importance.
_Naples._ Italian: Napoli. Former kingdom of Italy, one of the Two
Sicilies. Province of Italy and its capital, the largest city of Italy,
the Neapolis of the ancients. Long a Greek city.
_Navarre._ Former kingdom, chiefly in present France, also extending
into Spain.
_Nazareth._ Modern name: Al-Nasira. Town of Galilee, Palestine, where
Jesus is said to have spent his youth.
_Nepal._ Nominally independent country in the Himalayas, under British
control.
_Netherlands._ Dutch: Nederland. Popularly called Holland. Kingdom of
western Europe. The Netherlands formerly included Belgium.
_Neukölln_ of _Rixdorf_. City of Brandenburg Prussia, suburban to
Berlin and an important industrial center.
_Newark._ City of New Jersey, suburban to New York, important
manufacturing and insurance center.
_Newcastle_ or _N.-on-Tyne_. City of Northumberland, England, located
in the midst of coal fields.
_New England._ The states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
_Newfoundland._ Island off eastern coast of Canada, British colony.
_New Haven._ City of Connecticut, seat of Yale University.
_New Orleans._ City and port of Louisiana, founded by the French. Of
historical, educational, commercial importance.
_New York._ State of the United States and its chief city, also the
leading city of the United States and, in many respects, of the world.
Founded by the Dutch, who called it Nieuw Amsterdam. Now divided into
the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Richmond.
_Nicaragua._ Republic of Central America.
_Nile._ River of Africa, of which the most important part runs through
Egypt.
_Nineveh_ or _Ninus_. Ancient city on the Tigris, capital of Assyria.
Was a place of importance as early as B. C. 2500. Fell when the
Assyrian Empire was broken up, B. C. 606.
_Ningpo._ City of Chekiang, China. Treaty port.
_Nippon._ See Japan.
_Normandy._ Old duchy and province of France. The Normans were
Scandinavians (“Northmen”) who settled in the northern part of the
country.
_North._ River, the part of the Hudson that flows by New York City.
_North._ Sea, also known as the German Ocean. It is the part of the
Atlantic east of Great Britain.
_Northwest Territories._ Franklin, Keewatin, and Mackenzie, in the
Dominion of Canada.
_Norway._ Scandinavian kingdom of Europe. Has been subject to or united
with Sweden and Denmark.
_Nottingham._ City of Nottinghamshire, England.
_Numidia._ Ancient country of northern Africa, then a Roman province.
Roughly corresponded to modern Algeria.
_Nuremberg._ German: Nürnberg. City of Middle Franconia, Bavaria,
Germany. Of great historical interest.
_Oberammergau._ Small city of Upper Bavaria, Germany. Here the famous
Passion Play is performed every ten years.
_Odessa._ City of Kherson, Ukraine, Soviet Republics. Port on the Black
Sea.
_Ohio._ Important river of U. S., flowing into the Mississippi.
_Olympia._ Small plain in Elis, Greece, containing a sacred grove of
Zeus. Scene of the Olympic games of antiquity.
_Olympus._ Mountain range between Macedonia and Thessaly, where the
Greek gods were supposed to live.
_Oman._ Nominally independent state in southeastern Arabia.
_Orange River Colony._ Formerly Orange River Free State, now part of
the Union of South Africa.
_Oslo._ Formerly: Christiania. Capital of Norway.
_Ottawa._ Capital of the Dominion of Canada.
_Ottoman Empire._ The Mohammedan empire of the Turks, broken up by the
World War. See Turkey.
_Oxford._ City of Oxfordshire, England. University of great antiquity.
_Oxus._ Modern: Amu Darya. River of central Asia, the usual boundary
between the great empires of southwestern Asia and wandering hordes.
_Oxyrhyncus._ Place in Egypt where many Greek manuscripts have been
discovered.
_Pacific._ Ocean, between North and South America and Asia and
Australia. Sometimes divided into two oceans, North and South P.
