S93 
GEOGRAPHY. 
■VVcft of tlie coafl were hfulx Pwpuraiitf, t!ie cliief 
of wJiicli wdsCernc AUantka, tlie Macleiraj ; Injit'a Fonu- 
Tiala, the Canaries ; one of which, Nivaria, is foppoied 
to be 'rencriife ; Infulu: llrfpcridcs cl Gorgoiivm, the Cape 
Verd I hinds; Ccruc JElhinpica^ pciliaps Ivladagafcar. 
Tlie accounts,, however, of thei~e arc thought to be fa¬ 
bulous, as alfo of Plato’s Atlantis, which by feme has 
been fuppofed to be America. How far to the fouth 
the weft coaft of Africa was known to the ancients, is 
not afeertained ; but many are of opinion that the cir¬ 
cumnavigation of it was not unknown to them. Por 
more particulars, and Ivlap of Ancient Africa, fee 
vol. i. p. 14.1.. 
SUMMARY OF MODERN GEOGRAPHY. 
The epoch or period unto which the ancient geogra¬ 
phy has been brought up, and at which that of the mo¬ 
dern mtift have taken its rife, would, I'cem to be about 
the middle of the fifth century of the Ch.riftian era. 
The notices we have of geograpliy from the pens of 
thofe who are termed “ancient or clallical authors,’’ 
extend not in any eflential degree beyond the above- 
wientioned time; and the difeovery of the continent of 
America, or New World, by Chriftopiicr Columbus in 
492, is decifive of the period at or about which our re- 
fearches in modern geography ought to commence. 
This department, therefore, embraces an inveftigation, 
from that period, of the ftate of all thofe countries or 
diftriits contained in what have been vaguely termed 
“ the four quarters of the globe,” namely, Europe, 
Afia, Africa, and America ; and alfo of thofe newly- 
difeovered regions which fome late French geographers 
denominated “ the ffth and fixlh quarters of the world ;” 
but which the generality of modern writers have agreed 
to diftinguifli by' the names of Australasia and Po¬ 
lynesia. Of each of thefe divilions of the earth we 
lhall briefly treat in their refpeCtive order; and for an 
elucidation of their geographical pofitions, we refer the 
reader to the annexed map of the Eafte'i n and Weftern 
Henfifpheres. 
EUROPE. 
This portion of the globe, though not the largeft, is 
iieverthelefs the moft celebrated for its progrels in arts, 
fciences, and literature. It is in the modern, what Afia 
was in the ancient, geography,—the moft enlightened 
part of the civilized world. It is fituated between ten 
degrees weft and lixty-five degrees ealt longitude from 
Greenwich, and between thirty-fix and feventy-two de¬ 
grees of north latitude. By recent calculation it is 
lliid to be about three thoufand miles in length, from 
Cape North to the fouth of Spain, or Italy ; and about 
two thoufand five hundred miles in breadth, from Cape 
Finiftre to the river Don; being bounded on the tiorth 
by the Icy or Frozen Sea, on the fouth by the Mediter¬ 
ranean, by Afia on the eaft, and the Atlantic Ocean on 
the weft; and it is by fome writers divided into north 
middle, and fouth. 
North Europe comprifes Lapland, Denmark, Nor¬ 
way, Greenland, Iceland, Sweden, and Ruflia. 
Middle Europe contains Prullia, Poland, Holland, 
Germany, Bohemia, Hungary, Tranfilvania, Sclavonia, 
Croatia, Flanders, France, Swillerland, Savoy, Pied¬ 
mont, England, Scotland, and Ireland. 
South Europe includes Spain, Portugal, Italy, and 
what is ufually called Turkey in Europe.—See the 
map of Modern Europe, vol. vii. p. 84. 
