Alden's Handy Atlas of the World

Table of Contents

BRILLIANT BOOKS.

The following are A FEW TITLES and prices from my catalogue of standard books:

Alden's Cyclopedia of Universal Literature, publishing in 15 volumes, of about 500 pages each; per volume, paper, 30c.; cloth, 50c.; half Morocco, 60c.

American Patriotism: Famous Orations and Patriotic Papers; cloth 50c., half Morocco 70c.

Ancient Classics for English Readers; 27 volumes; each, paper, 10c.; cloth, 20c. Also bound in 9 vols., half Russia, each 50c.

Argyll's Reign of Law, cloth, 60c.; Unity of Nature, 60c.; Primeval Man, 35c.; the three in one volume, cloth, $1.00.

Bacon's Essays, complete; paper 12c., cloth 25c.

Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress; paper 8c., cloth 20c. and 30c.

Chambers's Cyclopedia of English Literature; 8 volumes in cloth, $2.00.

Chinese Classics: The Works of Confucius and Mencius, translated; cloth 75c.

Classic Comedies, by Goldsmith, Sheridan, and Jonson; cloth 40c., half Morocco 60c.

Classic Prose Wonder-Book; 900 large octavo pages, richly bound. $1.50.

Confessions of St. Augustine; translated, cloth, 50c.

Creasy's Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World; cloth, 40c.

De Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium Eater; cloth, 20c.

Doré's Bible Gallery of Illustrations and Stories; reduced from $5.00 to $1.25.

Doré's Milton's Paradise Lost; text complete, with 52 cartoons, $1.25.

Durfee's Poetical Concordance to the principal Poets of the World; cloth, gilt edges, $1.00.

Emerson's Essays, 2 volumes; each, cl., 40c.; half Morocco, 60c.

Emerson's Nature, Etc.; cloth 35c., half Morocco 50c.

Famous Warriors: Lives of Hannibal, Cæsar, and Cromwell, by famous authors; each, paper, 8c.; all in one vol., cloth, 40c.

Farrar's Seekers after God; cloth, 35c.

—— Lectures, Addresses and Essays; cloth 35c., half Morocco 50c.

Geikie's Hours with the Bible; 6 vols., illustrated; reduced in price from $1.50 per vol. to 45c. in cl., or 60c. in half Morocco.

—— Life and Words of Christ; reduced in price from $8.00 to 45c. for cloth, or 60c. for half Morocco.

John B. Alden, Publisher, 393 Pearl St., New York.

INDEX

TO

Maps and Descriptive Matter.

INDEX

TO

Diagrams and Tables.

EUROPE.

Northwestern portion of Old World and smallest of its grand divisions. Extreme length northeast and southwest, 3500 miles extreme breadth, over 2,400 miles; coast line not less than 20,000 miles.

LENGTHS OF RIVERS.

AREAS SEAS AND LAKES.

PRODUCTION OF RAW SILK.

LINEN.

LACE.

ANNUAL MINERAL PRODUCTIONS.

GREAT BRITAIN.

The largest island of Europe, and forming, with Ireland and the adjacent islands, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The union of England and Ireland was effected January 1, 1800.

Area of the kingdom, 120,832 square miles. Pop., 35,241,482. The divisions are: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Capital, London; pop., 4,766,661. Thirty-five cities have over 75,000 population. Climate is variable but healthful. Average temperature, 50°. Rainfall, London, 25 inches; Glasgow, 21; and Dublin, 29.

Middle-class education is entirely unorganized; no complete, trustworthy statistics are to be had. There were, in 1884, 69 universities and colleges, with 23,823 students. In 1881, there were 1,855 schools of science, with 66,000 students. Number of public libraries, 202. The library of the British Museum has 32 miles of shelves, filled with books. Number of daily papers, 169.

Productive area in England is 80 per cent.; in Ireland, 74 per cent.; Scotland, 28.8 per cent.; Wales, 60 per cent. Leading crops in Great Britain, wheat, barley and oats. Acreage, 1884: wheat, 2,676,477; barley, 2,159,485; oats, 2,892,576. In Ireland, oats and potatoes are most important; acreage of former, 1,347,395; of latter, 798,942. Number of acres of flax, 89,197. Orchards of Great Britain cover 180,000 acres, and produce 85,000 tons of apples.

