Slavish Countries. 321 



devastation in all this section of the world than the 

 pasturing of the woods, especially with sheep and 

 goats. 



While Italy is now a united country, and only two 

 peoples, Spain and Portugal, occupy the Iberian 

 peninsula, the Balkan peninsula is occupied by eight 

 separate peoples, if we include all the country south 

 of the Danube River and East of the Carpathian 

 Mountains. 



TURKISH AND SLAVISH TERRITORIES. 



The Turks for centuries warred with, had under 

 vassalage or otherwise controlled, and misruled all 

 the Slavish States, as well as Macedonia and Greece 

 a territory of around 170,000 square miles and 

 16,000,000 people until, by the Congress of Berlin 

 (1878), ending the Russo-Turkish war, these States 

 were recognized as independent kingdoms, namely 

 Bulgaria, Servia, Montenegro, Roumelia, and Rou- 

 mania, while Bosnia-Hercegovina was placed under 

 Austrian administration (see page 155 and 166). 



With the exception of Roumania, these people are 

 still in the lower stages of civilization, the countries 

 undeveloped, the forest still serves largely for the 

 mast and pasturage, probably less than 24 per cent, 

 of the country being forest covered, mostly with 

 deciduous trees, oak, beech and walnut, etc. 



Roumania alone has systematically taken advan- 

 tage of her freedom from Turkish rule in developing 

 a modern civilization, and can also boast the beginning 

 of a forestry system. 



