A Dictionary of
Geographical Names

Aachen. The ancient Aquisgranum, in French: Aix-la-Chapelle. A city of Rhenish Prussia, Germany. Formerly the capital of Charlemagne and Pepin the Little.

Aar. A Swiss river.

Aargau. In French: Argovie. A canton of Switzerland.

Aberdeen. Old city of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Now an important manufacturing center.

Aberdeen or Aberdeenshire. A Scottish county.

Aboukir or Abukir. Village fifteen miles from Alexandria, Egypt. In Abukir Bay was fought the Battle of the Nile, in which Nelson won a great victory.

Abydos. An ancient town on the Hellespont (Dardanelles). More frequently, an Egyptian city near the western bank of the Nile, no longer in existence.

Abyssinia. Independent state in Africa, governed by a monarch.

Acadia. In French: Acadie. Former name of Nova Scotia.

Achaia. Northern coast of the Peloponnesus or a district in Thessaly, in ancient times. The whole of southern Greece as a Roman province.

Acre. City in Beirut Vilayet, Syria. Important in the Crusades.

[Pg 6]

Actium. Promontory in Acarnania, at entrance to the Ambracian Gulf, where Augustus gained a great victory over Antony and Cleopatra.

Adelaide. Capital of South Australia, important commercial center.

Aden. British fortified settlement and coaling station in Arabia.

Adirondacks. Mountains in northern New York, part of the Appalachian system.

Adrianople. Anciently, Hadrianopolis or Adrianopolis, the city of Hadrian. City in Turkey, once the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

Adriatic. Sea, branch of Mediterranean, east of Italy.

Aegean. Sea, between Mediterranean and Sea of Marmora, between Greece and Asia Minor.

Afghanistan. Country in Asia, north and west of India.

Africa. Continent, connected with Asia by a small strip of land (cut by Suez Canal) and separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea. Northern Africa was known to the ancients, but Europeans have only lately learned to know the southern part and the interior well. Most of Africa is occupied by European colonies. Area, 11,608,000 sq. mi.

Aisne. River in northern France. Battlefield in Great War. Department of France.

Aix-la-Chapelle. See Aachen.

Ajaccio. Capital of Corsica, birthplace of Napoleon.

Alaska. Territory of U. S., in northwestern part of North America.

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Alba Longa. Most ancient town in Latium, near Rome. Destroyed by Tullius Hostilius.

Albania. Ancient country east of Iberia. Country in the Balkans.

Albany. Capital of New York. Name of various other cities and towns, mostly in U. S. River in Ontario.

Albion. Old name for England.

Albuquerque. City in New Mexico. City in Philippines.

Aleppo. City in Syria, controlled by French.

Alexandria. Several cities founded by Alexander the Great bore this name. Old capital of Egypt, now an important seaport. Ancient cities near Troy, at entrance of Syria, at the mouth of the Tigris. Modern cities in Virginia, in Rumania.

Algeria. French colony in northern Africa.

Algiers. In French: Alger. Capital of Algeria, important seaport.

Alps. Mountain system in Europe.

Alsace-Lorraine. Region long disputed between France and Germany. These provinces are now French.

America. Two continents, North and South America. The New World.

Amiens. French city with a celebrated cathedral.

Amsterdam. The most important city of the Netherlands. A great seaport.

Amu Darya. River in central Asia.

Anatolia. Asia Minor, part of Turkey.

Andes. Mountain system in the western part of South America.

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Andorra. Semi-independent republic in the Pyrenees, controlled by France. The language is Catalan. In French: Andorre.

Angola. Portuguese dependency in western Africa.

Angora. Province of Turkey and city in the province. Now one of the capitals of the republic.

Annam. French protectorate in Indo-China, also called Anam. Nominally a kingdom.

Annapolis. Capital of Maryland, seat of U. S. Naval Academy.

Antarctic. Ocean around South Pole.

Antilles. West Indies, islands in Atlantic, off Central America and southern North America, or two groups of them.

Antioch. City of Syria, important in ancient times.

Antipodes. Lands on the opposite side of globe, as Australasia. A group of islands near and under the control of New Zealand.

Antwerp. Capital of province of same name, chief city of Belgium, important industrially and commercially.

Appalachian. Mountain system in eastern North America.

Arabia. Peninsula of southwestern Asia. Political divisions include Aden, Asir, Hejaz, Jebel Shammar, Kuweit, Nejd and Hasa, Oman, and Yemen.

Aragon. Old kingdom, now part of Spain.

Arcadia. Ancient country of Greece. This mountainous district was supposed to be occupied by contented shepherds. The name is often to be found in literature, sometimes[Pg 9] under the poetical form of Arcady. Literary Arcadia owes much to Virgil, Sannazzaro, and Sidney.

Archangel. Russian city, of interest because it is farther north than any other of equal importance. Base of operations against Bolshevists.

Arctic. Ocean around North Pole.

Argentina or Argentine Republic. One of the greatest countries of South America.

Argos. A town in Argolis, Greece, still in existence, but recorded here for its ancient importance. In Homer, Argos stands sometimes for the town itself, sometimes for the region of Argolis or for Agamemnon’s kingdom, or even for the entire Peloponnesus. The “Argives” are all the Greeks assembled against Troy in most cases.

Armenia. Ancient country of Asia, at one time divided between Roman and Persian Empires, Recently, divided among Russia, Persia, and Turkey. The Christians of A. evidently took considerable pleasure in being massacred by the Turks. (Russian) Armenia is one in the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics. In the Bible: Minni.

Aroostook. River and county in Maine. The county depends largely upon the potato crop.

Asia. Continent of the Old World. With Europe, part of Eurasia. A. is the largest of the continents, and it is very likely the place where civilization first arose. Area: 17,040,000 sq. mi. Name applied by ancients to the western part of Asia Minor, to the whole[Pg 10] continent, to a Roman province formed out of the kingdom of Pergamus.

Asia Minor or Anatolia. Roughly, the part of Asia north of the Mediterranean Sea. Long part of the Ottoman Empire.

Athens. The center of ancient Greek culture and capital of Attica. Now a flourishing city and the capital of Greece. Has been under Roman, Byzantine, and Turkish rule. Most celebrated for antique remains.

Atlantic. Ocean dividing Europe and Africa from America. Sometimes considered as two oceans, North and South Atlantic.

Atlantis. According to old tradition, a great island in the Atlantic, swallowed up by the ocean because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.

Atlas. System of mountains in northwestern Africa, where Atlas, son of Iapetus, is said once to have held up the skies.

Australasia. Arbitrary term used in maps to describe a part of the earth, including Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the Fiji Islands. Sometimes many other island groups are also included.

Australia. Continent of the southern hemisphere, between Indian and Pacific Oceans. May be considered an island rather than a continent. The Commonwealth of Australia is an autonomous part of the British Empire. Area: 2,948,000 sq. mi.

Austria. Republic of Europe, once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Has now only an area of about 32,000 sq. mi.

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Avignon. Old city of southern France, once called Avenio by the Romans. Has been a republic, part of Papal States, seat of the Popes.

Azerbaijan. One of the Socialist Soviet Republics. Formerly a Persian province. Between Armenia and the Caspian Sea.

Azores. Portuguese islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

Babylon. Great city of antiquity. Built on both banks of the Euphrates, long subject to Assyrian Empire, then the capital of Babylonia.

Bagdad. City of Mesopotamia, now in Iraq. Still of some importance.

Bahia. State of Brazil and its capital, the oldest city of Brazil.

Balearic. Spanish islands in the Mediterranean.

Balkan. Mountain system in southeastern Europe, peninsula between Black and Adriatic Seas. The Balkan countries may be said to include Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Jugo-Slavia (with Montenegro), and Rumania.