_Palestine._ Country of western Asia, part of Syria, of great
historical and religious significance. Now under British control. The
“Land of Israel” or “Holy Land” is at present inhabitated chiefly by
Arabs, but the Jewish Zionists would like to make it the cultural center
of Israel.
_Palmyra._ Ancient city of Syria, where the unfortunate Zenobia
reigned. Her desire to be “Queen of the East” cost her her kingdom.
_Panama._ Republic of Central America. Revolted from Colombia in 1903.
Under the control of the U. S., to which a strip of territory called
the Panama Canal Zone belongs. The capital, a seaport and terminus of
the canal, is also called P.
_Paphos_ or _Paphus_. Name of two towns in ancient Cyprus. Old Paphos
was the chief seat of the worship of Aphrodite, therefore called the
Paphian goddess.
_Paraguay._ River and republic of South America.
_Paris._ Capital and chief city of France. One of the great cities of
the world. Located on the Seine.
_Parnassus._ Range of mountains in Greece or, more usually, a
particular mountain where Apollo and the Muses were supposed to dwell.
_Paros._ Island in the Aegean Sea where the marble used by ancient
sculptors was quarried.
_Parthia._ Ancient country of Asia, southeast of the Caspian Sea.
The Parthians were a warlike people whose empire was for a time of
considerable size.
_Peking._ City of Chihle or Chihli, China, and capital of the country.
_Peloponnesus._ The southern part of Greece, a peninsula. Modern:
Morea. Divided anciently into Achaia, Elis, Messenia, Laconia,
Corinthia, and Arcadia.
_Pergamum_ or _Pergamus_. Ancient kingdom, afterward Roman province, of
Asia Minor, and its capital.
_Persia._ Persian: Iran. Great ancient empire, usually known as Persis.
Modern monarchy of Asia.
_Persian._ Gulf between Persia and Arabia.
_Peru._ Republic of South America.
_Petrograd._ Leningrad was called P. during World War, its name having
been changed from St. Petersburg.
_Pharsalia._ District near Pharsalus, Thessaly, where Julius Caesar
defeated Pompey.
_Philadelphia._ Chief city of Pennsylvania. Located on Delaware
and Schuylkill Rivers. Founded by William Penn in 1682. Port,
manufacturing and educational center. Of considerable historical
interest.
_Philippi._ Ancient city of Macedonia where Octavianus and Antony
defeated Brutus and Cassius and where St. Paul first preached the good
news about Jesus in Europe.
_Philistia._ Old country of Syria whose inhabitants were hostile to the
Hebrews. A Philistine, in modern usage, is one who has no interest in
culture.
_Phocis._ Ancient country of northern Greece, within which were the
mountain of Parnassus and the oracle of Delphi.
_Phoenicia, Phenicia_, or _Sidonia_. Ancient country on the Syrian
coast. The Phoenicians were navigators and traders.
_Phrygia._ Ancient country of Asia Minor, later a Roman province.
_Po._ River of Italy.
_Poland._ Polish: Polska. Republic of Europe, formed after the World
War. The old kingdom was divided among Russia, Prussia, and Austria.
_Pompeii._ Ancient city of Campania, Italy, at the foot of Mt.
Vesuvius. Overwhelmed by an eruption in A. D. 79 and covered with
volcanic soil. Much of it has been preserved and is now exposed to view.
_Pontus Euxinus_ or _Pontus_. Ancient name for the Black Sea. A
kingdom, later a Roman province, on its coast was called Pontus.
_Port-au-Prince._ Capital of Haiti.
_Portland._ City and port of entry of Oregon. City and port of Maine.
_Porto Rico._ Spanish: Puerto Rico. Island of West Indies, colony of U.
S.
_Port Said._ City of Lower Egypt on the Mediterranean. Terminus of Suez
Canal.
_Portsmouth._ City of Hampshire, England. Important naval station.
_Portugal._ Republic of western Europe.
_Posen._ Province of Poland and its capital, once a Hanse town.
_Prague._ Bohemian: Praha. Capital of Czecho-Slovakia. Founded about
1100. Important commercial and educational center. Located on the
Moldau.
