THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH. 



The 'Western or lesser continent consists of North and South 

 America. 



The great or eastern continent, having heen known to the 

 ancients, is often called the Old Continent or the Old World. 



The western, having been unknown until its discovery by 

 Columbus in the fifteenth century, is often called the New 

 World. 



8. Peninsulas are tracts, nearly, but not altogether, surrounded 

 by water. The name is composed of two Latin words, pene, 

 almost, and insula, an island. 



9. Isthmuses are narrow necks, by which two comparatively 

 large tracts are connected together. Isthmus is a Greek word, 

 having the same signification. 



The most remarkable examples of an isthmus are presented by 

 the narrow tracts by which Africa is connected with Asia, and 

 South with North America. The former being called the Isthmus 

 of Suez, and the latter the Isthmus of Panama. Two towns, 

 bearing these names, are built, one upon the former isthmus, on 

 the coast of the Red Sea, and the other upon the latter, on the 

 coast of the Pacific Ocean. 



Peninsulas are often thus connected by an isthmus with the 

 mainlands, to which they belong, but not always so. The name 

 peninsula is given to tracts of land which, though partially sur- 

 rounded by water, are nevertheless connected with the mainland 

 by tracts much too broad to be entitled to the name of isthmus. 

 Examples of this class of peninsular form are numerous, and 

 among them may be mentioned the part of Southern Europe, 

 which includes Spain and Portugal, called the Spanish Peninsula 

 (Map 5.) ; the part of Italy, south of Lombardy and Piedmont, 

 called the Italian Peninsula : the southern part of Greece, called 

 the Hellenic Peninsula (Map 6) ; India, and numerous other 

 similar masses of land, projecting in a pointed form into the sea 

 (Map 7). 



10. Promontory is a name given to a tract of land, of greater 

 or less elevation above the level of the sea, which juts out from a 

 comparatively large extent of land, and which therefore is 

 peninsular in its form. The term, however, is usually applied to 

 tracts of less extent than those which are denominated peninsulas. 



11. Capes and Headlands are promontories having consider- 

 able elevation, so as to be visible from a great distance at sea. 



12. The Relief of the Land has received different deno- 

 minations according to its varying elevation above the general 

 level. 



13. Plains and Lowlands are parts of the land not much 

 raised above the level of the sea, having considerable extent. 



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