Baltimore. Important seaport city of Maryland.

Baluchistan. Country in British India, of which part is divided into native states.

Bangkok. Chief commercial city of Siam, also the capital.

Barbados, also Barbadoes. The most eastward of the West Indian islands. British colony.

Barcelona. Province of Spain and its capital, seaport and important city.

Basel. In French: Bâle. Swiss canton and city[Pg 12] in it; manufacturing, commercial, university town.

Basque or Biscayan. The region and language of the western Pyrenees. Basque provinces of Spain include Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa, and Álava.

Batavia. Dutch residency, bay, city, in East Indies. City is capital and most important commercial center of Dutch East Indies. In ancient writings and sometimes in modern ones, B. stands for the Netherlands or the general district of the Low Countries. In French Revolutionary times, there was a Batavian Republic in Europe. The Batavia were a Celtic people, for a time allied with the Romans.

Batum. Province and city, formerly in Russian Empire, now in Georgia.

Beirut. Seaport of Syria, now under French control. In ancient times, Berytus, a Phoenician port.

Belfast. Important commercial city in Northern Ireland, i.e., not in the Free State. Center of linen trade.

Belgium. In French: Belgique. Kingdom of western Europe, part of the Low Countries. Anciently, the territory of the Bellovaci, part of the Belgae, a Germanic people.

Belgrade. In Serbian: Beograd. Capital of Jugo-Slavia, commercial city and port.

Benares. District of India and its capital, an ancient city and a holy place for the Hindus.

Bengal. Presidency of British India, including mouths of Ganges and Brahmaputra. Bay, really part of Indian Ocean.

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Berlin. Capital of Prussia and German Republic. One of the great cities of the world, of historical as well as present importance.

Bermuda. Islands, British colony, 580 miles from North Carolina. Haven for thirsty Americans.

Berne or Bern. Canton of Switzerland and its capital, also the capital of the country. Once a free city.

Bethlehem. Town in Palestine, traditionally the birthplace of the Son of God. City in Pennsylvania, home of the Bethlehem Steel Company and the Moravian Theological Seminary.

Bhutan. Nominally independent kingdom in the eastern Himalayas.

Birmingham. City, civic county and borough of Warwickshire, England. Great manufacturing city, leading hardware center of the world. Also manufacturing city of Alabama, and several smaller places in U. S.

Biscay. Bay, part of Atlantic, north of Spain and west of France.

Biscayan. See Basque.

Black. Sea, also called Euxine, south of European Russia. The Greeks knew the sea at an early period, calling it Pontus or Pontus Euxinus.

Blenheim or Blindheim. Village in Bavaria, Germany, where the French were badly beaten in 1704.

Boeotia. District in ancient Greece. The Boeotians were proverbially stupid.

Bohemia. Old kingdom, long a crownland of[Pg 14] Austria, now part of Czecho-Slovakia. In Bohemian (Czech): Cechy.

Bokhara. Country of central Asia, dependent upon Russia.

Bolivia. South American republic, west of Brazil.

Bologna. Italian city, the Felsina and Bononia of the ancients. Capital of province of same name. Famous for medieval architecture, modern commerce, and sausage.

Bombay. Governmental district of India, island, and city, capital of the presidency. Great commercial city.

Bordeaux. French city of considerable antiquity. Port, university city, famous for wine. Capital of France for a short time when Paris was threatened during World War.

Bosnia. Former Turkish province. Annexation by Austria-Hungary one of the causes of World War. Now in Jugo-Slavia.

Bosporus. Strait between Black and Marmora Seas. Of great political and economic importance.

Boston. Capital and chief city of Massachusetts, “Hub of the Universe” for New Englanders. City and port in Lincolnshire, England, after which the American Boston was named.

Bothnia. Gulf extension of Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden.

Boulogne or Boulogne-sur-Mer, to distinguish it from Boulogne-sur-Seine. Seaport of France, where Napoleon made preparations for the invasion of England. B.-sur-Seine is a suburb of Paris.

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Brabant. Old duchy, now divided between Belgium and Netherlands.

Bradford. City of Yorkshire, England. Textile manufacturing center. Also a small city, B.-on-Avon, and various places in the U. S.

Brahmaputra. Important river of India.

Brazil. Officially, United States of Brazil. One of the great countries of South America. Language: Portuguese. Climate mostly tropical.

Bremen. German seaport city, long a free city and one member of the Hanseatic League. The port of Bremen is called Bremerhaven.

Breslau. Capital of Silesia, Germany.

Brest-Litovsk. City of Grodno, Russia. Here was signed the treaty of peace between Germany and Soviets, later annulled by the Allies.

Bristol. City of Gloucestershire, England, formerly second only to London in importance, and a celebrated port. Cabot started to the New World from B.

Brittany. In French: Bretagne. Old province of France. The people of Brittany are called Bretons. The duchy was long independent of the French crown, and was for a time an English fief.

Bronx, the. Borough of the city of New York, principally residential.

Brooklyn. Formerly a city of New York state, now part of the city of New York.

Bruges. Capital of West Flanders, Belgium. Much more important in middle ages than now. Many medieval buildings destroyed during World War.

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Brussels. Most important city of Belgium.

Bucharest or Bukharest. In Roumanian: Bucuresti. Capital of Roumania.

Budapest or Budapesth. Capital of Hungary. Formed of two cities, Buda and Pest, on opposite sides of the Danube.

Buenos Aires. Capital of Argentina, largest city of South America. Of manufacturing, commercial, educational importance.

Buffalo. City of New York, of second importance in the state.

Bukowina. Former crownland of Austria, now in Roumania.

Bulgaria. Kingdom of Europe. Balkan state, formerly part of Turkish Empire. Limited in area as penalty for joining Central Powers in World War.

Burgundy. In French: Bourgogne. Former duchy, kingdom, province of France. Acquired by France in eleventh century and then lost. At times a dangerous rival to France. Burgundy wine is usually red.

Burma. Country of eastern India under British control.

Byzantium. A town on the Bosporus founded by the Megarians, built anew by Constantine in 330 and called Constantinople.

Cádiz. Province of Spain and its capital, on the island of Leon. The city, known to the Romans as Gades, was founded by the Phoenicians.

Caen. City in department of Calvados, France. Was an important place in old Normandy.

Cairo. Capital and chief city of Egypt. Commercial,[Pg 17] educational, religious (Mohammedan) importance.

Calais. Seaport and fortified city of France, on English Channel.

Calcutta. Largest city of India, formerly capital.

Caledonia. For the Romans, the northern part of Britain. Now a poetic name for Scotland.

Cambridge. University city of England. City of Massachusetts, near Boston, seat of Harvard University.

Canada. Autonomous country in British Empire, north of U. S. Includes provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan, also territory of Yukon and Northwest Territories.

Canary. Islands in Atlantic, ruled by Spain. Also, Canaries, and in Spanish, Canarias.

Canberra. New capital of Australia.

Canterbury. City of Kent, England, chief center of Anglican Church. Shrine of St. Thomas à Becket brought many pilgrims in middle ages.

Canton. In Chinese: Kwangchowfu. Capital of Kwang-fung, China. Great commercial and manufacturing city, center of foreign trade.

Cape Colony or Cape Province or, now officially, Cape of Good Hope. Province in Union of South Africa.

Capetown. Also: Cape Town. Capital of Cape of Good Hope, legislative seat of Union of South Africa. Founded by the Dutch.

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Cappadocia. Ancient district of Asia Minor. Tiberius made C. a Roman province.

Cardiff. City of Glamorganshire, Wales. Important for coal trade.

