102 GEOGRAPHY. 



foundation. The aboriginal inhabitants consist of two stocks, the Negroes 

 in the south, and the Caucasian Berbers (Cabyles, Copts, Nubians) in the 

 north. Between the two in the north and east are interposed the Arabians 

 and their posterity the Moors, who have penetrated from Asia. The great 

 majority of the inhabitants are Heathens. 



North Africa contains the following lands proceeding from east to west. 



1. Egypt. 



This land, interesting in so many respects, is situated on both banks of 

 the Nile, and embraces about 128,000 square geographical miles, with two 

 millions and a half of inhabitants. These are mostly Arabians, and either 

 Fellahs (tillers of the soil, 1,800,000 in number) or nomadic tribes, amount- 

 ing to 200,000 ; next to these come the Copts (150,000). There are also 

 the Barabras allied to the Berbers, in the south, some 15,000 Turks, 3500 

 Jews, &c. The prevailing religion is the Mohammedan, although the 

 Copts profess Christianity. Egypt was a Turkish province since 1517, but 

 now merely acknowledges the supremacy of the Porte, the Viceroy (since 

 1848, Abbas Pasha, grandson of Mehemet Ali) being almost entirely inde- 

 pendent. Three principal districts of Egypt were recognised in the older 

 geographical arrangement : 1. Lower Egypt, Bahri, or the northern part as 

 far as the delta of the Nile. This portion contains the celebrated city of 

 Alexandria, now with about 60,000 inhabitants. 2. Middle Egypt, 

 Westani. This includes Cairo or Cahira, the residence of the Pasha, with 

 200,000 inhabitants. 8. Upper Egypt, Said, the southern part. The most 

 important town is Siut, with 15,000 inhabitants. 



To the east of the Nile valley or Egypt proper, are situated the harbors 

 of Suez and Cosseir. Between Egypt and Tripoli is situated the Libyan 

 desert or the Desert of Barca; and in this, the Oasis of Siwah with the 

 town of the same name. 



2. Barbary. 



This, in its most extensive sense, includes the whole coast of Africa lying 

 to the west of Egypt, a strip of about 560,000 square geographical miles, 

 inhabited by twelve to fifteen millions of inhabitants. These are princi- 

 pally Moors, Arabians (Bedouins), and Berbers or Cabyles. 



a. Tripoli, area 144,000 square geographical miles, pop. 650,000, has been 

 a Turkish province since 1835. The capital, Tripoli, has about 20,000 inhabit- 

 ants. Dependencies of Tripoli are the Oases of Fezzan (70,000 inhabitants) 

 and Aucrila, as likewise the district of Barca. 



h. Tunis, 48 to 64,000 square geographical miles, with about tw^o milHons 

 of inhabitants, is subject to a Bey, who is almost entirely independent of 

 the Porte. The capital, Tunis, has 100,000 inhabitants. Other important 

 towns are Kairwan, Gabes or Cabes, Monastir, Sfar, &c. 

 102 