Lapland. —This regionof the arftic circleis divided 
into Danifh, or North Lapland; Swedilh, or South 
Lapland; and Rufiian, or Eaft Lapland.—North l.ap- 
land, which is under the dominion of his Danifh ma- 
jefty, lies between the Northern Sea, the river Pais, 
and the lake Enarak, and is included in the government 
of Wardhus. South Lapland comprehends all the 
Vol. VIII. No. 311. 
country from the Baltic to the mountains that feparate 
Norway from Sweden, and it is divided into fix diliriits, 
diftinguifhed by the names of rivers, as Una, Pera, 
Torna, &c.—Eaft Lapland is fituated been the lake 
Enarack and the V/hite Sea ; it is divided into three 
prefedlures or lepories : that tow'ards th.e nortii is caked 
Mournanfkoi; in this is the port of Kola : T erfkoi I.e- 
porie is one on the coaft of the White Sea : the other is 
inland, and is called Bellamoreflcoi Leporie. 
Lapland is bounded on the north and eaft by the 
Northern and Wiiile Sea, and on the fouth and weft by 
Sweden and Norway. It is covered with immenfe fo- 
refts, chiefly of pine or fir. 
'I'he V. hole of Lapland extends from North-Cape, in 
latitude feventy-one degrees and a halt, to the V\’'hite 
Sea under the Arttic Circle ; its furlace may contain 
from feventy to eighty thoufand fquare miles; but its 
population cannot be afeertained with any degree of 
accuracy. The chief towns are. Kola and Tornea. 
1 n the higheft part of Lapland the fun isabfent for about 
level! weeks ; the ftars are vilible at noon, and the moon 
fliines without intermifiion. In the fummer, on the 
contrary, the fun never fets for feven weeks together, 
and the moon and ftars are never leen. 
Denmark. —This kingdom extends from the river 
Elbe in the fouth, to the northern extremity of Danifli 
Lapland. It is furrounded on the north, ealt, and weft, 
by the feu : and on the fouth by the Duchy of Holftein, 
part of which belongs to Denmark. Within thefe li¬ 
mits, Norway is included, as well as Denmark Proper ; 
which of itfelf is but a fmall territory, containing only 
the peni-nfula of Jutland, and the illands of Zealand, 
Funen, &c. at the entrance of the Baltic. Its chief 
town, Copenhagen, is in the iftand of Zealand. At 
Filfinore, all foreign ftiips that trade to the Baltic pay 
toll. That part of the fea, fituated between Zealand 
and Funen, is called the Great Belt-, and that which di¬ 
vides Funen from the continent of Denmark, is called, 
the Little Belt. 
Exclulive of the iflands in the Baltic, thefe countries 
lie between fifty-four and fifty-eight degrees north lati¬ 
tude ; and between eight and'eleven degrees eaii longi- 
tilde. The whole furface of the two countries united, 
may be reckoned at 19000 fquare miles; and the popu¬ 
lation is computed at fwo millions and a half. 
Norv/ay, the appendage to Denmark, is divided 
into four general governments, viz,. Aggerhus, Bergen, 
Drontheim, and Wardhus. ”1 he chief town of Norway 
is Chriftiana. It is one of the moft mountainous coun¬ 
tries in the world ; and the rivers and catarabls, which 
interfeft the mountains, render travelling exceedingly 
dangerous. The inhabitants have neither corn-fields nor 
gardens, but fublift cl-iiefiy by hunting and fiflilng. On 
this coaft is the famous vortex of the fea called the 
Maelfroom : it is heard at a great diftance, and forms a 
whirlpool of vaft depth and extent, and To violent, that, 
if a fliip comes near it, it is drawn in and lhattered to 
pieces. The chief wealth of Norway lies in its w'hitc 
and yellow deals, with wliich foreign nations are lup- 
plied. It poftedes quarries of excellent marble, and 
mines of various metals. 
Greenland. —Weft-Greenland, aswellas the Ferroe 
iflands, is all'o fubjedt to the king of Denmark. It is 
the moft remote trad! of land towards the north-pole 
that has yet been difeovered ; being fituated between 
the meridian of the obfervatory at Greenwich and fifty 
degrees of weft longitude; and between fixty and fe- 
venty-fix degrees of north latitude. Its extent has ne¬ 
ver yet been calculated with any degree of precilion; 
but it is faid to be inhabited as far as feventy-fix de¬ 
grees of north latitude: the Danilh fettlcments, how¬ 
ever, have never extended beyond feveiity-three de¬ 
grees, The wIioIq number of its inhabitants does not 
■' ^ PI probably 
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