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    national geographic very first issue

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    national geographic very first issue

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    13 views90 pages

    1888-Vol 1 No 1

    Uploaded by

    canadutchy
    national geographic very first issue

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 90
    NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. | MAGAZINE Grr Sa orci. oy rite NATIONAL GEROGRAPIIG SOCIRTY. WASHISHTON, BC, CONTENTS Asnual Addreay of tha Presidents, aAfrion, Sa Page and Pytura: Gardiner G Habhued Ree Toparts of the Vico-Preshents ; Gromrnphy nf the Land: Herhert-G: Oyun - ‘Genpraphr of the Ben: Goorse fa-Dywe. Hrdvoeranien BSC Groxraphy of tha Air: PS CANE Sere OR We’ Aas Grography ot Tite: Cait! Merciamle Se | Tees i idee mr PSST Secu a SONU) pe natn Gomme tea : = 309 18 Br a THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE. AFRICA, ITS PAST AND FUTURE. Aviica, the oldest of the continents, containing the earliest remains of man, and the birthplace of Eurojean civilization, is the last to bo explored. Long before the temples of India or the palaces of Niueveh were built, before the hanging garden of Babylon wae planted, the pyramids of Cheops and Cepliren hail been constructed, the temples of Palmyra and ‘Thebes tilled with worshipers. Greeve owes its civil its beautiful orders of architecture came from the land of tot uf Egypt had growi old, and was in its decay, when Rone was born. ‘Think what a vast abyss of time separates tis frome the days of Ronsalas and Remus! And yot the pyramids of Exypr were then older by u thousand years than all the centuries that have passed since then. For ages upon ages, Africa Las refused to reveal its secrets ty ivilived man, and, thongh explorers have penetrated it fron: side, it remains today’ the dark coutinent. ‘This isolation of Africa is due to its position and formation, It is vant formed trianile, with few good harbors; without navigable for oceau-yessels, lying mainly in the torrid sone, A fringe « low scorched land, recking with malaria, extends in unbroke monotony all along the coast, threatening death to the adventur- ous explorer, Our ignorance of Africa is mot in consoquence of vou 1 . 100 National Geographic Magazine. its situation under the equator, for South America in the torrid tone has long been known. ‘There the explorer easily: penetrates its recesses on its great rivers,—the Orinoco, Amazon, xd La Plata,—for they are navigable from the ocean farinto the interior, The Amazon, 3,000 miles from its mouth, is only 210 feet above the ocean-level, and, with its branches, ix navigable far 10,000 miles. Afriea also has three great rivers;—one on ench side of ‘this peninstla. On the north, the Nile, the river of the past, empties inte the Mediterranean Sea, but its navigation ix soon interrupted by five cxtaravts ; so that the camel, the ship of the desert, bears the wares of Eurnpe from the foot of the first cataract far up the river, 560 miles, to Berber, whence they are again, shipped by boat 2,000 miles to Gondokoro, elose tw the lakes Albert and Viotoria Nyanga, 4000 fect above the seatevel, 4,200 miles hy water from the Mediterranean. On the west, the Kengo, the river of the future, empties into the Atlantic Qeean under the equaterial sun; but its navigation is alko impeded by suocessive falls extending from its month to Stanley Pool, ‘Then therw is almost uninterrupted navigation on the river and its tributaries fer 10,000 mil Far inland the head waters of its northaustern Inanches imerlaee with the waters of the Nile Another branch anggany in eastern Afriva, while the main river finds ity source higher: up in the mountsins, north of Lake Nyassa, 5,000 feet above the sealevel. On theeast the Zambezi, the groat river of southern vmpties inti the Tidian Geenn opposite Madagasear. tion of its main branch, the Shiry, is interrupted not from the ocean, The Zambexi itself i navienble to the rapids near Tete, 240 miles from its month ; while one or two hundred. miles higher up are the mighty falls of Vietoria, only exceeded in velume of water hy the Niagara, and nearly equal in height, Th whatever direction Europeans attempted to penetete Africa, they were met by