The camel is uniformly employed as the beast of burden, and that animal is peculiarly suited to the passage of the arid wastes of Western and Central Asia. The caravan traversing the Arabian or the Syrian Desert, with its attendant train of camels, is the earliest and most enduring of the pictures of Oriental life, and all its essential features are the same now as they were upwards of three thousand years ago.1 1 GOVERNMENT: The people of Arabia have been from the earliest ages divided into tribes, the government of which is patriarchal, that is, the head of each tribe-or sheikh, as he is termedoccupies, in regard to its members, the place of the father of a family. The laws, customs, and institutions of Arabia all proceed upon this assumption of patriarchal authority-the only mode of government suited to the dwellers in the wilderness. Arabia has, consequently, never been subject, as a whole, to any single power. The Emir of the Wahabees was formerly the most powerful of the native rulers; but the Wahabee sultanate of Nejd (capital, Riad) has been divided into three States, and the supreme power in Central Arabia has passed into the hands of the Emir of Jebel Shammar, who resides in the fortified town of Hail. The whole of Oman, in the south-east, is still nominally subject to the Sultan of Muscat, its chief town. The country between the south coast and the desert, known as Hadramaut, is occupied by independent Bedouin tribes, who own no sovereignty but that of their own chiefs. The region of l Hejaz is subject to the Sultan of Turkey, who, as Caliph or "Commander of the Faithful," is represented by the great Sherif of Mecca and Medina, "a far more important dignitary than the Turkish Vali, or Governor, of El Hejaz." Yemen forms one of the Turkish vilayets. El Hassa, the conquered district bordering on the Persian Gulf, is styled by the Turks, "our vilayet of Nejd," but they have no influence whatever over any of the tribes of Central Arabia, although the Emirs of Riad and Jebel Shammar pay a nominal tribute as an acknowledgment of the suzerainty of the Sultan. The Sinai region falls within the dominions of the Khedive of Egypt. Aden is a British possession, and the adjoining territory is under British protection. The independence of Koweyt is recognised by the British Government. Northern Arabia includes the Sinai mountain-region, which is politically attached to Egypt, and the great desert between the Gulf of Akaba and the head of the Persian Gulf, which is broken only by the fertile and populous oasis of El Jof. The Sinai mountain-region, situate at the head of the Red Sea, fills the small peninsula between the Gulfs of Suez and Akaba, and the high grounds which it comprises stretch thence to the southern borders of Syria. Wandering Arabs or Bedouins are almost the sole inhabitants of the entire region, which is a wilderness of rocks and mountains, alternating with arid plains and gravelly beds of torrents, destitute of running water during three-fourths of the year. This region was the scene of the forty years' wandering of the Israelites. Mount Sinai, whence the Law was delivered to the assembled tribes, is found among the central and highest cluster of mountains, in the very heart of the peninsula. 2 1. See Genesis xxxvii. 25. 2. Various peaks of the Sinai Mountains have been assigned as the one on which the remark Jile ¦ events connected with the giving of the Law by Moses to the Hebrews took place. Febel Musa , "the Mountain of Moses"), Mount Serdi?, and Ras er Sufs4fch, have each had their claims A long valley, known as the Wady el Arabah, stretches northward from the head of the Gulf of Akaba to the southern limits of the Dead Sea, in the same general direction as the depression which reaches through the whole length of Syria. The mountains which border this valley on its eastern side are the Mount Seir of the Bible, and one of them coincides with Mount Hor, the scene of Aaron's death. The ancient city of Petra-now marked by the numer ous tombs cut in the solid rock-is found within a deep recess in the heart of the mountains, near the eastern foot of Mount Hor. Western Arabia is politically divided into the two Turkish Vilayets of El Hejaz and El Yemen. The region of El Hejaz is the Holy Land of the Mohammedans. It includes the cities of MECCA (45) and Medina'—the former the birthplace, and the latter the burial-place, of Mohammed, the