Cape Colony: | Madeira:
Ostrich Feathers $4,656,900 | Wine $525,740
Angora Hair 1,359,020 | Sugar 165,800
Diamonds 13,712,350 | Bananas 9,680
Copper 2,270,565 | Pineapples 2,110
|
Marocco: | Sierra Leone:
Almonds $394,000 | Cola Nuts 819,175 lbs.
Cattle 393,880 | Gum Copal 452,196 "
Dates 27,480 | Palm Oil 250,730 gals.
Eggs 156,210 | Palm Kernels 21,624,681 lbs.
Gums 244,885 | Ginger 1,277,635 "
Shoes 527,420 | Rubber 1,084,219 "
|
Liberia: | Egypt:
Ivory 1,116 lbs. | Cotton $37,328,905
Coffee 250,136 " | Rice 606,785
Rubber 133,119 " | Sugar 1,971,590
Palm Oil 1,100,222 gals. | Cottonseed 8,482,670
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MAROCCO. Ma-rok'ko.
An empire of Africa, formerly the largest of the Barbary States. Area,
219,000 square miles. Population, 5,000,000. Atlas Mountains cross the
country; rivers few and small. Atlantic coast line, 750 miles long;
Mediterranean, 250 miles.
The Sultan's authority is supreme in spiritual and temporal matters.
Estimated yearly revenue of Sultan, $2,500,000. Marocco has three capitals:
Fez (pop., 80,000) is the chief; Marocco, the old metropolis (pop.,
50,000); and Mequinez (pop., 56,000).
Both climate and soil are well suited to the production of wheat, barley,
corn and other grains; agriculture is neglected for pastoral pursuits.
Marocco supposed to be rich in minerals.
Foreigners control the maritime trade; Tangier is the main port; seven
others open to foreign commerce. Import of cotton, 1882, valued at
$3,401,130; sugar, $1,390,240; rice, flour, etc., $1,462,090. Exports,
1882: wool, $1,116,850; shoes, $527,420; almonds, $394,000; cattle,
$393,880. In 1882, 1,050 vessels, of 314,794 tons, entered, and 1,047, of
315,559 tons, cleared, the ports of Marocco.
ALGERIA. Al-jee're-a.
Situated in North Africa; the most important French colonial possession.
Area, about 161,476 square miles. Coast line, 550 miles. Climate variable;
mean annual temperature at Algiers, 66.5deg.
Government of settled districts administered by a Governor General; others
under military rule. Civil government divided into three departments, each
of which sends 2 Deputies and 1 Senator to the French Chambers. Algiers the
capital; pop., 1881, 70,747. Total population of Algeria, 1881, 3,310,412;
French, 233,937.
Agriculture the principal industry; in 1881, 2,328,636 thus engaged. In
1882, 40,000,000 acres in farms; 5,460,000 under cereals; wheat product,
559,500 tons; barley, 790,000; number of acres devoted to vine culture,
99,000. Olive oil manufactured in 1880, 574,000 gals. Yield of tobacco,
from 20,000 acres, 9,490,000 lbs. In 1882 there were 1,027,913 cattle,
5,142,321 sheep, 3,056,660 goats.
Imports, 1883, $47,639,790; exports, $33,788,880. In 1883, 4,803 vessels,
of 1,954,423 tons, entered Algerian ports. Number miles railway, 993. Miles
of line of telegraph in 1882, 3,645. In 1881 there were 619 students in the
higher schools; number of secondary schools, 16; pupils, 3,561; 916 infant
and primary schools, with 79,201 pupils.
TUNIS. Tu'niss.
A kingdom or regency of Africa, formerly one of the Barbary States; since
1881 under the protectorate of France. The government is practically
administered by a Minister Resident and two Secretaries. The area of the
country is about 42,000 square miles, and the population is estimated to
number 2,100,000. Capital, Tunis; population variously estimated from
100,000 to 120,000.
There are twelve ports open to foreign trade. The imports average
$5,500,000 per annum, and the exports $6,500,000. The principal articles of
export are wheat, barley, esparto grass (used in making paper), olive oil,
dates, wool and skins. Principal imports, manufactured goods, liquors,
sugar and flour.
In 1883, 3,768 vessels, of 1,524,429 tons, entered Tunisian ports; of these
1,222, of 1,018,538 tons, were French. Tunis has about 200 miles of
railway, and 2,500 miles of telegraph. {49}
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EGYPT. E'jipt.
A dependency of Turkey, situated in North Africa. Estimated area, 394,240
square miles. Population, 6,806,381. Territory covered by sandy deserts,
except where the annual inundations of the Nile render it fertile. Rain
falls once in three or four years. The agricultural population forms 61 per
cent. of the total.
Egypt is a Province of the Ottoman Empire; yet it is independent at the
same time, and its sovereignty is dependent on the will of stronger powers,
England being dominant. Absolute executive power is in the hands of the
Khedive, under the supervision of England. Provincial Councils and a
Legislative Council advise with the Khedive on matters purely local. Cairo,
capital; pop., 368,106.
Under the Pharaohs, Egypt was an agricultural country. It is distinguished
for the prominent part it played in ancient history, its ruins, and
situation with reference to the Suez Canal.
Commerce extensive, consists largely of goods in transit; carries on a
large trade with Central Africa. In 1883, imports, $42,984,880; exports,
$61,549,425. Principal export, cotton; value, 1883, $37,328,905.
