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N. and from Lon. 26° E. to 170° W., having an area of 16,160,000 square miles, and a population of about 400,000,000.

2. Mountains. Asia contains the loftiest summits in the world. The Ural Mountains, between Europe and Asia, and the Ghauts in Hindostan run north and south. Four chains extend from the region of the Caspian towards the east, covering the Chinese Empire, Siberia, and India with their numerous branches; they are the Altaian Mountains, the Teenshan, the Kwanlun, and the Himala mountains, of which the highest summits rise to the height of 28,000 feet. The Japanese islands are covered with lofty mountains, containing numerous volcanoes. The numerous chains of the Taurus traverse the country between the Persian Gulf and the Black Sea in various directions. Between the Black and Caspian seas, are the Caucasian Mountains, the loftiest chain of which may be considered as the division line of Europe and Asia. The highest summits have an elevation of 18,000 feet.

3. Rivers. Although Asia is the largest division of the globe, the Asiatic streams are inferior in size to those of the American continent. The principal rivers descend from the northern, eastern, and southern declivities of the great central table-lands into the Arctic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. The Yenissey is the largest; the Oby and the Lena are also large rivers. The Hoang-ho, and the Kiang have an easterly course. The Irawaddy, the Ganges, the Indus, and the Euphrates flow south.

4. Seas. Asia contains several large inland bodies of water, which are improperly called seas. They are principally salt. The largest of these is the Caspian Sea, which receives several considerable rivers, but has no outlet; its bed is indeed several hundred feet lower than the ocean. It is 650 miles in length by 250 in breadth, and covers an area of about 245,000 square miles. It is in many places too shallow for navigation, although in some parts very deep. It abounds in sturgeon, beluga, salmon, and other fish, and several species of seal are taken in its waters. The Sea of Okotsk, the Sea of Japan or Gulf of Corea, the Eastern Sea, between the Loochoo islands and China, and the Chinese Sea to the south of Formosa are large bays on the eastern coast. The Sea of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, are the principal arms of the sea on the south. The Red Sea is about 1,400 miles in length, but nowhere more than 200 in breadth; it has few good harbors, and the navigation is rendered diffi cult by storms, shoals, and coral reefs.

5. Straits. The Straits of Babelmandel connect the Red Sea with the Arabian Gulf. The Straits of Ormuz lie between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Ormuz. The Strait of Malacca, which separates Sumatra from the continent, and the Strait of Sincapore, between the island of Sincapore and Malacca, are the most frequented of Asia. The Strait of Corea on the south, and that of Sougar or Sangar on the north connect the Sea of Japan with the ocean, and the Strait of Laperouse connects that sea with the Sea of Okotsk. The channel of Tartary flows between the continent and the island of Seghalien; and Bhering's Strait divides the eastern and western hemispheres.

6. Peninsulas. Asia Minor, between the Levant and the Black Sea, Arabia, the Deccan, Malacca, Corea, and Kamchatka are the most remarkable peninsulas of Asia.

7. Islands. On the eastern coast are the Kurile islands; Seghalien,

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