Arabian prophet. Mecca is the Holy City for perhaps 200 millions of people, Mohammedans of all sects and nations turning towards it at the hour of prayer. Jidda (30), on the Red Sea, is the port of Mecca; Yembo is the port of Medina, which is 130 miles inland. SANA (50), the chief city of Yemen, is in the heart of the coffee district, about 100 miles from the coast. Mocha, on the Red Sea, was formerly its chief port, but is now supplanted by Hodeida, which is further northward. The BeirutDamascus Railway is being extended to Mecca. Southern Arabia includes the vast territory of Hadramaut, and the British Colony and Protectorate of Aden. Hadramaut is occupied by independent Bedouin tribes, who may be so far regarded as within the British "sphere of influence," but not directly controlled like the people within the colony of Aden and the adjoining Protectorate. Aden, situated on the shore of the gulf of that name eastward of the Strait of Bab el Mandeb, belongs to Britain, and is a station on the line of communication between England and India by way of the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Eastern Arabia includes the so-called Turkish Vilayet of El Hassa, and the Sultanate of Oman. El Hassa includes the coast territory between the head of the Persian Gulf and the peninsula of Katar. The chief places are El Khatif, Koweit or Korein, and El Hofuf. The independence of Koweit is recognised by Great Britain. The Sultanate of OMAN includes the whole of the south-eastern extension of the peninsula. Muscat (60) or Maskat, the capital, is situated on the coast about 100 miles north of Ras el Had, the easternmost headland of the peninsula. Muscat is the largest town in Arabia, and is noted for its pearl fisheries, dates, and other products, in which a large trade is done with the surrounding countries. The Sultanate of Oman, nominally independent, is practically under British protection, and the Imam or Sultan has long enjoyed "a close alliance with England, which, while adding to his prestige among his own people, guarantees him from any overt acts on the part of Turkey and Persia." Central Arabia includes the whole of the interior plateau from Hadramaut on the south to the Syrian Desert on the north. Central Arabia is, and has always been, in the undisputed possession of the native Arab tribes, some of whom are nomads, living in tents, and moving with their horses and camels, sheep and goats, from one pasturage to another. 1. Medina. Arabic medinat, the city. 2. A railway is being constructed between Damascus and Mecca, to convey a part of the vast number of pilgrims who annually visit the latter town. There are, however, two permanent political organizations -the Wahabee State of Nejd (capital Riad), and the Sultanate of Jebel Shammar, whose capital, Haïl, is a walled town with 20,000 inhabitants, and an important station on the Persian pilgrim-route from Bagdad to Mecca. ADEN. ADEN is a British Dependency, on the south-western coast of Arabia, about 120 miles from the entrance to the Red Sea. The colony includes a small peninsula, on which the strongly-fortified town of Aden stands, and another smaller peninsula to the west with a narrow strip of the adjacent mainland. The total area of the colony is about 75 square miles, and the population, including that of the new town of Shaikh Othman, on the mainland about five miles from Aden itself, with the troops and followers, numbers over 40,000. The coast tribes outside the limits of the colony, from Perim to Ras Sair, are under British protection. Aden is an important military position, a great centre of trade with the surrounding countries, and a much frequented coalingstation on the Route to India via the Suez Canal. Aden itself stands in a deep hollow, the crater of an extinct volcano, and surrounded by high bare rocks. The colony is, in fact, absolutely non-productive, and nothing is manufactured in Aden except salt and water. The imports of coal, cotton and silk goods, &c., and the exports of coffee, feathers, gums, hides and skins, &c., are mainly in transit from or to the neighbouring countries. The annual trade amounts to £5,300,000. The extensive and valuable trade with India, China, and Egypt, which Aden had during the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries, was ruined by the discovery of the route to the East by the Cape of Good Hope. The main peninsula