_Provence._ Old province of France. The language, Provençal, is of
great importance in literary history. Some attempts have been made to
revive it.
_Providence._ Capital of Rhode Island, port. Seat of Brown University.
_Prussia._ German: Preussen. Former kingdom of Europe, now an important
part of the German Republic.
_Pyrenees._ Mountains between Spain and France.
_Quebec._ Province of Canada and its capital, founded in 1608.
_Queenstown._ Gaelic: Cobh. Irish port.
_Rangoon._ City of Pegu Division, Burma, capital and chief port of the
country.
_Red._ Sea between Arabia and Egypt, through which Suez Canal traffic
passes.
_Reno._ City of Nevada, divorce center.
_Rheims_ or _Reims_. City of Marne Department, France. An old city with
a celebrated cathedral, badly damaged in the World War.
_Rhine._ Celebrated river of Europe. Part of the river runs between
France and Germany.
_Rhone._ River of Switzerland and France.
_Richmond._ City of Virginia, its capital and for a time the seat of
government of the Confederate States of America.
_Riga._ Capital of Latvia. Founded in 1201, was once a Hanse Town.
_Rio de Janeiro._ Capital of Brazil, in many ways the most important
city of South America.
_Riviera._ Coastal district on Mediterranean, in France and Italy.
_Rochester._ Important manufacturing city of New York State.
_Rome._ Italian and Latin: Roma. Province of Italy and its capital,
also the capital of the kingdom. Center of the western branch of the
Catholic Church. Perhaps Rome was originally formed from a group of
villages founded by people from Alba Longa, the most ancient town in
Latium. It became the center of a great empire.
_Rosario._ City of Santa Fe, Argentina.
_Rotterdam._ Old city, great commercial center of the Netherlands.
_Rouen._ City of France, on the Seine. Of considerable historical
interest.
_Roumania_ or _Rumania_. Kingdom of Europe. Includes the former
principalities of Wallachia and Moldovia, also Transylvania and
Bessarabia.
_Russia._ Country of Europe. Officially, it is the Russian Socialist
Soviet Republic. Mail is addressed to U. S. S. R., the Union of
Socialist Soviet Republics, which includes also Ukraine, Armenia,
Georgia, Azerbaijan, and White Russia, as well as various other
districts. The U. S. S. R. includes a great deal of territory inhabited
by non-Russians, although less than the old Russian Empire.
_Sahara._ Desert of northern Africa.
_Saint Helena._ British island in the Atlantic where Napoleon spent the
last years of his life.
_Saint Lawrence._ River of southeastern Canada, flowing into Gulf of
St. Lawrence.
_Saint Louis._ City of Missouri, on the west bank of the Mississippi.
Important manufacturing and commercial center.
_Saint Paul._ Capital of Minnesota. One of the “Twin Cities,” with
Minneapolis.
_Saint Petersburg._ City founded by Peter the Great, now called
Leningrad, q. v.
_Salamanca._ Province of Spain and its capital, of historical interest.
_Salamis._ Island off the western coast of Attica, Greece. The Greeks
defeated the Persian fleet of Xerxes nearby, B. C. 480.
_Salem._ Seaport of Massachusetts, of historical interest.
_Salerno._ Ancient name: Salernum. City of Italy, capital of the
province of Salerno, and located on the gulf of the same name.
Important in the middle ages.
_Salonica_ or _Saloniki_. Province of Greece and its capital. Center of
operation of the Allied Macedonian forces in the Great War.
_Salt Lake City._ Capital of Utah, center of Mormon Church.
_Salvador._ Republic of Central America.
_Samaria._ City of ancient Palestine, capital of the kingdom of Israel,
which became the Roman province of Samaria. The modern Samaritans
belong to a small tribe called “Sons of Israel.”
_Samarkand._ City of Turkestan, Soviet Republics. According to
tradition, founded between 3000 and 4000 B. C. Called Maracanda by
the ancients. Was for a time a Mohammedan sacred city. Also spelled:
Samarcand.
_Samnium._ Country of ancient Italy. The Samnites were, after hard
resistance, conquered and enslaved by the Romans.
