GEOGRAPHY, TRAVEL, ARCHITECTURE 



539 



Japan, an ancient empire of Eastern A-ia. 

 to the northeast of the Chinese Empire, consists 

 of four principal islands, and of a large number 

 of smaller ones; the four principal islands being 

 Niphon, or Nipon (the country of the ri-iiii: 

 sun . which is the name given by the Japanese 

 to the whole empire; Kiushiu (the nine prov- 

 inces); Shikoku (the four provinces); and Yezo. 



rgest island, Niphon, or Hondo, is upward 

 oi TIX) miles long northeast and southwest, 

 breadth varying from fifty to 100 miles. The 



of the larger islands are extremely ir- 

 regular, being deeply indented with gulfs, bays, 

 and inlets which form magnificent harbors. 



irface also is generally uneven, and in 

 many instances rises into mountains of great 

 elevation. Volcanic vents are numerous, and 

 earthquakes, often causing great devastation. 

 are of frequent occurrence, and it is calculated 

 that every seven years a Japanese city is de- 



1 by their agency. In Yezo some dread- 

 ful eruptions have occurred. The metallic 

 wealth of the empire is known to be very great, 

 comprising gold, silver, copper, tin, lead, and 

 iron. The island of Sado is particularly rich 

 in rM. Both the tin and copper of Japan are 



red to be of very superior quality. Coal 

 is found in various parts, and the output is 

 rapidly increasing. Petroleum is becoming a 

 product of some consequence. Sulphur abounds; 

 thermal and mineral springs are of frequent 

 occurrence; and ambergris is met with on some 

 of the shores. Streams are numerous in Japan, 

 but have very short courses and are for the 



part rather torrents than rivers. The 

 climate of Japan, though extremely varied 

 being intensely cold in the north, and about as 

 warm as the South of France in the south is 

 on the whole much milder than its. latitude 

 would indicate; owing chiefly to the influence 

 of the surrounding ocean. Vegetation of the 

 Japanese Islands is exceeding varied, the prod- 



>f the tropics being intermingled with 

 those of the temperate and frigid zones. The 

 palm, banana, bamboo, bignonia, and myrtle 

 flouri-h in the south, while in the north, more 

 especially in the island of Yezo, oaks and pines 

 abound. Sweet oranges, pomegranates, pears, 



i s, peaches, and over 500 of the principal 

 ornamental and useful plants are of foreign 

 origin, having probably Deen introduced from 

 Corea and China. The camphor and varnish 

 trees are indigenous. The kadsi, or paper tree, 

 a species of mulberry, grows naturally in tin- 

 fields, and furnishes textile fibers from which 

 paper is produced; paper is also made from 

 various other plants. The chrysanthemum is a 

 common and favorite plant and has become an 

 ml ! -in of Japan. The flora as a whole re- 

 M-mMcs that of a g^reat part of North America. 

 The soil of Japan is naturally indifferent; but 

 the patient industry of the agriculturists favored 

 la the L'enial ( 11 mate has covered with vegeta- 

 tion every spot capable of bearing anything. 

 In the south the sugar cane is cultivated with 

 success; and n< \vo harvests and con- 



stitutes the chief art.de of food. Wheat and 

 I'.'.ri-'v. maize and millet are grown to an im- 

 portant extent, and buckwheat, potatoes, melons 

 pumpkins, and cucumbers in great abundance. 



Ginger, pepper, cotton, hemp, and tobacco are 

 cultivated in considerable quantities; and 

 there are extensive plantations of the tea plant 

 yielding, however, a produce inferior to that of 

 China. Silk is also a Japanese product. The 

 principal cities are Tokio, Osaka, Kioto, Yoko- 

 hama, Nagoya, Kobe, and Nagasaki. 



Jerusalem (Greek, Hierosolyma), a fa- 

 mous city of Western Asia, and anciently the 

 capital of Judea, even as it was later of Christen- 

 dom. It is situated in the modern district of 

 El Kuds, Syria, thirty-seven miles east of the 

 Mediterranean, twenty-four west of the River 

 Jordan, and 126 southeast of Damascus, and 

 Mauds at an elevation of some 2,500 feet above 

 sea level. Its most imposing modern structures 

 are the mosque of the Sultan Omar, occupying 

 the site of the Holy Temple of the Jews; and 

 the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, containing 

 the tombs of Godfrey of Bouillon, and of Bald- 

 win, King of Jerusalem. Generally speaking, 

 i the aspect of the modern city is mean, poor, 

 and dirty, and merits little notice. 



Lakes, Largest in the World 



NAME OF LAKE AREA IN ELEVATION DEPTH 



SQ. MILES IN FEET i 



Aral Sea 26,000 48 



Caspian Sea, . . . 140,000 80 3.000 



Dead Sea 320 1.381 700 



Great Salt Lake, . 2.360 4 ._'((> 60 



Lake Baikal. . . . 12,500 4 4.500 



LakeChapala, . . l,>oo 7.000 



Lake Erie 9.600 573 270 



I,ake Huron, . . . 23.800 584 1,000 



Lake Ladoga, . . . 7.000 55 730 



Lake Michigan. . . 26.000 578 1.000 



Lake Nicaragua, . 3,650 130 240 



I-ake Ontario, . . 5.400 247 735 



I^ke Superior, . . 28,600 640 1 IMIS 



I^ke Titicaca, . . 3,200 12.645 700 



Lake Victoria, . . 30.000 3,500 . . . 



La Plata, Rio de, a wide estuary of 

 South America, between Uruguay on the north 

 and the Argentine Republic on the south, 

 j through which the waters of the Parana and the 

 j Uruguay sweep down to the ocean ; K-ngt h about 

 j 200 miles, width twenty-eight miles at Buenos 

 Ayres, and 1-40 miles 'at its mouth, betv 

 ; Maldonado and Cape San Antonio. The affluent 

 i of the La Plata drain an area estimated at 1 ,600- 

 ! 000 square miles, and the outflow of the estuary 

 dculated at about 52,000,000 cubic feet per 

 minute, a volume exceeded only by that of the 

 Amazon; the yellow, muddy stream is recogniz- 

 able sixty miles out at sea. 



Lawrence, St., one of the largest rivrrs 

 jin the world, which rises under the name of the 

 St. Louis, and drains the great chain of North 

 American lakes. In different parts of its course 

 it is known by different names. From the sea 

 to Lake Ontario it is called St. Lawrence; be- 

 tween Lakes Ontario and Erie it w called 

 Niagara River; between Lakes Erie m 



between Lakes St. Clair 



and Huron, St. Clair River; between Lakes 

 Huron and Superior, St. Mary's River or the 

 Narrows, forming thus an uninterrupted water- 

 way of upwards of 2,000 miles. It receives the 

 Ottawa, its principal auxiliary, at Montreal, as 

 also the St. Manner, the Saguenay, and numer- 

 ous other lari:- rivers from the north. Th-- 

 aviiraHe fr Atlantic steamers to the 

 of Montreal, 600 miles up, and from MOD- 



