254 THE UNMAPPED AREAS ON THE EARTH'S SURFACE 



cent mountain region on the north and east of Tibet furnishes a 

 splendid field for the enterprising explorer. Mrs Bishop recently 

 approached it from the east, through Sze-chuen, and her descrip- 

 tion of the romantic scenery and the interesting non-Mongolian 

 inhabitants leaves us with a strong desire to learn more. On the 

 southeast of Tibet is the remarkable mountainous region, con- 

 sisting of a series of lofty parallel chains, through which run the 

 upper waters of the Yangtse, the Mekong, the Salwin, and the 

 Irrawaddy. This last-named river, recent exploration has shown, 

 probably does not reach far into the range. But it will be seen 

 by a glance at a map that the upper waters of the other rivers 

 are carried far into the heart of the mountains. But these upper- 

 river courses are entirely conjectural and have given rise to much 

 controvers3^ There is plenty of work here for the explorer^ 

 though the difficulties, physical and political, are great. 



But besides these great unexplored regions there are many 

 blanks to be filled up in other parts of Asia, and regions which, 

 though known in a general way, would well repa}' careful exam- 

 ination. There is the mountain track between the Zarafshan 

 river and the middle course of the Sarkhab, tributary of the Oxus, 

 and the country lying between that and the Oxus. There is the 

 great Takla-Makan desert in Chinese or Eastern Turkistan,part 

 of which has recently been explored by Russian expeditions and 

 b3^that young and indefatigable Swedish traveler, Dr Sven Hedin. 

 It is now one of the most forbidding deserts to be found anywhere, 

 but it deserves careful examination, as there are evidences of its 

 once having been inhabited, and that at no very remote period. 

 It is almost surrounded by the Tarim, and on its eastern edge lies 

 Lob-nor, the remarkable changes in which have been the subject 

 of recent investigation. As readers of Dr Nansen's Vo3^age of 

 the Fram will remember, the Siberian coast is most imperfectly 

 mapped. Of course it is a difficult task, but it is one to which 

 the Russian government ought to be equal. China has on paper 

 the appearance of being fairly well mapped ; but as a matter of 

 fact our knowledge of its mountain ranges and of its great river 

 courses is to a large extent extremely vague. All this awaits care- 

 ful survey. In northeastern Manchuria and in many parts of 

 Mongolia there are still blanks to be filled up and mountain and 

 river systems to be surveyed. In the Malay ]3eninsula and in 

 the great array of islands in the east and southeast of Asia-^Su- 

 matra, Borneo, the Philippines — much work still remains to be 

 done. Thus for the coming century there will be abundance of 