_Samos._ Greek island in the Aegean Sea. The ancient Samians founded
many colonies. The capital, of the same name, was once a splendid city.
_Samothrace._ Modern Greek: Samothraki. Small island in the Aegean Sea,
anciently celebrated for its religious mysteries.
_San Francisco._ City and port of California, first settled by the
Spanish. The celebrated earthquake occurred in 1906.
_San Marino._ Tiny independent state surrounded by Italian territory,
and its capital.
_Santo Domingo._ See Dominican Republic.
_Santos._ City of Brazil from which much coffee is shipped.
_Sarajevo._ Capital of Bosnia, Jugo-Slavia. Here took place the murder
of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria, the direct cause of the World
War.
_Saratov._ Province of Russia and its capital.
_Sardinia._ Italian: Sardegna. Large island in the Mediterranean, part
of Italy. It was the king of Sardinia (who had possessions also on the
mainland) that became the first monarch of the kingdom of Italy.
_Sardis._ Ancient city of Asia Minor, capital of the Lydian Empire and
then of the province of Lydia.
_Sarmatia._ Ancient name given to a district including eastern Poland
and the southern part of European Russia. In modern poetic and
rhetorical use, Poland.
_Savoy._ French: Savoie. Duchy ceded to France by Sardinia.
_Scamander._ River of the Trojan territory, frequently mentioned by
Homer. The modern name of the Scamander, as of the old Maeander, is now
Menderez.
_Scandinavia._ Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, with Iceland usually
included. Finland is not, strictly speaking, a Scandinavian country,
but it has shown an inclination to ally itself firmly with them. The
Scandinavian Peninsula is divided between Norway and Sweden.
_Schleswig._ Province of Germany and its capital. Part of Schleswig is
to be Danish. See also Schleswig-Holstein.
_Schleswig-Holstein._ Former Prussian province, taken from the control
of the king of Denmark by Bismarck. The two duchies, and especially
Holstein, were considered to be part of Germany, and the attempt to
make them Danish soil was resented by Prussia and Austria.
_Scio._ Island of the Aegean Sea. As the ancient Chios, it was
celebrated for wine and marble.
_Scotia._ Latinization of Scotland. The Romans called the northern part
of Britain Caledonia.
_Scotland._ The northern part of Great Britain; long an independent
kingdom, then united under one sovereign with England, finally merged
with it.
_Scythia._ Ancient name for southeastern Europe, also for northern
Asia. Both these regions are largely within the present Soviet
Republics.
_Seattle._ City and port of entry of Washington.
_Sedan._ City of Ardennes Department, France. Here Napoleon III
surrendered with his army in the Franco-Prussian War. Damaged in the
World War.
_Seine._ River of France.
_Seleucia._ Name of several cities in Asia built by Seleucis I, King
of Syria. One was near modern Bagdad, a second near Antioch, and there
were at least four more.
_Senlac._ Low hill near Hastings, England, where William the Conqueror
defeated King Harald of England. Harald was slain in this Battle of
Senlac or Hastings, 1066, and Norman William became king of England.
_Serbia_ or _Servia_. Serbian: Srbija. Former Balkan kingdom, out of
which Jugo-Slavia has grown.
_Sestus._ Ancient town in Thrace, celebrated for the love affair of
Hero and Leander and for the bridge of boats Xerxes built here across
the Hellespont (Dardanelles).
_Sevastopol._ Port of Crimea, Russia, besieged in Crimean War. Also
spelled: Sebastopol.
_Seville._ Spanish: Sevilla. Province of Spain and its capital, which
is on the Guadalquivir. The Hispalis of the Romans, important under
Moorish rule.
_Shanghai._ City of Kiangsu, China. Treaty port, with large foreign
settlement.
_Shantung._ Province of China, formerly dominated by Germany, now by
Japan.
_Shaohingfu._ City of Chekiang, China.
_Sheba_ or _Saba_. Old Arabian country whose queen visited Solomon at
Jerusalem.