Caria. Ancient district of southwestern Asia Minor. Part of the Roman province of Asia.

Caribbean. Sea south of the West Indies.

Carinthia. Former crownland of Austria, now in Austrian Republic. In German: Kärnten.

Carmel. Mountain of Palestine. Holy place for many centuries. Here, biblically, Jehovah proved himself to be a greater god than Baal by sending down fire from heaven.

Carniola. In German: Krain. Former crownland of Austria, now divided between Italy and Jugo-Slavia.

Carpathian. Mountains, now chiefly in Czecho-Slovakia and Roumania, before the World War mostly in Hungarian territory.

Carthage. One of the most important and most celebrated cities of the ancient world, called Carthago or Magna Carthago by the Romans. Located in Africa, northeast of Tunis. Founded by the Phoenicians. The Carthaginians built up a state rivalling that of Rome.

Caspian. Sea or lake. By far the largest saltwater lake in the world. Surrounded by European and Asian Soviet Republics and Persia.

Castile. In Spanish: Castilla. Former kingdom of Spain. Castilian is literary and standard Spanish.

Catalonia. In Spanish: Cataluña. Former division of Spain. The inhabitants of C. are called Catalans. The Catalan language is[Pg 19] spoken in part of northern Spain and southern France.

Catania. Province of Sicily and its capital, Catana or Catina of the ancients. Founded B. C. 730, came under Roman rule in the first Punic war. At the foot of Mt. Etna, and has suffered much from earthquakes and volcanic disturbances.

Caucasus. Mountains dividing Europe from Asia, in Soviet territory between Black and Caspian Seas.

Cawnpore or Cawnpur. District of British India and its capital, an important railroad junction. Scene of massacre of English residents in Sepoy rebellion.

Celebes. Island in Dutch East Indies.

Chaeronea. Ancient town in Boeotia, where Philip of Macedon won a great victory and Sulla defeated Mithridates.

Chalcedon. Old Greek city at the entrance of the Bosporus, opposite Byzantium. Long independent, then subject to Bithynia.

Chalcis. Several ancient towns. An important city of Euboea, town in Aetolia, city of Syria.

Chaldea. Old Babylonian province. Name also applied to all Babylonia.

Châlons-sur-Marne. City of France, capital of department of Marne, place where Attila’s Huns were defeated, A. D. 451.

Champagne. Old province of France. Champagne wine is usually white and sparkling.

Changchowfu. City of Fukien, China.

Changsha. Capital of Hunan, China. Treaty port.

Changteh. City of Hunan, China.

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Charlottenburg. Important suburb of Berlin, Germany.

Chautauqua. Township of western New York, where summer courses are conducted.

Chemnitz. City of Saxony, Germany.

Cheng-tu or Ching-tu (sometimes without hyphens). City of Szechuan, China.

Cherbourg. Port and naval station of Manche Department, France.

Chersonesus. Greek word for peninsula. Without qualifications, it meant for the Greeks Gallipoli, peninsula of the Dardanelles. C. Taurica or Scythica was Crimea. Gallipoli is also called Chersonese.

Cheshire or Chester. County of England. A Cheshire cat is a person with a fixed grin.

Chicago. Second city of U. S. County seat of Cook County, Illinois. Founded, as Fort Dearborn, in 1804.

Chile or Chili. Important republic of South America.

China. Great Asiatic republic, before 1912 an empire. People of China possess an ancient and significant civilization. Although C. is not a “great power,” i.e., is of small military strength, and has been the scene of exploitation by European and other well-armed countries, it must be reckoned with, even as a potential maker of war.

China. Sea, part of Pacific Ocean, south and east of China.

Chosen. See Korea.

Christiania. See Oslo.

Chungking. City of Szechuan, China.

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Cincinnati. City of Ohio, on Ohio River, manufacturing and commercial center.

Cleveland. Largest city of Ohio.

Cochin China. French colony, part of French Indo-China.

Colchis or Aea. District of Asia, south of Caucasus Mountains, important in Greek legend.

Cologne. In German: Köln. District of German Rhine Provinces and its capital, of great historical importance. Once renowned for its perfumery.

Colombia. Republic of South America. Has been known as New Granada, Granadine Confederation, United States of Colombia.

Colombo. Capital of Ceylon, a British colony.

Colophon. Old Ionian (Greek) city which claimed to be the birthplace of Homer.

Colorado. State, river, desert, of U. S.

Congo. River and country of Africa. The old Congo Free State is now a Belgian colony.

Constance. In German: Konstanz, also Kostnitz. City of Baden, Germany, important historically.

Constantinople. Turkish: Istamboul. City of Turkey in Europe, on the Bosporus. Of international significance because of its location, at entrance to Black Sea, and because it is the modern center of Mohammedanism, at least in Turkey. Has been an important Christian center and capital of (Eastern) Roman Empire. On the site of old Byzantium. Long the capital of Ottoman Empire, now one of the capitals of Turkey.

Copenhagen. Danish: Köbenhavn or Kjobenhavn. Capital and fortified seaport of Denmark.[Pg 22] Great commercial city, cultural center of Scandinavia.

Cordova. Spanish: Córdoba. Province of Spain and its capital.

Corea. See Korea.

Corfu. Island in Ionian Sea, known to the Greeks of antiquity as Corcyra, seat of an important Corinthian colony.

Corinth. Isthmus of Greece; ancient city located on it, whose territory was known as Corinthia. Important commercial and colonizing city of ancient times. The city on its site is now known as New Corinth. There is also a Gulf of C. or Lepanto, north of Corinthia.

Corsica. Island in Mediterranean, north of Sardinia. French department. In French: Corse.

Costa Rica. Republic of Central America.

Cressy. French: Crécy or Crécy-en-Ponthieu. Place in France where Edward the Black Prince badly defeated the French in 1346.

Crete or Candia. Island in the Mediterranean belonging to Greece. The ancient Creta, with a civilization of some importance in Homeric times. Much later, a Roman province.

Crimea. Russian: Krim. Peninsula of Russia. Chersonesus Taurica of the ancients.

Croatia. Formerly a Hungarian crownland, now in Jugo-Slavia. People of C. are called Croats, their Slavic language is Croatian.

Ctesiphon. Old city of Assyria, winter residence of the kings of Parthia.

Cuba. Republic. Island of West Indies. The language is Spanish.

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Czechoslovakia. Republic formed after the World War, composed of Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia, Southern Ruthenia, and Silesia. Languages spoken include Bohemian or Czech, German, and Ruthenian, which is practically the same as Ukrainian.

Damascus. One of the oldest cities of the world. Has been under Syrian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Turkish rule. This pleasant and commercially important Syrian city is now under French control.

Danube. Important river of Europe, flowing into Black Sea.

Danzig or Dantsic. Free international city, formerly part of Prussia, Germany. Seaport, manufacturing center, with an interesting history.

Dardanelles. Strait between Aegean Sea and Sea of Marmora, now between Greek and Turkish (Asian) territory. The whole area of the Straits, waters connecting Black and Mediterranean Seas, with adjacent land, has been demilitarized.

Dauphiné. Former province of France. The heir to French throne was formerly called the Dauphin, that is, ruler of D.

Dead. Sea, salt lake in Palestine.

Delhi. Province of British India and its capital, also capital of Indian Empire. An ancient city.

Delos. Island in Aegean Sea, seat of worship of Apollo. Games were held here every five years in ancient times.

Delphi. Small town in Phocis, in old Greece,[Pg 24] famous for oracle. In Homer: Pytho. Pythian games were celebrated at D.

Denmark. Danish: Danmark. Kingdom of northern Europe, one of the Scandinavian countries. Includes northern part of peninsula of Jutland and a group of islands.

