of the Old World and the New World. 165 
we take in the last two continents, more than two-thirds of the 
lands are situated in the temperate regions, one-third only in the 
equatorial regions. The Old World is then essentially temperate. 
| In the New World the lands are distributed in a manner nearly 
. equal in the two zones and in the two hemispheres. We find 
that of the countries it includes, those which are the most richly 
endowed, are situated under the sun of the tropics. Compared 
" with the Old World, the New World is thus essentially tropical. 
The general direction of the lands, or the direction in which 
their length extends, is the inverse in the two worlds. The Old 
World has its greatest prolongation from east to west, in the line 
of the parallels ; the New World from north to south, in the di- 
: rection of the meridians. Both have a length of about 7,500 
; miles, but the breadth of the Old World is nearly double that of 
the New. This disposition is of the ae consequence for the 
distribution of the climates in each of them, since this fee 
lands. From one end to the other of the Old World, overaspace *.., 
of several thousand miles, the migratory tribes are able to pursue 
their adventurous roaming course, by following, according to their 
ss custom, the great features of relief of the soil, without witness- ~ 
ing any change in the vegetation or the annals that surround ‘_ * 
| them. They c ange place, but not climate, nor ways of life... ,- 
This similarity of climates over long spaces is, then, a hed palek + 
: 5 of the Old World, and must have singularly favored. sin dis #, 1" 
sion of the primitive tribes. : 
-In the New World, on the contrary, the zones of Sinilat ch- 
mates are short and nurflerous ; and if we travel over the.whok ie 
length of the two Americas, we pass twice in stcéession, through” re 
1 all the temperatures, from the frozen climate of the pole , to that, “~~ 
: a of ‘the equator, and from the burning climate of the sequator to ~~ 
| ’ that of the poles. ° This diversity of climate gives ‘their character * é 
: i e Americas. ~ «3 
leatitime,@the interior structtre#modifies oma two Nerds a 
L0HIS, in such a ee ner as tor t the 
e Old b ym ope oe 
y of the ae aby gepiler and be di 
hall see,this ce ay a close Minas * "+ 
I will particularly "i 
ae oft HE New World?" 
ee! piety of, the. Old World, * 
‘ee each y ce 
