaw, custard Precious Metals.- palms, 12 oil palms, and Wild. The ostrich,8 secretary Palms, especially the date Grasses.- Sundries. Cotton, to- 1 The African Lion is the noblest animal of his race; in size, strength, and beauty, he surpasses all the Asiatic lions. 2 The Elephant is found in all the African forests. 3 The Hippopotamus is peculiar to Africa: the average weight of this beast varies from three to four thousand pounds. 4 Of Elands Africa embraces more species than all the rest of the world. 5 Of which family the Anthropoid monkeysthe gorilla and chimpanzee-are the most important 6 The Quagga is exclusively African. It belongs to the S. of the continent and is scarcely ever seen N. of the Orange River. 7 The Dromedary or single humped camel, is used over the whole of N. Africa. Gold, between the Limpopo and Zambesi, and in many of the river sands; silver in Abyssinia and Marocco. Useful Metals.-Iron and copper, widely diffused, lead in Algiers and Tunis. Other Minerals. Coal in small quantities, salt, and natron, from the lakes of the desert region. 8 The Ostrich is found in most parts of Africa; but the desert and the open plains furnish its favourite haunts. It has been called "the Giraffe among birds" and the "feathered camel." 9 The Guinea Hen is the only genus of African gallinaceous fowls adapted to the poultry yard: it is not found indigenous in any other part of the world. 10 The Locust from time immemorial has been proverbially the scourge of the whole continent. 11 The Tsetse or Zebub, is the plague of the low and cultivated districts. While it is fatal to cattle, it is not dangerous to men and wild animals. 12 Of the nearly 1000 different species of palms, the date palm is the most important. It supplies as it were the bread of the desert, furnishing the food of men, camels, and horses. N PEOPLE, LANGUAGES, AND RELIGIONS.-The population of Africa is estimated at 205,219,500. The bulk of the people consists of Negroes, who speak their own languages, and are idolaters. Their skin is black, their hair woolly, their lips thick, and their noses flat. Obs. Various races of Caucasian descent occupy different parts of N. Africa, as the Abyssinians, the Copts of Egypt, the Tuaricks of the N. Sahara, the Kabyles of Algeria, and the Berbers of Marocco. Their Languages are Shemitic, their Religion mostly Mohammedan, their skin is light brown, their hair long and black, and their features much like our own. Further South are the Kuffirs, who have no religion of their own, but amongst whom Christianity is being planted by missionaries. Their colour is dark brown, their hair curly and short, their lips large and thick, and their bodies well developed and muscular. The Hottentots dwell in the desert of Kalahari, and extend into the S. W. corner of Africa. They form a distinct variety in the population of Africa, and closely resemble the Asiatic Mongolians. Their colour is a yellowish brown, their hair in tufts, their noses broad and flat, their persons stunted and often deformed. THE POLITICAL DIVISIONS OF AFRICA. It is impossible to give a complete list of, or to assign definite limits to, the States and Countries of Africa, because the continent has, as yet, been but partially explored, and because political organization is in a very rudimentary condition among the native African communities. The territories of certain states, such as Marocco, Egypt, and Abyssinia, have more definite limits, and the African possessions of England and France are marked out and administered with a considerable degree of precision; but generally speaking the divisions are territorial rather than political, conventional rather than official. The most important are those of I. North Africa, viz., MAROCCO, ALGERIA, TUNIS, and TRIPOLI with BARCA and FEZZAN. II. North East Africa, viz., the EGYPTIAN TERRITORIES, and ABYSSINIA. IV. South Africa, viz., MATABEL LAND, UMZILAD LAND, THE TRANSVAAL, VI. North Western Africa. UPPER GUINEA, SENEGAMBIA, and EUROPEAN VII. North Central Africa, or SAHARAN COUNTRIES, viz., BAMBARRA, MASSINA, GANDO, SOKOTO, BORNU, BAGHERMI, and WADAI. VIII. South Central Africa, viz., UGANDA, UNYAMWESI, URUa, Ulunda, LUNDA, MARUTSE-MABUNDA, &c., &c. I. NORTH AFRICAN OR BARBARY1 STATES. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. INTRODUCTION.-The territory occupied by the Barbary States consists of a broad belt on the N. coast, stretching from the Mediterranean on the N. to the Sahara on the S., and from the borders of Egypt on the E. to the Atlantic Ocean on the W., and covering an area which is estimated at 908,000 sq. m. The States are 1. MAROCCO, which occupies an area of 259,600 sq. m. at the N.W. corner of the continent. It has the Mediterranean on the N., Algeria on the E., the Sahara on the S. and the Atlantic on the W. Its surface is mountainous, being traversed from N.E. to S.W. by the ranges and spurs of the Atlas System, which has its culminating point (Mt. Miltsin) in this state; it comprises also some broad plains and expansive valleys, among which may be mentioned the Oasis of Tuat, and the Wady Draa. The chief rivers are the Moluviah, flowing into the Mediterranean, and the Sebu, Morbeya, Tensift, and Draa which fall into the Atlantic. The climate is healthy, and the soil fertile. The productions include wheat, maize, millet, and barley; but the date palm furnishes the chief sustenance of the people; iron, copper, and antimony. The population is estimated at 6,000,000, and consists of Berbers, Moors, Arabs, and Jews. The language spoken generally is Arabic. 