GREAT NATURAL DIVISIONS OF THE EARTH. 



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northern extremity of North America to Cape Horn will fall short of the former by 

 an extent of about 2000 miles. Looking at the outline of the continents, we see the 

 coast of the old world, excepting Africa, indented perpetually by considerable bays, gulfs, 

 and inland seas, while the whole western and the south-eastern sides of the new world 

 are remarkably smooth, and present no example of a great inland sea. A mutual 

 adaptation appears in the configuration of the coast lines of the continents between 

 which the Atlantic rolls ; and, if joined together, the eastern projection of South America 

 seems as though it would fit into the indentation of Central Africa, while the projection 

 of Western Africa appears adapted to fill up the indentation of Central America. The 

 impression naturally made by this peculiarity of outline is, that the two continents once 

 formed an undivided territory, which some tremendous convulsion rent in twain, and put 

 asunder. 



Besides the great continents, there are smaller portions of land surrounded by water in 

 their neighbourhood, or dispersed over the ocean. These are classed as islands, a group 

 of which is called an archipelago, a word of doubtful origin, but first applied to the 

 islands of the ^Egean Sea, and perhaps a corruption of JSgean connected with pelagus, 

 the sea. The continents are in reality vast islands, and Australia, ranked as an island, 

 is considered by some geographers, as entitled to be regarded a continent, on account of 

 its extent. The Pacific Ocean has several large families of islands, to which distinct names 

 have been given. Those nearest the Asian coast, extending to 10 south latitude and 130 

 east longitude, form one great division, styled the Indian Archipelago. Australia, New 

 Zealand, the New Hebrides and adjacent islands, form another division, under the name of 

 Australasia, or southern lands. The remaining islands east of the Philippines and New 

 Zealand are classed together, forming the Polynesia of the English, and the Oceanica of the 

 French. Those clusters of islands which are found in the vicinity of the main land have 

 frequently all the appearance of having been once connected with it, and separated by 

 some great inundation of the ocean which submerged the levels and slighter elevations. 

 A great number of islands are simple accretions of sand deposited by the ocean in the 

 course of ages. Others are coral formations, or the work of submarine volcanic action ; 

 while many are undoubtedly the summits of chains of mountains rooted in the mysterious 

 bed of the deep, often in continuity with mountain chains on shore. There are some 

 examples of small patches of rock, peeping above the surface of the ocean, at a consider 

 able distance from the coast, which are evidently the peaks of independent submarine 

 mountains. Rockall in the Atlantic is a specimen of this class, perhaps without a 

 parallel in all its circumstances. It lies 290 miles away from the mainland of Scotland, 

 260 from the north coast of Ireland, and 184 from any other land, and is nothing but a 

 block of granite, seventy feet high, and a hundred yards in circumference, apparently 

 from a distance floating on the waves. There is scarcely another instance to be found in 

 the wide realm of the ocean of an isle so small and so solitary. 



The Aloiuu ol the Bosphorus. 



