Baluchistan
2 of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Baluchistan. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a country in Asia, the coast of which is continuous with the N. W. seaboard of India, bounded on the N. by Afghanistan, on the W. by Persia, on the S. by the Arabian Sea, and on the E. by Sind. It has an area of about 135,000 square miles, and a population estimated at 850,000. The general surface of the country is rugged and mountainous, with some extensive intervals of barren, sandy deserts, and there is a general deficiency of water. The country is almost entirely occupied by pastoral tribes under semi-independent sirdars or chiefs. The inhabitants are divided into two great branches, the Baluchis and Brahuis, differing in their language, figure, and manners. The Baluchis in general have tall figures, long visages, and prominent features; the Brahuis on the contrary, have short, thick bones, with round faces and flat lineaments, with hair and beards frequently brown. Both races are zealous Mohammedans, hospitable, brave, and capable of enduring much fatigue. The Khan of Khelat is nominal ruler of about one half of the total area, and in 1877 concluded a treaty with Great Britain, which placed the whole country at the disposal of the British for military purposes. Another part, area 46,960 square miles, called British Baluchistan, is administered by a chief commissioner. The balance of the country consists of a native state called Las Bela (7,132 square miles) and various tribal areas (7,268 square miles).
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a dependency of India. It lies on the northwestern frontier of India. It lies between Afghanistan and the Arabian Sea . The entire country may be classified as British "administered" territory, native states, and tribal areas. The total area is 131,855 square miles. The population is about 913,751. In matters of religion nineteen-twentieths of the people are Mohammedans. The surface consists largely of deserts, stony plains, and mountains. The climate is considered severe. Rainfall is uncertain. Nevertheless, the soil is fertile wherever water can be had. Corn, potatoes, millet, alfalfa, rice, wheat, and barley are important crops. Melons, grapes, apricots, peaches, apples, and, on the coast, dates, are grown to perfection. Camels, horses, cattle, and donkeys are the most important domestic animals. As in Afghanistan and Persia, the peasants excel in making rugs, blankets, needlework, leather work, and pottery. Baluchistan has been under the protection of the British Empire since 1879. The administration seat is Kelat. Quetta, the most important town, may be reached by rail from the Indus.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Both accounts describe a British protectorate of pastoral tribes under the Khan of Kelat, with Collier's putting the whole population at about 850,000 in 1921. In 1935 an earthquake levelled Quetta, the "most important town" Aiton's noted was reachable by rail from the Indus, killing tens of thousands; twelve years later British India was partitioned, and Kalat, after briefly declaring independence, acceded to Pakistan in March 1948. Balochistan is now divided between Pakistan (its largest and poorest province, roughly 15 million people), Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province, and part of southern Afghanistan, with Baloch nationalist insurgencies recurring in Pakistan since 1948 and continuously since about 2004. The Sui gas field, found in 1952, and the deep-water port at Gwadar, bought from Oman in 1958 and rebuilt with Chinese money, have given the "barren, sandy deserts" of the old entries an economic and strategic value nobody in 1921 anticipated.
Written for this edition, 2026.