The most important minerals are coal and iron. In 1883, coal product was 163,737,327 tons; value, $230,270,715. Iron ore, 17,383,046 tons; value, $25,611,905. In 1883, 1,724,251 tons of pig iron were used in the manufacture of Bessemer steel, 1,097,174 tons of it being made into steel rails. Over 800 tons of steel are annually consumed in the manufacture of pens, Birmingham alone using 500 tons; the average yearly production is 800,000,000.

The annual value of the fisheries is $50,000,000. Herring fishery alone $10,000,000; salmon, $4,000,000; oysters and shell-fish, $10,000,000. Value of the Scotch fisheries alone in 1884 was $16,431,210, the herring fishery alone being $10,267,755. Total value of imports, 1884, $1,948,872,745; exports of home produce, $1,164,537,875; foreign and colonial produce, $312,218,575. Value of corn and flour imported 1882, $338,111,835. Value of cotton manufactures exported was $382,228,785.

There are 2,674 cotton factories, employing 482,903 persons. Total number of all factories, 7,105; number of persons employed, 975,546, of whom 110,585 are children under 13 years of age. Men employed, 38 per cent.; women, 62 per cent. Amount of cotton imported, 1883, 1,734,333,552 lbs.; wool, 495,946,779 lbs.

Standing army in time of peace unlawful without the consent of Parliament; annual appropriation of Commons for support of troops, based on "estimates" made by the Cabinet. For 1884 and 1885, home and colonial effectives and reserves, 644,753.

Previous to 1815 there was but little emigration from the United Kingdom; in that year the number was 2,081; in 1830-34, 381,956; 1875, 173,809; 1882, 413,288; and in 1884, 304,074, of whom 203,539 came to the United States.

First railway opened in 1825. In 1883, there were 18,681 miles of railway; 13,215 belonging to England and Wales, 2,964 to Scotland, and 2,502 to Ireland. Number of postoffices, 1884, 15,951; and, in addition, 15,749 road and pillar boxes. There are 27,604 miles of telegraph lines, and 140,498 miles of wire.

The colonies and dependencies of Great Britain have an estimated area of 8,000,000 square miles. Of this vast extent of territory, over 3,500,000 square miles are in America, over 250,000 in Africa, over 1,000,000 in Asia, and 3,000,000 in Australasia.

BELGIUM.Bel´je-ŭm.

A kingdom of West Central Europe. Formerly united with Holland to form the Netherlands. Independence achieved in 1830. Executive power is vested in a King; legislative, in King, Senate and House of Representatives.

The most densely populated of the European countries, Belgium ranks eighteenth in area, but ninth in population. Area, 11,373 square miles. One-sixtieth of the territory artificially gained by means of dykes. Length of canal and river system, 995 miles. Capital, Brussels. Population, 389,782.

Agriculture chief industry. Only about one-eighth of territory uncultivated. In 1882, population, 5,655,197; average density, 497 per square mile; 1,160,149 freeholders held 88 per cent. of land.

This country is very rich in minerals. Over 17,500,000 tons of coal are produced annually. Belgium is noted for its flax. The chief products are wheat, rye, oats, barley, flax, hemp, tobacco. In 1880 there were 46,210 horses, 411,551 oxen, and 90,100 sheep.

Imports, 1882, $570,320,000; exports, $512,780,000. Manufactures are important. About 190,000 persons employed in flax, hemp, woolen and cotton manufactories. The lace of Brussels and the fire-arms of Liege are among the finest in the world. The value of pig and wrought iron alone, in 1882, was $34,473,260. Product of iron foundries about $3,000,000 per annum; of quarries, $8,459,400.

Roman Catholicism professed by nearly the entire population. Education is zealously promoted by the government; total sum spent, 1881, $6,503,670. Four universities in the kingdom.

Total peace strength of the army, 1885, 47,872 men, with 9,000 horses and 204 guns; war footing, 227,900 men, 13,800 horses, and 240 guns.

Of the 2,682 miles of railroad operated in 1883, 1,902 miles were owned and managed by the government. Number miles telegraph in 1884, 3,713; postoffices, 869.

NETHERLANDS (HOLLAND).