Denver. Capital of Colorado, one of the chief cities of Mountain States.

Detroit. Chief city of Michigan, center of automobile industry.

Dnieper. Important river of Russia.

Dniester. European river, boundary between Roumania and Soviet Republics (Ukrainia).

Dominican Republic or Santo Domingo. Republic, eastern part of the island of Haiti. Population largely colored.

Douai or Douay. French city, damaged in World War. Here Bible translation of the English Catholics was published.

Dresden. Capital of Saxony, Germany; of great historical interest.

Dublin. Capital of Ireland. Part of its interesting history is an occupation by the Danes in the middle ages.

Dvina. River of Russia, also known as the Northern D., flowing into the Gulf of D., a branch of White Sea. Another river, no longer entirely Russian, known also as the Western D., or the Düna, flowing into the Gulf of Riga.

East Indies. Somewhat indefinite name, applied usually to Malay Archipelago, sometimes still inclusive of India and Indo-China. Formerly the Indies, without qualification; but the application of the name Indies to[Pg 25] islands near the American mainland caused the differentiation.

Eboracum. Chief Roman town in Britain, now the English city of York.

Ecuador. Republic of South America.

Edinburgh. City of Scotland, long the capital and, historically, the most important place in the country. The university is old and celebrated.

Egypt. Country of northern Africa under English control. In effect, a British colony. Land of very ancient civilization and history both old and varied. E. fell under Turkish rule in 1517, and remained nominally part of the Ottoman Empire until the World War. Arabic has been for some time the chief language.

Elba. Mediterranean island belonging to Italy. Napoleon was sent to Elba upon his first downfall.

Elis. Ancient country of Greece, considered sacred because of the games at Olympia.

England. A division of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Because of its dominance, its name is sometimes applied loosely to the whole country and its empire. The adjective especially is used in this way, and we say “English” or “British” of a colony without change in meaning.

English Channel. The channel that separates England from France and connects Straits of Dover (leading to North Sea) with the Atlantic.

Ephesus. Ancient Ionian city on the coast of Asia Minor. Here stood a famous temple to[Pg 26] Artemis. E. fell under the successive control of Lydia, Persia, Macedonia, and Rome.

Essen. City of Rhenish Prussia, Germany. Here were located the Krupp munition works. Many medieval remains.

Esthonia. Republic of northwestern Europe formed as a result of the World War, made up of the old Russian government of E. and part of Livonia. Esthonian, a Finnish dialect, is spoken, as well as German, Russian, and other languages.

Ethiopia. Old country of Africa. The adjectives and nouns Ethiopic and Ethiopian may refer to a Semitic language or the race of dark-skinned peoples including the Negroes.

Etruria or Tuscia or (Greek) Tyrrhenia. Ancient country in central Italy. The Romans called the inhabitants Tuscans. Much of the Roman civilization was of Tuscan origin.

Euphrates. Important river of western Asia.

Eurasia. Europe and Asia. The two are customarily considered as separate continents, and probably it would be inconvenient to give up the old names, but the map shows that they are really one, the continent of Eurasia. It is not so much the mountains between as cultural differences which separate Europe and Asia. Russia was long, and in some ways still remains, an Asian country in this respect.

Europe. Continent, part of Eurasia (q. v.). Has been called a peninsula of Asia, to emphasize the fact that it is much smaller—the area is about 3,789,000 sq. mi. Nevertheless, the world has been and is being Europeanized.[Pg 27] It is true, indeed, that much which we consider European arose in western Asia, and that New York is tending to become the great center of European civilization. For an American, the most important thing to realize is the great variety of languages and national institutions to be found within a small space.

Everest. Mountain, one of the Himalayas, believed to be the highest in the world.

Fez. One of the capitals of Morocco.

Fiji. British colony, islands in the Pacific.

Finland. Formerly a grand duchy ruled by Russian czars. Still earlier, occupied by Lapps, ruled by Sweden. Now a republic. The Finns and Lapps are not of the Aryan race, but of the Mongol group. The Finns call themselves Suomi. Culturally, Finland has been closer to Sweden than to Russia.

Fiume. Free city on the Adriatic, formerly belonging to Hungary, claimed by both Italy and Jugo-Slavia, now Italian.

Flanders. Country of Europe divided among Netherlands, Belgium, and France. The language of F., Flemish, is a dialect of Dutch. It has recently been revived for literary purposes.

Flodden. Hill in England. At the Battle of Flodden Field, 1513, King James IV of Scotland was defeated and killed.

Florence. Italian: Firenze. Capital of Tuscany, Italy. Celebrated for history and art.

Foochow. Capital of Fukien, China. Treaty port.

[Pg 28]

Formosa. Island north of Philippines, belonging to Japan. Also called Taiwan.

Fort Sumter. Fortress in harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, where the Civil War began.

France. Republic of western Europe.

Franche-Comté. Former French province.

Franconia. Former duchy of Germany.

Frankfurt-am-Main. English: Frankfurt-on-the-Main. City of Hesse-Nassau, Prussia, Germany. Was capital of the German Confederation.

Galatia. Ancient country of Asia Minor, settled by Gauls.

Galicia. Old kingdom of Spain. Also former (Polish) crownland of Austria.

Galilee. In the Greek period, the name for northwestern Palestine. A Roman province. A Galilean means a Christian, as the word is now most used.

Gallipoli. Peninsula north of Dardanelles. The Entente Allies tried unsuccessfully during the World War to capture Constantinople, landing troops here. See also Chersonesus.

Ganges. Important river of India, flowing into Bay of Bengal.

Gascony. French: Gascogne. Former province of France. The Gascons were supposed to be boastful swaggerers.

Gaul or Gallia. In Roman times, the country occupied by the Galli or Celtae. Gaul was divided into three parts: Aquitania, Celtica, and Belgica. It consisted of the present France and some neighboring sections. Gallia[Pg 29] Cisalpina was a Roman province in the north of Italy.

Geneva. German: Genf. Canton of Switzerland and its capital, which is of interest in many ways. Associated with Rousseau and Calvin. Now the seat of the League of Nations. French: Genève.

Genoa. Italian: Genova. Important Italian commercial city and port. Of great historical significance.

German Ocean. Name sometimes applied to North Sea.

Germany. Republic of Europe, formerly an Empire. In German: Deutschland. The Germania of the Romans did not occupy precisely the same territory as modern Germany, extending to the Baltic and the Carpathian Mountains. The medieval organization was feudal, with the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation including many non-German districts. Bismarck organized the German Empire (Reich) with the king of Prussia at the head. Many German districts are now outside the republic. The treaties which followed the World War forbade Germany and Austria to unite.

Ghent. French: Gand. Capital of East Flanders, Belgium. Of great historical interest.

Gibraltar. Fortified rock and town, a British possession commanding Strait of G., entrance to Mediterranean Sea. On Iberian (Spanish-Portuguese) Peninsula.

Glasgow. A Scottish city on the Clyde. Said to have been founded in the sixth century.[Pg 30] The greatest manufacturing and commercial center of Scotland.

Göteborg or Gothenburg. Important city of Sweden. Port.

Great Britain. England, Scotland, and Wales, as an island, or, before the addition of Ireland, as a kingdom. Used often instead of the more cumbersome title of “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.” Only a part of Ireland remains united, incidentally.

Greece. Greek: Hellas. Republic of Europe, also a memory of ancient glory. The modern Greeks are not pure descendants of the ancient people who occupied the country.

Greenland. Danish: Grönland. Large island northeast of North America, part of which is under Danish control. Much of it is always covered with ice.

Greenwich. Borough of London where an important observatory is located.