_Shechem_ or _Sichem_ or _Sychem_ or _Sychar_. City of ancient
Palestine, for a time the capital of Israel. The city was destroyed,
and Vespasian built the city of Neapolis on its site.
_Sheffield._ City of Yorkshire, England. Has been celebrated for its
cutlery for many centuries.
_Siam._ Monarchy of Asia, occupying the western part of Indo-China.
_Siangtan._ City of Hunan, China.
_Siberia._ Northern Russia in Asia. It is part of the Russian Socialist
Soviet Republic; i. e., Russia proper.
_Sicily._ Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea. Italian and Latin:
Sicilia. Greek and Carthaginian cities here were rivals for a time,
until the Romans conquered the whole island. With the kingdom of
Naples, made up the monarchy of the Two Sicilies.
_Sicyonia._ District of northeastern Peloponnesus in ancient Greece.
Its chief city, Sicyon, was an artistic center.
_Sidon._ Modern: Saida. Chief city of ancient Phoenicia.
_Siena._ Province of Italy and its capital, which has an old university
and which was once an artistic center.
_Sinai._ Arabian peninsula and desert, also mountain where Jehovah,
according to tradition, gave Moses the Ten Commandments.
_Singan_ or _Singanfoo_ or _Sianfu_. City of Shenshi, China, capital of
the province and formerly of the country. Of considerable commercial
importance, and has a population of about a million.
_Singapore._ British dependency of Straits Settlements and its capital,
seaport and commercial center.
_Slavonia._ Former Hungarian crownland, now in Jugo-Slavia.
_Smyrna._ Seaport of Asia Minor, Turkey. Temporarily a Greek
protectorate after World War.
_Sofia._ Bulgarian: Sredetz. Capital of Bulgaria.
_Soissons._ City of Aisne Department, France, around which there was
much fighting during the World War.
_South Africa, Union of._ Autonomous British colony including Cape of
Good Hope, Transvaal, Natal, and Orange Free State.
_Southampton._ Seaport of Hampshire, England, where many transatlantic
passengers are landed.
_Spain._ Spanish: España. European kingdom, sharing the Iberian
Peninsula with Portugal.
_Springfield._ Name of a number of cities in U.S., as the capital of
Illinois, manufacturing center in Massachusetts, and places of more or
less importance in Missouri, Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Oregon,
South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Vermont.
_Stamboul._ Name given, especially by the French, to Constantinople.
_Stockholm._ Province of Sweden and its capital, also the capital of
the kingdom. Seaport.
_Strassburg._ City of Alsace, France. Founded by the Romans, who called
it Argentoratum.
_Stratford-on-Avon._ Municipal borough of Warwickshire, England. Here
William Shakespeare was born.
_Stuttgart._ Capital of Württemberg, Germany. Founded in the thirteenth
century.
_Suchau_ or _Soochow_. City of Kiangsu, China. Treaty port.
_Suez._ City of Egypt, southern (Red Sea) terminus of Suez Canal, which
goes north to the Mediterranean.
_Surabaya_ or _Soerabaya_. Dutch: Soerabaja. Dutch province of Java and
its capital, a seaport.
_Susa_ or (Biblical) _Shusan_. Winter residence of the Persian kings of
antiquity, in Elam.
_Sweden._ Scandinavian kingdom of Europe. Has been united with Denmark
and Norway, with the latter of which it shares the Scandinavian
Peninsula. The last Swedish-Norwegian union lasted from 1814 to 1905.
_Switzerland._ German: Schweiz. French: Suisse. Italian: Svizzera.
Republic of Europe. The most important of the languages spoken are,
in the order named, German, French, Italian, and Romansh. S. is a
confederation of cantons, and the division of governmental powers
between local divisions and the federal authorities somewhat resembles
the U. S. system. The Swiss navy is not very important.
_Sybaris._ Ancient Greek town in Lucania. The wealthy inhabitants were
experts in providing delight to their senses. This colony of southern
Italy has left to us the word _sybarite_, a luxury-loving and usually
effeminate person.
_Sydney._ Capital and important commercial center of New South Wales,
Australia.