The railway system, 1884, consisted of a single line, 1,276 miles long.
Miles of government telegraph, 1884, 2,767. Eastern telegraph company have
a line to Cairo, 455 miles in length.
Population of chief towns, 1882: Alexandria, 208,755; Damietta, 34,046;
Tantah, 33,735; Mansourah, 26,784; Zagazig, 19,046; Rosetta, 16,671; Port
Said, 16,560; Suez, 10,913.
The Nile is the only river in Egypt. The Suez Canal connects the
Mediterranean with the Red Sea; opened for navigation, November, 1869;
length, 100 miles; number of vessels passed through in 1883, 3,307, of
8,106,001 tons; gross receipts, $13,227,530; net profits, $7,172,700. In
1883, postoffice carried 9,587,000 letters.
NUBIA. Nu'be-a.
A country of Eastern Africa. From 1821 to 1884 Nubia was under the dominion
of Egypt. Since the southern boundary of Egypt can not yet be regarded as
fixed, it is impossible to give trustworthy statistics of the area and
population of Nubia. The fertile part of the country lies chiefly in the
valley of the Nile. The climate is hot and dry, but generally healthful.
Chief products are barley, cotton, indigo, durrah, dates, tobacco, senna
and coffee. An extensive transit trade is carried on with Egypt and
interior Africa, in gold dust, ostrich feathers and senna. The entire
valley contains the remains of ancient buildings, the most numerous lying
below Dongola.
ABYSSINIA, (Ab-is-sin'e-a.)
or HABESH.
An isolated country of Eastern Africa, consisting of three divisions,
Amhara, Tigre and Shoa. Tigre and Amhara constitute one kingdom, and Shoa
another; they are all divided into a great number of smaller provinces.
Gondar, in Amhara, is the capital of all Ethiopia. Capital of Shoa,
Ankobar; of Tigre, Adowa. Area about 200,000 square miles. Population about
3,000,000. Drained by numerous rivers emptying into the Nile.
Lowland soil grows wheat, cotton, maize, rice, sugar cane and flax. No
foreign trade except exportation of small quantities of ivory, musk, coffee
and gold dust; manufactures limited. Inhabitants a mixture of many races,
warlike and uncivilized. {51}
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MADAGASCAR. Mad`a-gas'kar.
The largest African island; the third largest in the world. Area, 228,500
square miles. Population, 3,500,000. Near the centre of island, within an
arc of 90 miles, there are 100 extinct volcanoes. Mean yearly temperature
about 77deg.
Government is an absolute monarchy, limited by powerful customs. The island
has been swayed by the dynasty of the Hovas since 1810. Since the treaty of
Tamatave, March 17, 1886, the country has been under the protectorate of
France. Commercial and diplomatic relations established between the island
and United States, Great Britain and France, in this century, previous to
1868. Capital, Tananarivo; population estimated at 100,000.
Soil generally fertile; forests of valuable timber abound. Chief products
are rice, sugar, silk, cotton, bananas, potatoes, India rubber. Stock
raising and agriculture are the main industries. Chief exports are cattle,
hides, coffee, lard, sugar, vanilla, wax, gum, rice and seeds; principal
imports are metal goods, rum and cotton goods. Silver five-franc piece the
only legal coin; franc is cut into pieces for smaller coins. Tamatave
principal port; pop., 6,000; number of ships entering her harbor during
last six months of 1882, 116. In the same time the value of imports at
Tamatave from the United States was $207,410; value of exports to United
States, $257,485.
Standing army, 20,000. Three-fourths of people Pagans. Christianity the
state religion. Education is compulsory; 1,167 schools, with 150,906
pupils, in Imerina, the chief Province.
MOZAMBIQUE. Mo-zam-beek'.
A colonial possession of Portugal on the east coast of Africa. Area, 38,000
square miles. A few settlements and military posts exercise feeble
authority over the inhabitants. The climate is genial, and the soil capable
of producing wheat, maize, tobacco, cotton and sugar cane. The chief towns
are: St. Sebastian (pop., 1,510), Ibo (pop. about 2,000), Sofala (pop.
2,000), and St. Thiajo Major. The forests abound in valuable timber trees;
pearl fisheries are important, and the mineral deposits are of exceptional
value. The gold mines of Mauica are supposed to be the richest in East
Africa. Ivory is obtained in large quantities for the Indian market; annual
value about $350,000. Other exports are India rubber, gums, oil, beeswax
and corn. Shipping trade is carried on by about 400 vessels. The capital is
Mozambique.
ZANZIBAR. Zan`ze-bar'.
An empire of Eastern Africa, consisting of the Island of Zanzibar, and
settlements along the coast from Cape Delgado as far as 3deg north
latitude. The limits of the Sultan's dominions inland are not known; but,
beyond a few travel routes, his authority extends but a little way from the
coast. The island has an area of 625 square miles, and a population
variously estimated from 150,000 to 300,000. Population of the town of
Zanzibar, 90,000; of Bagamoyo, on the opposite mainland, 10,000.
The religion of the country is Mohammedanism. Christian missions are
established on the island and far into the mainland. Value of imports,
1882, $4,000,000; exports, $5,000,000. The exports are ivory, cloves, India
rubber and gum. In 1882, 85 vessels, of 89,773 tons, entered the ports. The
imports are chiefly cotton cloths, rice, cereals, kerosene oil and guns.
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