A kingdom of Europe, established by Congress of Vienna, in 1815. Area, 12,648 square miles. Population, 4,225,065. Country protected by dykes from the overflow of rivers and the inundations of the sea.

Constitution dated 1848. Law-making power resides in the States-General, a parliament of two houses. Commercial centre, Amsterdam; pop., 350,201. Capital, The Hague; pop., 127,931.

The soil is highly productive; fruit is grown extensively. In 1882 there were 5,046,210 acres of cultivated garden and pasture land. Number of acres in cereals, 1,267,399; yield of grain, 130,470,000 bu. Horses, 270,900; cattle, 1,427,000; and sheep, 745,100.

Total exports, 1882, $313,330,000; imports, $414,330,000. Value of butter exported to Great Britain alone, was $21,020,605. Holland's merchant marine, 1884, consisted of 701 sailing vessels, of 251,500 tons, and 96 steamers, of 123,400 tons.

In 1884, miles of railway, 1,320. Miles of state telegraph, 2,660; miles of wire, 9,760. Number of postoffices, 1,281.

In 1884, regular army stationed in Holland numbered 65,007 officers and men; navy composed of 157 vessels, with 9,462 officers and men.

Constitution secures religious freedom. Number of Protestants, 2,469,814; Roman Catholics, 1,439,137; Jews, 81,693.

Returns for 1882 gave 2,822 elementary public schools; 11,250 teachers; 1,143 private schools; total number of pupils, 557,932. There are 4 universities, 1 polytechnic school, 5 Roman Catholic, and 3 Protestant seminaries. Total expense of schools, $5,921,515.

GERMANY.

The third country in size in Europe. A confederate empire, composed of 25 States, and the Reichsland of Alsace-Lorraine. Capital, Berlin.

Climate uniform. Mean temperature of whole country, 48°; of the valley of the Rhine, 52°. Rainfall at Berlin, 24 inches.

About 63 per cent. of population is Protestant, and 36 per cent. Roman Catholic. Number of churches, 37,720. Education is general and compulsory. Number of elementary schools, 57,000; normal, 332; high, 1,100; technical high schools, 9; industrial and trade, 994. Universities, 21, with 25,964 students, of whom 89 per cent. are German, and 1 per cent. American. Number of public libraries, 594; number of daily papers, 560. The book fair at Leipzig annually disposes of 8,000 tons of books, valued at $8,000,000.

Every German is liable to service in the army, and no substitution is allowed. All Germans capable of bearing arms have to be in the standing army seven years,—three years in active service, and four in army of reserve; after which they form part of the Landwehr another five years. Army on peace footing numbers 427,274 soldiers, and 18,118 officers. Total war strength of trained soldiers would be 2,650,000; available force of all classes, 5,670,000.

Of the area, 94 per cent. is classed as productive. Leading products, 1882: corn, 16,435,620 tons; potatoes, 17,769,300 tons; beets, 874,654 tons; hay, 17,486,000 tons; 11,500 tons of hops, and over 35,000,000 gallons of wine. Value of farm animals, $1,486,000,000. The mineral products of 1883 were valued at over $116,000,000. Value of imports, 1883, $822,724,000; exports, $833,750. There are 23,940 breweries, producing annually 880,000,000 gallons of beer. The annual butter product is 160,000 tons.

Number of miles of railway, 1884, 22,617, of which 19,230 miles belong to the government. Length of telegraph lines, 47,637 miles; wires, 170,960 miles. Number of telegraph stations, 11,216. Number of postoffices, 13,637.

