96 GEOGRAPHY. 



5. Turkestan, Turan, or Tartary. 



Turkestan, the home of the Turks, sometimes called Great Bucharia, lies 

 between Russia in Asia, China, Afghanistan, and Persia ; it has an area of 

 512,000 square geographical miles, with a population of five millions. 

 This belongs chiefly to Tartary stocks (Usbekes and Todschiks or 

 Buchanans), besides Turcomans or Truchmenes, Arabians, Kirgises, Kafirs 

 (a Hindoo stock), &c. Excepting the last mentioned, all are Sunnite 

 Mohammedans. Besides the Nomadic tribes in the desert, there are five 

 large states subject to Khans. These are: 1. Buchara or Bokhara, capitals 

 Samarcand and Bokhara. 2. C/iokand, north-east of the preceding, with 

 a cap. Chokand. 3. Khiwa, in Chowaresm, the northern part of the 

 country, with the land of the Kourates or Aralian Tartars. 4. Kunduz, 

 and 5, Baikh, with capitals of similar names. We must add to the above 

 the Turcoman land between the Caspian and Aral seas ; the land of Buret, 

 the true home of the Kirgises, and the territory of the great Orda of the 

 Kirgises. 



6. Afghanistan or Kabulistan. 



Afghanistan, area 192-256,000 square geographical miles, pop. ten to 

 fourteen millions, constitutes, with Beludchistan, the eastern part of the 

 Iranian plateau, and until 1847 belonged to Persia. The inhabitants belong 

 to very diflferent tribes ; the Afghans or Patans, introduced as conquerors, 

 amounted to four millions and a half, in two principal stocks, Gildschis and 

 Duranis ; Tadschiks or Persians, the original inhabitants, two millions and 

 a half; Hendkis, of Indian origin, three millions ; Eimaks and Hasarehs ; 

 also Turkomans, Arabians, Armenians, Abyssinian slaves, Jews, &c. The 

 most powerful princes are the Shah of Kabul, and the Shah of Herat. 



The proper Afghan country includes eleven provinces : Tschotsch, 

 Lagman, Pischawer, Dschellalabad, Hasareh, Liwi, Schirkarpur, Kandahar 

 (its capital, one of the most beautiful towns in Asia), Gasni or Ghisni, and 

 Furrah, all with capitals of the same names. 



In Khorasan, once a Persian portion of the country, we find Herat, with 

 100,000 inhabitants, one of the largest and most important places of trade 

 in Southern Asia. Additional provinces reckoned by many geographers 

 under Afghanistan, are the renowned vale of Cashmere (subject to a 

 Maharadscha), and the province of Mooltan. 



7. Beludchistan. 



This country, situated to the south of Afghanistan, has an area of from 



96-112,000 square geographical miles, with a population of two to three 



millions. This belongs chiefly to the two races of the Beluds and Brahus, 



both a pastoral j)eople, and the latter subdivisible mto seventy-four stocks. 



96 