insurmountable obstacles, Commanication hy water was prevented by fills near the mouths of great rivers, ‘The yreater part of the coast was very unhealthy, and, where not unhealthy, a desert was behind it; but these obstacles, which formerly prevented exploration, now. stimulate the traveler, The modern explorati menced one hundred years ago, when Mimgo Park crossed the Desert of Sahara, and lost his life in descending the Niger. From that time to the Africa, its Past and Future, 101 present, travelers in ever-increasing numbers have entered Africa from every side, Some who have entered from the Atlantie or Pacifio coasts have beew lost in its wilds, and two or three years after have emerged ou the opposite const; others have passed from the coaat, and have never been heard from, Zanzibar has been a favorite starting-point for the lake region of Contral Africa, Stanley started from Zaneibar on his search for Living- stone with two white men, but returned alone. Cameron set out by the same path with two companions, but, upon reaching the lake region, he was alone. Keith Johnson, two or three yearn ago, started with two Europeans: within a couple of months. he was ons. Probably every sevond man, stricken down by fever or accident, has left hia bones co bleach along the road. Drum. mond, a recent explorer of Africa, chose a route by the Zamberi and Shire Rivers as healthier and more desirable. Let us hear bis experience. Early in his journey, at the missionary station of Livingstonia, on Lake Nyauza, he entered a missionary home: it jean; English furniture in the room, books lying about, dishes in the euphourds; but no missionary, He went to the next house: it was the sehool; the benches and books were there, but neither scholars nor teacher. Next, to the blacksnith shop: there were the tools and anvil, but no bincksmith, And s0 on to the next and the next, all in peefeot order, but all empty. A little way off, among the mimosa groves, under a huge granite mountain, Were graves: therw were the missionaries, ‘The Niger is the only river in all Afriea navigable by small steamers from the ocean; bat the Niger does not give acces to the interior, ws it rises within 100 miles of the oeean, and, after making a great bend around the mountains of the Guinea const, empties into the ocean only about five degrees south of ite source, after a cours of 2,500 miles, Its main branch, the Benue (or Mother of Waters"), is navigable 400 or 600 miles shove its junction with the Niger. ‘The country throngl which it flows is thickly peopled and well cultivated ; but the natives: are fiero and warlike, and have until recently prevented any exploration of the Benue. Tax Movwrams oF Apmica. As mountain-ranges determine the course of rivers, influence the rainfall, and temper the climate, we must understand the mountain system of Africa before we can understand the con- tinent asa whole, 102 National Geographic Magazine, Standing on the citadel at Caifo, and looking south, you see a sandstone ridge which gradually grows in altitude and width of hase as it mus far away to the south, oven to the Cape of Good Tlope at the other end of Aftiea, Successive rangés of mount- nine follow the coast, sometimes near, at ethers two or three hundred miles inland; the land, in the latter case, ascending from the coast. The only breaks in this long ebain are whore the Zainbexi and Limpope force their way to the Indian Ocean. In Abyssinia, on the Red Sea, there is a range of snowy mountains 14,700 feet in height, A few hundred miles to the southeast, snd near Lake Victoria Nyamma, almost under the equator, is another snow-capped mountain, Kilima Njaro, 18,700 feet high,—the highest mountain in Africa, —and the mountains of Massai-Land, a continuation of the Abyssinian Mountains, Another range, apparently an offshoot of the long range from the Red Sea, forms a wall 100 miles long, and 19,000 feet bigh, on the east of Lake Nynset, separating the waters of that lake from the Indian Qeean, This range continues to the Zambeai, South of this river the mountains rise $000 to 10,000 feet in height, In Cape Colony are several ranges of mountains, The highest: peak is Compas Berg, 8,500 feet. Tn the eastern center of Afrien, in the equatorial region, is an clevated plateau in which is the lake region, then there is a sudden