_Syracuse._ Italian: Siracusa. City of Sicily, the chief town in
ancient times. Founded by Dorian Greeks. The Athenians were defeated
here B. C. 413. Also, city of New York State.
_Syria_ or _Aram_. In the widest sense, the region in western Asia
bounded by the Mediterranean, the Arabian Desert, the Tigris, and the
mountains of Armenia, inhabited by Semitic peoples. Also the region
north of Palestine now under French control.
_Tabriz._ Capital of Persian Azerbaijan. Important commercial center.
_Tagus._ Spanish: Tajo. Portuguese: Tejo. River of Spain and Portugal.
_Tanagra._ Ancient town of Boeotia, Greece. The Athenians were defeated
nearby, B. C. 457.
_Tananarivo_ or _Antananarivo_. French: Tananarive. Capital of
Madagascar.
_Tangier._ Seaport of Morocco, where Emperor William II made a speech
in 1905 which helped to bring about the World War.
_Taranto._ Ancient: Tarentum. City of Lecce, Apulia, Italy. Was the
leading Greek city in Italy, and under Roman rule it had a reputation
for luxury.
_Tarshish._ Country mentioned in the Bible, connected with shipping.
It is not known just where T. was. The Phoenician coast and Italy are
possibilities.
_Tarsus._ City of Turkey. Was the capital of the Roman province of
Cilicia. St. Paul was born here.
_Tartary_ or _Tatary_. Country of the Tartars or Tatars. Parts of
Russia and central and eastern Asia.
_Tasmania._ Island near Australia, part of the Australian Commonwealth.
_Taurus._ Mountain chain of Asia Minor.
_Teheran._ Capital of Persia and important commercial center.
_Tempe._ Valley of ancient Thessaly, the beauty of which is much
praised by ancient poets.
_Tenedos._ Turkish island in the Aegean Sea. The Greeks retired here,
in Homer’s story, when they left the iron horse before Troy.
_Teos._ The ancient town in Asia Minor where Anacreon was born.
_Thames._ Celebrated river of England, also rivers in Connecticut and
Ontario, Canada.
_Thasus._ Greek island in the Aegean Sea, at one time occupied by the
Phoenicians.
_Thebes_ or _Thebae_. Two cities of antiquity. One was the capital of
Egypt for a time, and was said to be the oldest city in the world. It
is the No or No-Ammon of the Bible. The other was the chief city of
Boeotia, important in Greek legend. It is the modern Thivai.
_Thermopylae._ Pass leading from Thessaly into Locris, Greece. Here
Leonidas and his three hundred Spartans valiantly fought against the
armies of Xerxes, B. C. 480. Also called: Pylae.
_Thessalonica_ and _Therma_. Ancient names for Salonica, q. v.
_Thessaly._ Ancient division of Greece. Also: Thessalia.
_Thrace_ or _Thracia_. Ancient country of eastern Europe, part of the
Macedonian Empire, then a Roman province.
_Tiber._ Latin: Tiberis, Tybris, Tiberinus. Italian: Tevere. River of
Italy, on which Rome stands.
_Tibet._ Asiatic country dependent on China. Also: Thibet.
_Tierra del Fuego._ Islands at the southern tip of South America,
separated from mainland by the Strait of Magellan.
_Tiflis._ Province of Asiatic Russia and its capital.
_Tigris._ River of western Asia, joins Euphrates and falls into the
Persian Gulf.
_Tokio_ or _Tokyo_. Capital and chief city of Japan.
_Toledo._ Province of Spain and its capital, a city of much historical
importance. Has been capital of Visigoth and Mohammedan kingdoms and of
the Christian kingdom of Castile. Ecclesiastical center of Spain. The
swords of T. have been famous. Also, city of Ohio, manufacturing center
and lake port.
_Toronto._ Capital of Ontario, Canada, located on Lake Ontario.
_Toulon._ French port and naval station on the Mediterranean.
_Toulouse._ Old city of Haute-Garonne, France, capital of the
department. University.
_Trafalgar._ Spanish cape near which Nelson won a great naval victory
but was himself slain.