Greenwich Village. Former village, but long in the most thickly-settled part of the city of New York. Center of “Bohemian” and artistic life, not to mention bootleggers and cellar dance-halls where the smoke can be cut with knife and fork.

Guatemala. Republic of Central America and its capital, also called G. la Nueva.

Guiana. Region on Atlantic coast of South America, including British, French, and Dutch G., which are colonies, and parts of Brazil and Venezuela. The name is sometimes confined to the three colonies.

Guinea. Region on Atlantic coast of Africa.

[Pg 31]

Hague, The. Dutch: ’s Gravenhage. Capital of the Netherlands and seat of the World Court.

Haiti or Hayti. Island of West Indies, formerly a French colony, and a republic occupying the western part of the island. Strongly influenced by U. S.

Halle-an-der-Saale. City of Prussian Saxony, Germany. Was a member of the Hanseatic League. Has a celebrated university.

Hamburg. Free city of Germany, of great commercial importance. Was a member of the Hanseatic League.

Hangchow. City of Chekiang, China.

Hankow. City of Yangtse, China. Treaty port.

Hanover. German: Hannover. Province of Prussia, Germany, and its capital.

Hanseatic League. Commercial and defensive union of mostly German cities in the middle ages. The members were called Hanse or Hansa Towns.

Havana. Spanish: Habana. Province of Cuba and its capital, also the capital of the republic. Important commercial city and port.

Hawaiian or Sandwich Islands. Colony of U. S. in Pacific.

Hebrides. Islands west of Scotland.

Heidelberg. University city of Baden, Germany.

Hejaz or Hedjaz. One of the new states which arose from the World War. In Arabia, formerly a Turkish administrative unit.

Helicon. Range of mountains in Boeotia, Greece, which was sacred to Apollo and the Muses in ancient times. Here Aganippe and Hippocrene,[Pg 32] fountains of the Muses, poured forth their waters.

Hellas. Greek name, also poetic term, for Greece.

Helsingfors. Finnish: Helsinki. Capital of Finland.

Herat. City in Afghanistan, of military importance.

Herculaneum. Ancient city in Campania, Italy, destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A. D. 79.

Herzegovina. Former Turkish province, then under Austrian rule with Bosnia, now part of Jugo-Slavia.

Himalayan. Mountains, also called the Himalayas, north of India.

Hindustan. India; specifically, a large region in the north.

Hispania. Latin name for Iberian peninsula.

Holland. Popular name for the Netherlands, on account of the dominating position of the province so called. H. proper is now divided into two provinces, North and South H.

Holstein. Former duchy of Denmark, later part of Prussia with Schleswig. See Schleswig-Holstein.

Honduras. Republic of Central America.

Hongkong. Island on Chinese coast, British colony, and its capital, also known as Victoria, a free port and important commercial center.

Honolulu. Capital of territory of Hawaii.

Honshu or Hondo. Principal island of Japan.

Hungary. The country of the Magyars, formerly a kingdom bound to the Austrian Empire[Pg 33] chiefly through a common monarch. Lost much territory during World War.

Iberia. Greek name for the peninsula where Spain and Portugal now are, called the Iberian Peninsula in modern times also. Also the ancient name for a region in Asia north of Armenia.

Iceland. Danish island in the Atlantic.

Ilium. Troy, the ancient city.

Illyria. Ancient country, including regions now known as Albania, Croatia, Dalmatia, and Bosnia. Part of Illyria was formed into the Roman province of Illyricum.

India. Country or region of Asia. The Indian Empire, which does not include all of India, is British. The native states are included in the empire, but not French and Portuguese India.

Indianapolis. Capital and chief city of Indiana.

Indian Ocean. Body of water south of India, east of Africa, west of Australia.

Indo-China. Asian peninsula south and west of China.

Indus. Great river of India.

Ionia. Ancient region on the western coast of Asia Minor, settled by Ionian Greeks.

Irak or Iraq. Mesopotamia. Nominally independent, but under British control.

Iran. Persian name for Persia, q. v.

Ireland. An island, one of the British Isles. Now divided between the (Catholic, nationalistic) Irish Free State, where an attempt has been made to revive the old language, Gaelic, and Northern I., still closely bound to Great Britain.

[Pg 34]

Irish Sea. Part of the Atlantic, between Ireland and northern England.

Ispahan. City of Persia, former capital, of historic importance.

Istria. Former Austrian crownland, now Italian.

Italy. Italian: Italia. This is also the form used by the Romans beginning in the time of Augustus. Kingdom of Europe.

Ithaca. Island in the Ionian Sea and ancient city where Homer’s Odysseus reigned.

Jaffa. In ancient times: Joppa. Port of Palestine.

Jamaica. British island of the West Indies.

Japan. Japanese: Nippon. Asiatic empire, the “great power” of the Orient.

Java. Dutch island in the East Indies.

Jena. City of Saxe-Weimar, Germany. University. Napoleon routed the Prussians at J. in 1806.

Jerusalem. Capital of Palestine. Of immense historical and religious importance. Holy to Jews, Mohammedans, and Christians.

Johannesburg. City of Transvaal, Union of South Africa

Jordan. Most important river of Palestine. Here, according to the Bible, many miracles took place.

Judah. Kingdom of southern Palestine, ruled by “the house of David” from Jerusalem.

Judea. Roman province in Palestine. Also a name for Israel, Jewry, in general.

Jugo-Slavia. Also spelled: Yugo-Slavia. The country of the southern Slavs, made up of Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Dalmatia, Bosnia,[Pg 35] and Montenegro. Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.

Kabul. Capital of Afghanistan.

Kansas City. Important packing and commercial center on the Missouri River, chiefly in Missouri, also in Kansas (two separate cities).

Khartum. Capital of Sudan, Africa.

Kiaochow. City and district of Shantung, China, taken from Germany by Japan.

Kiel. City of Holstein, Prussia, Germany. Formerly a great German naval station. University. Eastern terminus of K. or Kaiser Wilhelm Canal, connecting Baltic and North Seas.

Kiev. Also Kief or Kieff. Important city of Ukrania, Soviet Republics, of great antiquity.

Kingston-on-Hull or Hull. City and port of Yorkshire, England.

Kishinev. Capital of Bessarabia, now in Roumania. Scene of Jewish massacres under Russian rule.

Königsberg. Capital of East Prussia, Germany.

Korea. Also Corea or Chosen. Formerly independent country of Asia, since 1910 ruled by Japan.

Kovno. Capital of Lithuania. Lithuanian: Kaunas.

Kurland or Courland. Former duchy and Russian province, now in Latvia.

Laconica or Laconia. A country of Greece, ruled from Sparta (Lacedaemon).

Lahore. Capital of Punjab, India.

Lanchow or Lanchowfu. Capital of Kansu, China.

Languedoc. Former province of France.

[Pg 36]

Latium. Country of ancient Italy, occupied by Latini. Rome struggled long against L., finally dissolving Latin League.

Latvia. Republic formed out of Russian territory after World War.

Leicester. Capital of Leicestershire, England.

Leipzig or Leipsic. City of Saxony, Germany. Publishing center. At Battle of L. or of the Nations, 1813, Napoleon was badly defeated.

Lemberg. Polish: Lwów. City of East Galicia, Poland. Formerly ruled by Austria-Hungary. There was hard fighting around L. during World War.

Leningrad. Formerly St. Petersburg, Petersburg, Petrograd. Great city, formerly capital, of Russia. Founded by Peter the Great as a window opening out on Western Europe.

Lesbos. Island in the Aegean Sea. Birthplace of Sappho. Lesbian sometimes means pertaining to homosexuality between females.