rise, and a gradual descent towards the Atlantic. ‘There are few conting- ous ranges of mountains on the western coast; but at Kamerun there is a cluster of mountains reaching an elevation of 13,100 feet; and south of Moroeca some of the penks of the Atiss Mountains reach an elevation of 12,000 to 14,000 feet, but they have little if any influence on the rainfall or temperature of the countey. It will be seen from this statement that eastern Afriew has high mountain-ranges rising into an elevated plateau; that the land in Equatorial Africa gradually descends toward the west and north-west until within one or two hundred miles of the Atlantic Ocean, when the désevnt is rapid te the Tow ind tine healthy coust-lands, "Through equatorial Africa runs the Kongo, the laud north of the Kongo gradually rising to am elevation of about 2,000 feet, and then descending to 1,200 feet at Lake Chad. South of the Kongo the land rises to un elevation of 3,000 feet, and retains this elevation far south into the Portu- suede territory. Afrion, ity Past and Future. 10 Careful computations have heen made te aneertain the average elevation of the continent. The mean of the most careful esti- mates ix a little over 2,000 feet. ‘The interior ix therefore ele- vated above the minsmatic influences of the eoust, but exactly what effect: this elevation has upon the: temperature can only’ be ascertained pftor careful investigation and a series of observa- tions North of Guinea and Senegambia the coast is less iim healthy; but, 9s the Desert of Sahara extends to the ocean, the country is of tittle value, and is therefore left to the native tribes, anclaimed by Europeans. In the International Scientific Series it is stated thit there are ih Africa ten active voleances—four on the west const, and on the east,—but Thuve not found any corroboration of this report, and think i¢ very doubtful if there are any voleanoes now in eruption. ‘The Kilima Njaro and Kameran were formerly active volcanoes, for the craters still exist. In the mouth the diamond-ticlds are of volcanic ash formation, Equaroniat, Apxic. ‘The lake region of Africa stretches from the head watery of the upper Nile three degrees south, to the waters of the Zambezi, fifteen degrees sauth,—a lake region unequalled, in extent and volume of water, except by our lakes. Here is the Viotoria Nyanga, the queen of inland seas, 4,000 feet above the seatevel; aid a long serioe of Iakes, great avd «mall, at equal elevation, The more striking are Bangweolo to’ the south-west, the grave of Living- stone, and Nyassi on the south-enst. In their depths the Ni the Konge River, und the Shire (the main branch of the Zaniberi) have their source, ‘The great belt of wquatorial Afriea, situated between the 15th parallel of north tatittide and the 13th parallel of south latitude, ‘hus continuous rains, is everywhere well watered, and haya rich and fertile spil, Some portions are thiekly populated, and it is vapable of sustaining 4 dense population, North snd south of this belt there are two other belts of nearly equal width. ln vach of these belts there are wet and dry seasons, with abtmdant rain for the crops. The heaviest rainfall in the north belt is in dune; while in the south belt in December. ‘The rainfall gradually grows less toward the north, and-also toward the sou until it ceases in the Desert of Sahara on the north, and in Wi Nation Geayraphic Magazine. the Desert of Kalahari on the sonth. On the edge of these deserts are Lake Chad vu the north, and Lake Ngami on the south, North of the Desert of Sahara, and santh of the Desert of Rolahari, there is an abundant eainfall, » healthy elimare, and fertile soil. Moroeco, Algiers, and Tripoli, on the Mediterra: wean, ate in the terth region ; and Zulu-Land, the Orange Free aul Cape Colony, in the corresponding region of the sauth, yoron of Afriea north of the equator is three or four ee greater than that south, and the Sahara Desert anid Lake Chiel ate aevetal times wreator than the Kalahari Desert and Sarid. The Salata Desurt, the waterless oowat three times ws the Mediterranean, extends from the Atlantic Qveau tw the Red Sea, broken only by the narrow valley wf tha Nile, Tt is interspersed with onses, with, the valleys of many dry streams, and with

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