THE NON-LIVING WORLD 155 



latitude. Thus America divides the Atlantic from the 

 Pacific Ocean. The old-world section of the earth sends 

 southwards two prolongations. The first of these is 

 formed by the African continent, which terminates at 

 the Cape of Good Hope, and does not quite attain 34 of 

 south latitude. The second prolongation is formed by 

 Asia where it ends in the Malay Peninsula, but which 

 does not quite reach the equator. It may, however, be 

 said to be continued onwards by the mass of large and 

 small islands which constitute the Indian Archipelago, 

 and by the vast quasi-continent of Australia, which 

 extends to a little beyond south latitude 39. The 

 Atlantic ocean bounds Africa and Europe on the west, 

 while the eastern shores of Asia and Australia are washed 

 by the Pacific, the southern prolongations of Africa and 

 Asia enclose between them the third, or Indian ocean, 

 into the middle of the North of which Hindostan pro- 

 jects, running downwards till it ends at Cape Comorin 

 in a little over 8 of north latitude. 



With respect to the volume of the earth's marine 

 liquid envelope compared with that of the land above 

 its surface, it would seem that the former is more than 

 forty times in excess of the latter. Also more than two 

 thirds of the surface of the globe is covered by water, 

 which, at the poles, assumes the form of ice. There 

 is a much more extensive ice-cap on the South Pole 

 than the North Pole, and no one knows how much land 

 the south ice- cap may cover. 



The globe can easily be mapped out in such a manner 

 that one hemispherical map shall show very little besides 

 water except the southern ice-cap. For if we make a 

 map of one hemisphere, taking London as our centre, we 

 shall have on it the maximum of land, while on the oppo- 

 site hemisphere will be the maximum of water (Fig. 23). 