Levant. The eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, its islands and coastal districts.

Liberia. Negro republic in Africa.

Liechtenstein. Petty principality between Austria and Switzerland.

Lille. City of northern France, around which there was much fighting in the World War.

Lisbon. Portuguese: Lisboa. Capital and important city of Portugal. The earthquake of 1755 caused great destruction.

Lithuania. One of the states formed in Europe after the World War. The Lithuanian Republic claims the Vilna district, now held by Poland.

[Pg 37]

Liverpool. City of Lancashire, England, second port of Great Britain, of educational and commercial importance.

Lodz. City of Piotrkow, Poland, formerly Russian.

Loire. River of France.

London. Capital and most important city of the United Kingdom. One of the great world cities; in population inferior to New York (including suburbs in each case).

Lorraine. An old duchy of Germany, incorporated in France, part of which came into German Alsace-Lorraine. Now all French.

Los Angeles. City of southern California, center of motion picture production.

Louisville. City of Kentucky, on Ohio River.

Low Countries. The old Netherlands; the present Belgium, Luxemburg, and Netherlands.

Luxemburg. Independent grand duchy of Europe, now in economic union with Belgium.

Lydia. Ancient division of Asia Minor, early seat of civilization.

Lyons. French: Lyon. Important city of France, silk manufacturing center.

Macedonia. Ancient country north of Greece, whose rulers, Philip and Alexander, built up an empire which was finally overthrown by the Romans. Most of M. belongs now to Greece and Jugo-Slavia.

Madagascar. Large island, French colony, off the east coast of Africa.

Madras. Presidency of British India and its capital.

Madrid. Province of Spain and its capital, also the capital and principal city of the kingdom.

[Pg 38]

Maeander or Meander. River of Asia Minor noted for its wandering course, now called the Menderez.

Magdeburg. Capital of Prussian Saxony, Germany. Scene of a massacre in the Thirty Years’ War.

Magellan. Strait between Tierra del Fuego and South American mainland.

Mainz or Mayence. City of Hesse, Germany, of historical and ecclesiastical importance. Located on the Rhine.

Majorca. Largest of Balearic Islands, in the Mediterranean.

Malta. Island and British colony in the Mediterranean Sea.

Manchester. City of Lancashire, most important industrial center of England.

Manchuria. Country of Asia, a Chinese dependency.

Mandalay. Capital of British Upper Burma.

Manhattan. Borough of New York City, also island. Here are located the most important offices and many of the factories of the city. M. is the original New York, and still the heart of the city.

Manila. Capital of Luzon and of Philippine Islands, on Pasig River and Manila Bay. Great hemp market.

Marathon. Village of ancient Attica, where the Athenians and the Persians fought an important battle, B. C. 490.

Marmora. Sea between Bosporus and Dardanelles, called Propontis by the ancients. All these waters have been of immense political importance.

[Pg 39]

Marne. River of France, scene of two important battles in World War.

Marseilles. French: Marseille. Second city of France, leading port. Located on Gulf of Lyons.

Masurian. Lakes and canals in East Prussia. Region where Russian armies were badly beaten during World War.

Mauritius. Island in the Indian Ocean, British colony.

Mecca. City of Hedjaz, Arabia. Holy city of Islam, birthplace of Mohammed.

Medicine Hat. Small city of Alberta, Canada, often mentioned in weather reports.

Medina. City of Hedjaz, Arabia. Holy city of Islam.

Mediterranean. Important sea, almost entirely enclosed by Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Melbourne. Capital of Victoria, Australia. Important commercially.

Memphis. Great city and for a time the capital of ancient Egypt. Modern city of southwestern Tennessee.

Mesopotamia. Region between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. See Irak.

Mexico. Spanish: Méjico. Mexican Spanish: México. Republic of North America, south of the United States.

Mexico. Gulf, north and east of Mexican Republic.

Milan. Italian: Milano. Province of Italy and its capital, second city of the kingdom. Great manufacturing center.

Miletus. Ancient city of Asia Minor, of philosophical interest.

[Pg 40]

Milwaukee. Chief city of Wisconsin, on Lake Michigan.

Minneapolis. City of Minneapolis, flour center. With St. Paul, one of the “Twin Cities.” On the Mississippi.

Mississippi. Important river of the United States. The M.-Missouri is considered by geographers the longest river of the world.

Monaco. Petty independent principality on the Mediterranean, surrounded on land sides by French territory.

Mongolia. Country of Asia dependent on China.

Monte Carlo. Gambling resort of Monaco.

Montenegro. Former Balkan kingdom, now part of Jugo-Slavia.

Montevideo. Capital of Uruguay.

Montreal. City of Quebec, Canada, on the St. Lawrence River. Most important place in Canada.

Moravia. Former crownland of Austria, now in Czecho-Slovakia.

Morea. Southern peninsula of Greece. Peloponnesus.

Morocco. Country of northern Africa, controlled chiefly by France and in part by Spain.

Moscow. Province of Russia and its capital, also the capital of the country. Founded in the twelfth century.

Munich. German: München. Capital of Bavaria, Germany. The art collections, university, and breweries are all important.

Mycenae. Ancient town in Argolis, Greece. Important in Homeric times.

[Pg 41]

Mysia. Ancient district of Asia Minor, at one time part of the kingdom of Pergamus.

Mytilene. Modern name for Lesbos, q. v. Chief city of Lesbos.

Nanking. Capital of Kiangsu, China, and literary center of the country. Treaty port.

Nantes. City of France, on the Loire, of considerable historical importance.

Naples. Italian: Napoli. Former kingdom of Italy, one of the Two Sicilies. Province of Italy and its capital, the largest city of Italy, the Neapolis of the ancients. Long a Greek city.

Navarre. Former kingdom, chiefly in present France, also extending into Spain.

Nazareth. Modern name: Al-Nasira. Town of Galilee, Palestine, where Jesus is said to have spent his youth.

Nepal. Nominally independent country in the Himalayas, under British control.

Netherlands. Dutch: Nederland. Popularly called Holland. Kingdom of western Europe. The Netherlands formerly included Belgium.

Neukölln of Rixdorf. City of Brandenburg Prussia, suburban to Berlin and an important industrial center.

Newark. City of New Jersey, suburban to New York, important manufacturing and insurance center.

Newcastle or N.-on-Tyne. City of Northumberland, England, located in the midst of coal fields.

New England. The states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

[Pg 42]

Newfoundland. Island off eastern coast of Canada, British colony.

New Haven. City of Connecticut, seat of Yale University.

New Orleans. City and port of Louisiana, founded by the French. Of historical, educational, commercial importance.

New York. State of the United States and its chief city, also the leading city of the United States and, in many respects, of the world. Founded by the Dutch, who called it Nieuw Amsterdam. Now divided into the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Richmond.

Nicaragua. Republic of Central America.

Nile. River of Africa, of which the most important part runs through Egypt.

Nineveh or Ninus. Ancient city on the Tigris, capital of Assyria. Was a place of importance as early as B. C. 2500. Fell when the Assyrian Empire was broken up, B. C. 606.

Ningpo. City of Chekiang, China. Treaty port.

Nippon. See Japan.

Normandy. Old duchy and province of France. The Normans were Scandinavians (“Northmen”) who settled in the northern part of the country.

North. River, the part of the Hudson that flows by New York City.

North. Sea, also known as the German Ocean. It is the part of the Atlantic east of Great Britain.

Northwest Territories. Franklin, Keewatin, and Mackenzie, in the Dominion of Canada.

[Pg 43]

Norway. Scandinavian kingdom of Europe. Has been subject to or united with Sweden and Denmark.

Nottingham. City of Nottinghamshire, England.

