GEOGRAPHY. 101 



thousand ; only fifty, however, are inhabited by 200,000 Malays under a 

 Sultan 3. The English Island of Ceylon, 20,000 square geographical 

 miles, pop. one million and a half, cap. Colombo, with 50,000 inhabit- 

 ants. 4. The Andamans, in the Bav of Beno-al. 5. The Nicohar Islands, 

 south of the preceding. The Danish settlements on these islands liave 

 been lono- since abandoned. 6. The Great Sunda Islands : a. Sumatra, 

 112 to 128,000 square geographical miles, inhabitants mostly Malays. The 

 Netherlands are in possession of the most of the soulh-eastern and south- 

 western coast. Chief towns : Padang, Bencoolen, Palembang. h. Java, 

 40,000 square geographical miles, pop. five millions. The greater part of 

 the island in possession of the Hollanders. Chief towns : Batavia, pop, 

 50,000 ; Samarang, pop. 30,000 ; Surabaya, pop. 80,000. c. Borneo, the 

 largest island of Asia, 160,000 square geographical miles, with about three 

 millions of inhabitants. A small portion of the island is in possession of the 

 Hollanders, d. Celebes, 41,600 square geographical miles, pop. three 

 millions. A tract of 3680 square geographical miles, w^ith 360,000 inhabit- 

 ants, belons^s to the Netherlands. 7. The Small Sunda Islands, extendina: 

 eastwards from Java. The most important are Timor, 6400 square geogra- 

 phical miles, and Sunbava, but little less, both belonging to the Netherlands, 

 excepting a small portion of Timor, w'hich is Portuguese. 8. The Moluccas 

 or Spice Islands, the easternmost East India islands between Celebes and 

 the small Sunda Isles. They form three groups : the Moluccas proper in 

 the north, the largest Dschilolo, but the best known Ternate : the Amboina 

 group in the middle, the largest of which are Ceram and Buru, but Amboina 

 the most important, and the Banda group. Four islands of the latter, with 

 44,000 inhabitants, with a portion of the other islands, are in possession of 

 the Hollanders. 9. The Philippines, over one thousand in number, mostly 

 small, and in possession of Spain. The largest and most important is 

 Manilla or Luzon, 40.000 square geographical miles, with one and a half 

 to two millions and a half of inhabitants, cap. Manilla. The most southern 

 island is Magindanao or Mindanao, over 16,000 square geographical miles, 

 w^Lth nearly one million of inhabitants. The western part of the island 

 only, with the fortress of Zamboanga, is Spanish. The most important of 

 the remaining islands are Mindoro, Panay, Negros, Leyte, and Sam^ar. To 

 the north of Manilla lie the Babuyan and the Baschi Islands. 10. The 

 Sulu Islands, with the Island of Galawan, between Borneo and the 

 Philippines. 



III. AFRICA (Plate 29). 



This, the least known of all the great continents, possesses an area oi 

 8,480,000 square geographical miles, or 11,236,000 square statute miles. Its 

 length amounts to 4968 statute miles, and its breadth to 4692 statute miles. 

 Only an approximate estimate can be formed of the population, as the 

 interior is almost entirely unknown. Most geographers give one hundred 

 to one hundred and twenty millions as the number of inhabitants, but this 

 must be considered as a very vague statement, without much veritable 



101 