was taken in 1839, and the town then had 6,000 inhabitants-now it has seven times the number. The ancient water-tanks above the town can hold 30 million gallons, but the rainfall is so scanty that the water supply is mainly derived from condensers and partly from the mainland. The climate, though intensely hot, is healthy. Aden is governed by a Political Resident, who is also Commander of the troops, and is subject to the Government of Bombay. Also attached to the Aden Residency are Perim, a small island at the entrance to the Red Sea; Socotra, a large island in the Indian Ocean, 150 miles east of Cape Guardafui, the extreme eastern point of Africa; the Kuria Muria Islands, off the southeastern coast of the peninsula; and the Arabian Coast Protectorate from Perim to Ras Sair. In Apr 1, 1905, an agreement between the British and Ottoman governments was signed settling the boundary of the Aden Hinterland from Sheikh Murad, on the Red Sea, to the Bana River. The Bahrein Islands, in the Persian Gulf, and the adjoining coast of Katar, are under British protection. The largest island is Bahrein, and the chief industry is pearl-fishing. Manameh (25) is the commercial capital, and Moharek (22) the seat of government. The annual imports and exports are each valued at about £500,coo, the foreign trade being principally with India. ... Kamaran Island, in the Red Sea off the west coast of Arabia, is also British. It is 15 miles long and 5 miles broad, and affords good anchorage. AFRICA. AFRICA' is the south-western portion of the Old World, and is the only one of its three continents that stretches to the southward of the Equator. By much the larger portion of its surface, however, falls within the Northern Hemisphere. Regarding it as a whole, this continent forms a vast peninsula, connected with the Asiatic continent by the Isthmus of Suez. BOUNDARIES: Africa is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean Sea; on the west, by the Atlantic Ocean; on the east, by the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean; and on the south, by the Southern Ocean, a name which is given to the southwardly belt of water in which the Atlantic and Indian Oceans mingle. EXTENT: In point of size, Africa is more than three times larger than Europe, but nearly one-third smaller than the Asiatic continent. The area of Africa is rather more than 11,500,000 square miles, or nearly one-fourth of the total land surface of the globe. From Cape Bon, in Tunis, from which Sicily is visible in clear weather, or from Cape Blanco, whence Sardinia can be seen, to the Cape of Good Hope, or to Cape Agulhas, in the Cape Colony, the continent of Africa measures over 5,000 miles; and from Cape Verde, the most westerly point of the mainland, to Cape Guardafui, the most easterly, the distance is 4,850 miles. The extreme points of the continent are Cape Blanco (37° 21′ N.), on the north; Cafe Agulhas (34° 56′ S.), on the south; Cape Verde (17° 40′ W.), on the west; and Cape Guardafui (51° 10' E.), on the east. COASTS: One of the chief things to be noticed about Africa is its solid, unbroken shape, and the general regularity of its coast-line. The sea nowhere penetrates any considerable distance into the interior, and the vast bulk of the continent is quite unaffected by its influence. Africa has therefore few gulfs or inlets of any extent. The total length of the coast-line of Africa is estimated at 16,000 miles, or an average of 1 mile of coast to every 720 square miles. Contrasting this proportion with that of the other continents, we find that Europe has nearly four times; Australia, two and a hal. times; North America, twice; and Asia, one and a halt times, the extent of coast-line in proportion to area as Africa. 4 CAPES: The most important capes are Bon, Blanco, Ceuta, and Spartel, on the north; Bojador, Blanco, Verde, Palmas, Lopez, and Frio, on the west; Good Hope" and Agulhas, on the 5. Cy of Good Hope. This focus and Giscovered in 1:87 Ly Bartholomew Th 1. The nare Alora wag na by t to the Cart cristan territ ries in 1, Ta was subseq entry apple i to ta a. Bianco, white. C. Mont Pan. 3. Bojador, the "rod" e pe. 4. Verde, "ren;" so die 1 from the colour. Ef the sea between it and the islands of the s Baine. terwards Changed by John H, Kator Paras g, to Cabo de Bona Lsperanza, the Cape of Good Hope. 6. Agallias, "needles." Off thi, Cape is the vas * | Back of Agulhas. |