Numidia. Ancient country of northern Africa, then a Roman province. Roughly corresponded to modern Algeria.

Nuremberg. German: Nürnberg. City of Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. Of great historical interest.

Oberammergau. Small city of Upper Bavaria, Germany. Here the famous Passion Play is performed every ten years.

Odessa. City of Kherson, Ukraine, Soviet Republics. Port on the Black Sea.

Ohio. Important river of U. S., flowing into the Mississippi.

Olympia. Small plain in Elis, Greece, containing a sacred grove of Zeus. Scene of the Olympic games of antiquity.

Olympus. Mountain range between Macedonia and Thessaly, where the Greek gods were supposed to live.

Oman. Nominally independent state in southeastern Arabia.

Orange River Colony. Formerly Orange River Free State, now part of the Union of South Africa.

Oslo. Formerly: Christiania. Capital of Norway.

Ottawa. Capital of the Dominion of Canada.

Ottoman Empire. The Mohammedan empire of the Turks, broken up by the World War. See Turkey.

[Pg 44]

Oxford. City of Oxfordshire, England. University of great antiquity.

Oxus. Modern: Amu Darya. River of central Asia, the usual boundary between the great empires of southwestern Asia and wandering hordes.

Oxyrhyncus. Place in Egypt where many Greek manuscripts have been discovered.

Pacific. Ocean, between North and South America and Asia and Australia. Sometimes divided into two oceans, North and South P.

Palestine. Country of western Asia, part of Syria, of great historical and religious significance. Now under British control. The “Land of Israel” or “Holy Land” is at present inhabitated chiefly by Arabs, but the Jewish Zionists would like to make it the cultural center of Israel.

Palmyra. Ancient city of Syria, where the unfortunate Zenobia reigned. Her desire to be “Queen of the East” cost her her kingdom.

Panama. Republic of Central America. Revolted from Colombia in 1903. Under the control of the U. S., to which a strip of territory called the Panama Canal Zone belongs. The capital, a seaport and terminus of the canal, is also called P.

Paphos or Paphus. Name of two towns in ancient Cyprus. Old Paphos was the chief seat of the worship of Aphrodite, therefore called the Paphian goddess.

Paraguay. River and republic of South America.

Paris. Capital and chief city of France. One [Pg 45]of the great cities of the world. Located on the Seine.

Parnassus. Range of mountains in Greece or, more usually, a particular mountain where Apollo and the Muses were supposed to dwell.

Paros. Island in the Aegean Sea where the marble used by ancient sculptors was quarried.

Parthia. Ancient country of Asia, southeast of the Caspian Sea. The Parthians were a warlike people whose empire was for a time of considerable size.

Peking. City of Chihle or Chihli, China, and capital of the country.

Peloponnesus. The southern part of Greece, a peninsula. Modern: Morea. Divided anciently into Achaia, Elis, Messenia, Laconia, Corinthia, and Arcadia.

Pergamum or Pergamus. Ancient kingdom, afterward Roman province, of Asia Minor, and its capital.

Persia. Persian: Iran. Great ancient empire, usually known as Persis. Modern monarchy of Asia.

Persian. Gulf between Persia and Arabia.

Peru. Republic of South America.

Petrograd. Leningrad was called P. during World War, its name having been changed from St. Petersburg.

Pharsalia. District near Pharsalus, Thessaly, where Julius Caesar defeated Pompey.

Philadelphia. Chief city of Pennsylvania. Located on Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers.[Pg 46] Founded by William Penn in 1682. Port, manufacturing and educational center. Of considerable historical interest.

Philippi. Ancient city of Macedonia where Octavianus and Antony defeated Brutus and Cassius and where St. Paul first preached the good news about Jesus in Europe.

Philistia. Old country of Syria whose inhabitants were hostile to the Hebrews. A Philistine, in modern usage, is one who has no interest in culture.

Phocis. Ancient country of northern Greece, within which were the mountain of Parnassus and the oracle of Delphi.

Phoenicia, Phenicia, or Sidonia. Ancient country on the Syrian coast. The Phoenicians were navigators and traders.

Phrygia. Ancient country of Asia Minor, later a Roman province.

Po. River of Italy.

Poland. Polish: Polska. Republic of Europe, formed after the World War. The old kingdom was divided among Russia, Prussia, and Austria.

Pompeii. Ancient city of Campania, Italy, at the foot of Mt. Vesuvius. Overwhelmed by an eruption in A. D. 79 and covered with volcanic soil. Much of it has been preserved and is now exposed to view.

Pontus Euxinus or Pontus. Ancient name for the Black Sea. A kingdom, later a Roman province, on its coast was called Pontus.

Port-au-Prince. Capital of Haiti.

Portland. City and port of entry of Oregon. City and port of Maine.

[Pg 47]

Porto Rico. Spanish: Puerto Rico. Island of West Indies, colony of U. S.

Port Said. City of Lower Egypt on the Mediterranean. Terminus of Suez Canal.

Portsmouth. City of Hampshire, England. Important naval station.

Portugal. Republic of western Europe.

Posen. Province of Poland and its capital, once a Hanse town.

Prague. Bohemian: Praha. Capital of Czecho-Slovakia. Founded about 1100. Important commercial and educational center. Located on the Moldau.

Provence. Old province of France. The language, Provençal, is of great importance in literary history. Some attempts have been made to revive it.

Providence. Capital of Rhode Island, port. Seat of Brown University.

Prussia. German: Preussen. Former kingdom of Europe, now an important part of the German Republic.

Pyrenees. Mountains between Spain and France.

Quebec. Province of Canada and its capital, founded in 1608.

Queenstown. Gaelic: Cobh. Irish port.

Rangoon. City of Pegu Division, Burma, capital and chief port of the country.

Red. Sea between Arabia and Egypt, through which Suez Canal traffic passes.

Reno. City of Nevada, divorce center.

Rheims or Reims. City of Marne Department, France. An old city with a celebrated cathedral, badly damaged in the World War.

[Pg 48]

Rhine. Celebrated river of Europe. Part of the river runs between France and Germany.

Rhone. River of Switzerland and France.

Richmond. City of Virginia, its capital and for a time the seat of government of the Confederate States of America.

Riga. Capital of Latvia. Founded in 1201, was once a Hanse Town.

Rio de Janeiro. Capital of Brazil, in many ways the most important city of South America.

Riviera. Coastal district on Mediterranean, in France and Italy.

Rochester. Important manufacturing city of New York State.

Rome. Italian and Latin: Roma. Province of Italy and its capital, also the capital of the kingdom. Center of the western branch of the Catholic Church. Perhaps Rome was originally formed from a group of villages founded by people from Alba Longa, the most ancient town in Latium. It became the center of a great empire.

Rosario. City of Santa Fe, Argentina.

Rotterdam. Old city, great commercial center of the Netherlands.

Rouen. City of France, on the Seine. Of considerable historical interest.

Roumania or Rumania. Kingdom of Europe. Includes the former principalities of Wallachia and Moldovia, also Transylvania and Bessarabia.

Russia. Country of Europe. Officially, it is the Russian Socialist Soviet Republic. Mail is addressed to U. S. S. R., the Union of[Pg 49] Socialist Soviet Republics, which includes also Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and White Russia, as well as various other districts. The U. S. S. R. includes a great deal of territory inhabited by non-Russians, although less than the old Russian Empire.

Sahara. Desert of northern Africa.

Saint Helena. British island in the Atlantic where Napoleon spent the last years of his life.

Saint Lawrence. River of southeastern Canada, flowing into Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Saint Louis. City of Missouri, on the west bank of the Mississippi. Important manufacturing and commercial center.

