22 



ASIA 



It is hardly surprising, therefore, that civilizations of 

 a high order have advanced, in the past, in the inhabit- 

 able parts of the country — Cambodia, Siam, and Burma. 

 The paddy-lands of the deltas, despite their insalubrity, 

 are scarcely less densely peopled than the rich lands of 

 central and northern China. In the highlands, except 

 for the limited agriculture practised at the bottom of the 



Fig. 9. A Chinese Kice-field. 



valleys, the hunter is still master of the slopes and of 

 their forests. 



Japan. The southern portion of Japan belongs to 

 the same region as central China, whilst the northern 

 part, or Nippon, belongs to the region of eastern Korea, 

 and Hokkaido shares in a large measure the characteristics 

 of Amuria. 



On the whole, the main island consists of a core of 



