160 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph by A. Frankl 

 VIEW OF WILHEEMPLATZ, MYSEOWITZ. IX THE PLEBISCITE DISTRICT OF 



UPPER SILESIA 



An English correspondent in Germany describes Upper Silesia today as a vast battlefield, 

 where the fighting is being done by two big armies of spies, agents, and propagandists. No 

 date has yet been set for the vote to determine whether this, one of the greatest industrial 

 and mining districts in the world, shall become a part of Poland or go to the German 

 Republic. 



of Eupen and Malmedy. These have 

 small significance, except in so far as 

 they rectify the political frontier so as to 

 make it accord with the natural boundary 

 line between Germany and Belgium. 



Germany has been compelled to sur- 

 render to Poland territory equal in area to 

 the State of South Carolina, with a popu- 

 lation of 6,000,000, and in order to pro- 

 vide this re-created state with an outlet 

 to the sea, the Germans give up the great 

 Baltic seaport of Danzig, which becomes 

 the "Free City of Danzig,'' under the 

 protection of the League of Nations. 

 The Memel district, to the northeast of 

 East Prussia, is entrusted to the Allied 

 and Associated Powers pending a final 

 settlement of its sovereignty. 



In addition to the Saar Basin, the Ger- 

 man treaty designated six areas for pleb- 

 iscites to determine their eventual owner- 

 ship — two in East Prussia (Marienwer- 

 der and Allenstein), Northern Schleswig, 

 Southern Schleswig, 1 lolstein, and Upper 

 Silesia. All of these plebiscites have been 



held save that in Upper Silesia. The 

 people of Holstein and Southern Schles- 

 wig elected to become reincorporated into 

 the German State ; Xorthern Schleswig 

 voted to return to Denmark, and East 

 Prussia expressed a preference for Ger- 

 man as against Polish absorption. 



As a guarantee for the faithful execu- 

 tion of her contracts under the treaty, 

 Germany consents to the military occupa- 

 tion of territory to the west of the Rhine 

 with bridgeheads at Cologne, Coblenz, 

 and Mainz, designated on the map as the 

 "Zone of Allied Occupation.'' This oc- 

 cupation is to continue for fifteen years. 



FORTIFICATTOXS OF THE KIEL CAXAE 

 HAVE T>EEX DISMAXTEED 



The Kiel Canal, whose construction in 

 the interest of the development of the 

 imperial navy Bismarck had in mind 

 when he seized the Danish duchies more 

 than fifty years ago, is thrown open to 

 the merchant shipping of all nations at 

 peace with Germany, while its frowning 