STATES.	Area, Sq. Ml.	Pop.	Capitals.	Pop.
Prussia	137,066	27,279,111	Berlin	1,122,360
Bavaria	29,292	5,284,778	Munich	230,023
Wurtemberg	7,675	1,971,118	Stuttgart	117,303
Saxony	6,777	2,972,805	Dresden	808,512
Baden	5,851	1,570,254	Carlsruhe	49,998
Mecklenburg-Schwerin	4,834	577,055	Schwerin	30,146
Hesse	2,866	936,340	Darmstadt	48,153
Oldenburg	2,417	337,478	Oldenburg	20,575
Brunswick	1,526	349,367	Brunswick	75,038
Saxe-Weimar	1,421	309,577	Weimar	19,994
Mecklenburg-Strelitz	997	100,269	New Strelitz	9,407
Saxe-Meiningen	933	207,075	Meiningen	11,227
Anhalt	869	232,592	Dessau	23,266
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha	816	194,716	Coburg Gotha	15,791 26,525
Saxe-Altenburg	509	155,036	Altenburg	26,241
Waldeck	466	56,522	Arolsen	2,477
Lippe	445	120,246	Detmold	8,053
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt	340	80,296	Rudolstadt	8,747
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen	318	71,107	Sondershansen	6,110
Reuss-Schleiz	297	101,330	Gera	27,118
Schaumburg-Lippe	212	35,374	Buckeburg	5,088
Reuss-Greiz	148	50,782	Greiz	15,061
Alsace-Lorraine	5,580	1,566,670	Strasburg	104,471

SPAIN.

A kingdom of Southwestern Europe, forming, with Portugal, the Iberian peninsula. Capital, Madrid; pop., 397,816. Thirty-one towns have over 50,000 pop.

Continental Spain has an area of 191,100 square miles. Population, 16,061,859. Number of Provinces, 49. Length of coast line, 1,370 miles. Object of greatest interest, ruins of the Alhambra, at Granada. This is the only state in Europe permitting slavery in its colonies.

Climate varies greatly. Average temperature at Madrid, 58°. Rainfall in the Sierras averages from 25 to 35 inches; on the table lands of Castile, 10 inches.

About 80 per cent. of the soil is classed as productive, though only 34 per cent. is under cultivation. The vine is the most important culture, and large quantities of oranges, raisins, nuts and olives, are grown and exported. Leading cereals: wheat, rye, barley and corn. The wine product averages yearly 320,000,000 gallons; value, $95,000,000. Average number of oranges exported, 960,000,000.

The mineral productions are of vast importance. The Cordova lead mines are the richest in the world, and the mercury mines of Almaden are second only to those of California. Average yearly lead product, 92,300 tons; value, $8,000,000. Mercury, 1,090 tons; value, $1,199,000. Copper, 21,300 tons. Tin, iron and salt are abundant.

The national religion is the Roman Catholic. The school system is inefficient, though measures tending toward improvement are being introduced. At the last census (1877) 60 per cent. of the adult population could not read. Number public schools, 1880, 29,828; number of pupils, 1,769,456. Number of universities, 10; students, 15,732.

Number miles railway, 1884, 5,157, with 1,747 miles under construction. Length of telegraph lines, 10,733 miles; number miles of wire, 26,160. Number of postoffices, 2,699.

The colonial possessions of Spain have an area of 163,876 square miles, and a population of 7,991,894. The most important are Cuba and the Philippine Islands. Area of Cuba, 43,220 square miles; pop., 1,521,684. Capital, Havana; pop., 25,000. Sugar, tobacco and cigars are principal products; average yearly sugar production, 520,000 tons.

Available home and colonial troops, 400,000.

PORTUGAL.

Name derived from Portus Cale, the ancient name of Oporto. A kingdom of Europe, occupying the western part of the Iberian peninsula.

Area, 36,510 square miles. Population, 4,306,554. Number of Provinces, 6. Length of coast line, 500 miles. Capital, Lisbon; pop., 246,343. Oporto, centre of port wine trade; pop., 105,838.

Climate healthful. Mean temperature at Lisbon, 61°. Rainfall averages 27 inches at Lisbon, and 118 at Coimbra.

About 51 per cent. of soil is productive, and less than 23 per cent. under tillage. Not sufficient grain raised for home consumption. Wine product for 1882, 125,000,000 gallons; value, $28,500,000.

State religion, Roman Catholic. The average amount spent on public education from 1875 to 1879 was $10,000; in 1884 the amount had risen to $966,000. There is one university, established at Coimbra in 1290.

Number of miles of railway, 1884, 950; with 300 miles under construction. Number of miles of telegraph lines, 2,920; number of miles of wire, 7,084; number of telegraph offices, 226. Number of postoffices, 931.

FRANCE.