2. ALGERIA, (Fr. L'Algérie,), which is the largest and most important of the French colonial possessions. Its estimated area is 122,877 sq. m., its length from E. to W. is about 550 m. its breadth about 380 m. and it lies between the parallels 32° and 37° N. lat., and between the meridians 2° 10′ W. and 8° 50′ E. long., having the Mediterranean on the N., Tunis, and Tripoli on the E., the Sahara on the S., and Marocco on the W. The coast is steep and rocky, and lacks good harbours; the surface is mountainous, being traversed from E. to W. by the Great and Little Atlas ranges which send off many transverse ridges. The rivers are numerous but not large. The most important of them are the Shellif, which rises among the N. slopes of the Great Atlas, flows N. and W. and after a course of 370 m., falls into the Mediterranean; the Sahel which flows N. E. into the Gulf of Bougie; the Kebir which flows N. by Constantine. Extensive lakes are a distinguishing feature of the Algerian drainage system. The productions include maize, rice, millet; dates, figs, olives, aloe, oleander, and cork; bees' wax; iron, lead, and copper. The population in 1877 was 2,867,626 and consists of Kabyles, Arabs, Moors, Jews, Turks, and Europeans. The common language is Arabic. 3. TUNIS, which is the smallest of the Barbary States, has an area of 45,700 sq. m. It lies at the N.E. corner of the Atlas region, having the Mediterranean on the N. and E., Tripoli on the S., and Algeria on the W. Its surface forms three distinct regions known respectively as the "Tell," or fertile coast slopes, the "Steppes," which are highlands, and the low plains of Sahara, on the S. Tunis possesses no river of importance: but it has the large Lake Kairwan and the great Salt Marsh of Mellah on the border of the desert. The climate is, generally speaking, healthy. The productions are like those of Marocco and Algeria, but the best dates are more extensively grown; salt and saltpetre are among the minerals of Tunis. The population amounts to 2,100,000 and consists chiefly of Moors, Arabs, and Jews, who speak, generally, Arabic. 1 Barbary, so called from the Berbers or Kabyles, who form the basis of the population of the region. 2 Algeria was invaded and Algiers taken by the French in 1830, and has since that time been under French rule. sq. m. 4. TRIPOLI WITH BARCA AND FEZZAN; a regency of the Ottoman Empire, stretches E. along the coast from Tunis to Egypt, and S. from the sea to the Sahara. The coast is deeply penetrated by the Gulf of Sidra, and includes a few fairly good harbours. The area of the three territories is 344,400 The surface is of the most varied character, and consists of a series of belts of plain, mountain, hill, plateau, and sandy desert which extend parallel with the coast through the greater part of the country. The chief mountains are the Gharian, in the N.W., and the Black Mountains which contain the culminating point (2,800 ft.) in the centre. The plateau of Barca occupies the parts N.E. of the Gulf of Sidra, and that of Hamadah, the desert between Tripoli and Fezzan. The only rivers are but periodical torrents, and water springs are very rare. The climate is unhealthy in many parts, and generally it is characterised by extremes of heat and cold. The soil is to a large extent barren, but there are some fertile tracts along the maritime plains and in the mountainous and hilly districts. The chief productions are dates, olives, figs, and grain, especially durra; salt, and sulphur. The population is said to number about 750,000, and consists of Arabs, Negroes, Turks, Berbers, Jews, and Tibbus. The language generally spoken is Arabic. POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE BARBARY STATES. The principal States, Divisions, and chief towns of N. Africa are given in the following table :— NOTES ON THE CHIEF TOWNS OF THESE STATES-The five most populous towns are Fez (150,000), Tunis (125,000), Algiers (58,000), Marocco (50,000), and Kairwan (50,000). Obs. 1. Fez, the capital of Marocco, lies near the Sebu river. In the middle ages it was a famous seat of scientific learning; now, it is celebrated for its numerous educational establishments, for its 300 mosques which cause it to be regarded as a "holy city," and for its manufactures of silk and woollen fabrics, and marocco leather. Obs. 2. Algiers (Fr. Alger), the capital and naval port of the colony, lies on the W. shores of a bay on the N. coast, is strongly fortified, and consists of a native and a French quarter. The latter is built in European style and occupied by French people. Obs. 3. Tunis, the capital of the state, lies on the W. side of a lake which communicates with the Gulf of Tunis by the channel of Goletta, and only 13 m. N.W. of the site of ancient Carthage. It is the most important commercial city in the Barbary States. Its chief manufactures are silk and woollen fabrics, and the well-known fez caps. The chief ports are Mogador, and Tangier on the Atlantic Coast; Algiers, Philippeville, and Tripoli; on the shores of the Mediterranean. The chief industrial centres are Fez (silk and woollen fabrics, and Marocco leather); Marocco (silk stuffs, embroidery, and leather work); Tunis (silk and woollen fabrics, and Fez caps); and Mourzuk (commerce). |