Penza
a government of Russia. It has an area of about 15,000 square miles.
The surface of the country is rolling, and slopes toward the N. W. The principal rivers are the Moksha and the Sura.
The climate is severe. The chief occupation is agriculturing, and rye, oats, and wheat were produced in large quantities before the World War. There are also important manufacturing industries which employed, before the war, over 12,000 men, with an annual production valued at $10,000,000. The chief products were paper, flour, oil, and matches. Pop. about 1,875,700. The capital is the city of the same name.
It is the seat of the Greek Catholic Bishop and has a monastery and convent and several schools. There were, before the war, important manufactures of paper, lumber, flour and iron. Pop. about 80,000.