A country of Europe, the fourth in size. Named from a Germanic tribe, the Franks, which invaded Gaul, A.D. 486. Area, including Corsica and adjacent islands, 204,177 square miles. Climate one of the finest in Europe. Average temperature ranges from 50° at Dunkirk to 62° at Toulon: that of Paris is 51°. Rainfall: at Paris, 22 inches; at Bordeaux, 30 inches.

France has a coast line of 320 miles; the continental boundary line is 962 miles. Largest river, the Loire. The Alps on the east, and the Pyrenees on the south, connect France with the most magnificent mountain systems of Europe. The French portion of the Alps has a length of 280 miles.

The republic is divided into 87 Departments, Salary of President, $120,000; length of term, 7 years. Paris, the capital and second city in Europe; pop., 2,239,928. Lyons, the second city in size, and centre of silk industry; pop., 376,613. Twenty-nine towns have a population of over 50,000; and 91, over 20,000.

Agricultural pop., census 1881, 18,249,209. Number of acres cultivated, 67,000,000. In 1883, 37,039,040 acres were in cereals, of which five-sevenths were wheat and oats; total production, 742,176,807 bu. Number of acres in orchards, 560,000; yearly production of cider, 220,000,000 gallons. Vineyards, 5,240,340 acres; annual average of wine product, 720,000,000 gals.; value, $225,000,000. Champagne vintage averages 20,000,000 bottles, 17,000,000 of which are exported; 1,204,145 acres under beet-root cultivation in 1883, yielding 32,230,312,000 lbs. of sugar.

Commercially the country ranks with Great Britain. Entrances to and clearances from her ports include annually over 60,000 vessels; total capacity, 12,000,000 tons. Value of yearly imports, exclusive of coin and bullion, $870,000,000; exports, $960,000,000; food imported, $308,000,000 annually. Value of exports, 1883, $912,340,000; imports, $1,277,340,000. Value of silk exports was $93,402,000. There were 151,404 persons engaged in silk culture. Number of pounds of raw silk produced, 19,149,587. France makes yearly 26,000,000 pairs of gloves, of which 18,000,000 are exported. There are 890 umbrella makers, who annually produce $5,900,000 worth. Value of fishery products, $21,445,450. Average production of sardines, 980,000,000; oysters, 380,000,000. There are 83,572 men engaged in the fisheries, with 22,345 vessels; total tonnage, 155,670.

About 79 per cent. of population Roman Catholic; less than 2 per cent. Protestant. Number of elementary schools, 1884, 85,388; pupils, 6,111,236. Number of normal schools, 163. Public libraries, 505. The Imperial Library at Paris has 18 miles of shelving filled with books. Daily papers published, 128.

The reorganization of the French army has been going on since 1872, and is nearly completed. Every Frenchman not declared unfit for military service may be called upon from the age of twenty to that of forty years to enter the active army or the reserves. Substitution or enlistment for money prohibited. In 1884 the army consisted of 524,797 officers and men, and 130,771 horses.

Railway system dates from 1840; number of miles, 1884, 17,000. Number of miles telegraph lines, 46,932; offices, 7,523. Number of postoffices, 1884, 6,486.

The colonial possessions of France cover an area of 429,260 square miles, with a total population of 9,300,000. Of the colonies, Algeria is the largest and most important, having an area of 161,476 square miles, and a population of 3,310,412. Algiers is the capital; population, 70,747. The colonies next in importance commercially are Tunis and Cochin China.

SWITZERLAND.

The most mountainous country of Europe. Formerly a league of semi-independent States, but since 1848 a federal republic. Number of Cantons, 22. President elected for a term of 1 year, and not eligible for two consecutive terms; salary, $3,000.

Area, 15,992 square miles. Pop., 2,846,102. The Alps extend nearly through the length of the country; from many peaks 300 snow-capped summits are visible. Rigi presents the finest view; Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn (steepest in the world), Finsteraarhorn and Jungfrau range from 13,700 to 15,200 ft. high. The Mer de Glace is the largest glacier in the world.

The general climate is milder than that of other mountain countries in the same latitude. Average temperature at Geneva, 52°. Average rainfall at Geneva, 32 inches; at Zurich, 34 inches.

Bern is the capital; pop., 44,087. Geneva, seat of watch and jewelry industry; pop., 68,320. Basel, centre of silk industry; pop., 61,399.