THE EXTENT OF THE OCEAN 7 



The boundary of the so-called land hémisphère is a circle 

 running through the meridian of Greenwich in 42° S., incliid- 

 ing Africa and Madagascar; then running between the 

 Nicobars and Sumatra north-easterly, crossing the isthmus of 

 Krah in 10° N. ; thence between Siam and Annam, from Hong- 

 Kong to Foochow along the Chinese coast, cutting through 

 Japan, so that Nagasaki belongs to the land hémisphère and 

 Tokio to the water hémisphère. It then cuts the meridian of 

 180° W. in 42° N., takes in the whole of North America, 

 passing Albemarle Island in the Galapagos group, and reaches 

 the South American Continent at Arica. Even so the water 

 exceeds the land in the ratio of 527 per cent, to 47*3 per cent. 



The so-called water hémisphère has 90*5 per cent, water to 

 9'5 per cent. land. 



The land surface of the globe consists really of four large 

 continental islands. There are three really great océans — the 

 Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific. The so-called Arctic Océan is 

 really a sea, and the Antarctic inséparable from the other 

 three. There is a wide connection between the southern 

 extremities of the three great océans. 



Between the Atlantic and Pacific from Cape Horn to the 

 Antarctic Continent not less than 540 miles; between the 

 Indian and the Atlantic from Cape Town to the Antarctic 

 (Enderbyland) 189 miles ; between the Indian and Pacific from 

 the south point of Tasmania to Wilkes Land 1,350 miles. 



Consequently the great océans are in direct communication 

 with one another. There are three main océans — Atlantic, 

 Pacific, and Indian. The Arctic Océan is really a sea. 



Opinions differ as to whether an Antarctic Océan should be 

 separated off from the other three. The majority of oceano- 

 graphers seem to be against it. In maps where Mercator's 

 projection is used an entirely false impression of the so-called 

 "Antarctic Océan " is oiven. 



