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Physical Geography: Turkey

Total loss of territory to Turkey in Europe Principality of Bulgaria created, remaining tributary to Turkey Bosnia and Herzegovina put under the administration of 1,701 24,700 19,734 : 5,162 13,861 75,587 FRANCE,

President of the Republic. - Marie Francois Sadi Carnot, b. Aug. 11, 1837; elected Dec. 3, 1887, in place of Francois Paul Jules Grevy, resigned.

This is one of the principal countries of Europe, being the fourth in size, and ranking commercially with Great Britain. It is situated between lat. 42° 20' and 51° 6' N., and long. 4° 48' W. and 7° 38' E. On the N. it is bounded by the English Channel and the Straits of Dover, N.-E. by the German Empire, Luxemburg, and Belgium; E. by Italy and Switzerland, S. by Spain and the Mediterranean, and W. by the Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay. Its greatest length from N.-W. to S.-E. is 675 m., and its greatest breadth about 540 m. Including Corsica and the islands of the coast the area is about 204,000 sq. m. The coast line is moderately regular, and extends over 1500 m. There are some good natural harbors, and those of Marseilles, Toulon, Bordeaux, Cherburg, and Havre have been greatly improved. Much of the surface consists of an elevated plateau, but there are several mountain chains of considerable importance. On the S. are the Pyrenees, with the Pic du Midi, Mount Perdu, and others, from 9000 to 11,000 ft. in height. The Alps on the S.-E., and the Jura and Vosges ranges on the E. have many lofty peaks, the chief being the Point des Ecrins in the Dauphiny Alps, 13,500 ft. The Cevennes Mountains and the mountains of Auvergne, with the Puy de Dôme, Mont d'Or, and the Plomb de Cantal, each over 6000 ft., are the highest elevations of the interior. The chief rivers are the Loire, Garonne, Moselle, Somme, Seine, Gironde, Oise, Marne, Rhone, and Saone. Lakes are few and small, and the islands of the Bay of Biscay and the Channel are of no great importance. The Moselle, Meuse, and Scheldt-these last two being properly Belgian--drain the extreme N.-E., and the Somme and Seine, and some smaller streams in the N., fall into the British Channel. The Loire, which is the largest river, and with its tributaries drains the central part of France, rises in the Cevennes at Mount Mezin, and has a N.-W. and W. course to the Bay of Biscay. The Garonne enters from Spain, through one of the passes of the Pyrenees, and flows N.-E., and afterwards N.-W., until at Bordeaux it becomes the Gironde, which is practically an arm of the sea rather than a river. The Saone has its source in the Vosges, and at Lyons joins the Rhone; the stream thence to the Gulf of Lyons being known by the latter name. Corsica, famous as the birthplace of the great Napoleon, lies between lat. 41° 20' and 43° N., and long. 8° 30' and 9° 30' E., and contains about 3400 sq. m. It is a mountainous country, rich in timber and minerals, and the area of cultivable soil is limited. The island was known to the ancient Phoenicians and Romans, and has been held successively by the Goths, Saracens, Genoese, and French. Its population is about 270,000, mostly of Italian descent, and the Italian language is spoken.