Saint Paul. Capital of Minnesota. One of the “Twin Cities,” with Minneapolis.

Saint Petersburg. City founded by Peter the Great, now called Leningrad, q. v.

Salamanca. Province of Spain and its capital, of historical interest.

Salamis. Island off the western coast of Attica, Greece. The Greeks defeated the Persian fleet of Xerxes nearby, B. C. 480.

Salem. Seaport of Massachusetts, of historical interest.

Salerno. Ancient name: Salernum. City of Italy, capital of the province of Salerno, and located on the gulf of the same name. Important in the middle ages.

Salonica or Saloniki. Province of Greece and its capital. Center of operation of the Allied Macedonian forces in the Great War.

Salt Lake City. Capital of Utah, center of Mormon Church.

[Pg 50]

Salvador. Republic of Central America.

Samaria. City of ancient Palestine, capital of the kingdom of Israel, which became the Roman province of Samaria. The modern Samaritans belong to a small tribe called “Sons of Israel.”

Samarkand. City of Turkestan, Soviet Republics. According to tradition, founded between 3000 and 4000 B. C. Called Maracanda by the ancients. Was for a time a Mohammedan sacred city. Also spelled: Samarcand.

Samnium. Country of ancient Italy. The Samnites were, after hard resistance, conquered and enslaved by the Romans.

Samos. Greek island in the Aegean Sea. The ancient Samians founded many colonies. The capital, of the same name, was once a splendid city.

Samothrace. Modern Greek: Samothraki. Small island in the Aegean Sea, anciently celebrated for its religious mysteries.

San Francisco. City and port of California, first settled by the Spanish. The celebrated earthquake occurred in 1906.

San Marino. Tiny independent state surrounded by Italian territory, and its capital.

Santo Domingo. See Dominican Republic.

Santos. City of Brazil from which much coffee is shipped.

Sarajevo. Capital of Bosnia, Jugo-Slavia. Here took place the murder of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria, the direct cause of the World War.

[Pg 51]

Saratov. Province of Russia and its capital.

Sardinia. Italian: Sardegna. Large island in the Mediterranean, part of Italy. It was the king of Sardinia (who had possessions also on the mainland) that became the first monarch of the kingdom of Italy.

Sardis. Ancient city of Asia Minor, capital of the Lydian Empire and then of the province of Lydia.

Sarmatia. Ancient name given to a district including eastern Poland and the southern part of European Russia. In modern poetic and rhetorical use, Poland.

Savoy. French: Savoie. Duchy ceded to France by Sardinia.

Scamander. River of the Trojan territory, frequently mentioned by Homer. The modern name of the Scamander, as of the old Maeander, is now Menderez.

Scandinavia. Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, with Iceland usually included. Finland is not, strictly speaking, a Scandinavian country, but it has shown an inclination to ally itself firmly with them. The Scandinavian Peninsula is divided between Norway and Sweden.

Schleswig. Province of Germany and its capital. Part of Schleswig is to be Danish. See also Schleswig-Holstein.

Schleswig-Holstein. Former Prussian province, taken from the control of the king of Denmark by Bismarck. The two duchies, and especially Holstein, were considered to be part of Germany, and the attempt to make[Pg 52] them Danish soil was resented by Prussia and Austria.

Scio. Island of the Aegean Sea. As the ancient Chios, it was celebrated for wine and marble.

Scotia. Latinization of Scotland. The Romans called the northern part of Britain Caledonia.

Scotland. The northern part of Great Britain; long an independent kingdom, then united under one sovereign with England, finally merged with it.

Scythia. Ancient name for southeastern Europe, also for northern Asia. Both these regions are largely within the present Soviet Republics.

Seattle. City and port of entry of Washington.

Sedan. City of Ardennes Department, France. Here Napoleon III surrendered with his army in the Franco-Prussian War. Damaged in the World War.

Seine. River of France.

Seleucia. Name of several cities in Asia built by Seleucis I, King of Syria. One was near modern Bagdad, a second near Antioch, and there were at least four more.

Senlac. Low hill near Hastings, England, where William the Conqueror defeated King Harald of England. Harald was slain in this Battle of Senlac or Hastings, 1066, and Norman William became king of England.

Serbia or Servia. Serbian: Srbija. Former Balkan kingdom, out of which Jugo-Slavia has grown.

[Pg 53]

Sestus. Ancient town in Thrace, celebrated for the love affair of Hero and Leander and for the bridge of boats Xerxes built here across the Hellespont (Dardanelles).

Sevastopol. Port of Crimea, Russia, besieged in Crimean War. Also spelled: Sebastopol.

Seville. Spanish: Sevilla. Province of Spain and its capital, which is on the Guadalquivir. The Hispalis of the Romans, important under Moorish rule.

Shanghai. City of Kiangsu, China. Treaty port, with large foreign settlement.

Shantung. Province of China, formerly dominated by Germany, now by Japan.

Shaohingfu. City of Chekiang, China.

Sheba or Saba. Old Arabian country whose queen visited Solomon at Jerusalem.

Shechem or Sichem or Sychem or Sychar. City of ancient Palestine, for a time the capital of Israel. The city was destroyed, and Vespasian built the city of Neapolis on its site.

Sheffield. City of Yorkshire, England. Has been celebrated for its cutlery for many centuries.

Siam. Monarchy of Asia, occupying the western part of Indo-China.

Siangtan. City of Hunan, China.

Siberia. Northern Russia in Asia. It is part of the Russian Socialist Soviet Republic; i. e., Russia proper.

Sicily. Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea. Italian and Latin: Sicilia. Greek and Carthaginian cities here were rivals for a time, until the Romans conquered the whole[Pg 54] island. With the kingdom of Naples, made up the monarchy of the Two Sicilies.

Sicyonia. District of northeastern Peloponnesus in ancient Greece. Its chief city, Sicyon, was an artistic center.

Sidon. Modern: Saida. Chief city of ancient Phoenicia.

Siena. Province of Italy and its capital, which has an old university and which was once an artistic center.

Sinai. Arabian peninsula and desert, also mountain where Jehovah, according to tradition, gave Moses the Ten Commandments.

Singan or Singanfoo or Sianfu. City of Shenshi, China, capital of the province and formerly of the country. Of considerable commercial importance, and has a population of about a million.

Singapore. British dependency of Straits Settlements and its capital, seaport and commercial center.

Slavonia. Former Hungarian crownland, now in Jugo-Slavia.

Smyrna. Seaport of Asia Minor, Turkey. Temporarily a Greek protectorate after World War.

Sofia. Bulgarian: Sredetz. Capital of Bulgaria.

Soissons. City of Aisne Department, France, around which there was much fighting during the World War.

South Africa, Union of. Autonomous British colony including Cape of Good Hope, Transvaal, Natal, and Orange Free State.

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Southampton. Seaport of Hampshire, England, where many transatlantic passengers are landed.

Spain. Spanish: España. European kingdom, sharing the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal.

Springfield. Name of a number of cities in U.S., as the capital of Illinois, manufacturing center in Massachusetts, and places of more or less importance in Missouri, Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Vermont.

Stamboul. Name given, especially by the French, to Constantinople.

Stockholm. Province of Sweden and its capital, also the capital of the kingdom. Seaport.

Strassburg. City of Alsace, France. Founded by the Romans, who called it Argentoratum.

Stratford-on-Avon. Municipal borough of Warwickshire, England. Here William Shakespeare was born.

Stuttgart. Capital of Württemberg, Germany. Founded in the thirteenth century.

Suchau or Soochow. City of Kiangsu, China. Treaty port.

Suez. City of Egypt, southern (Red Sea) terminus of Suez Canal, which goes north to the Mediterranean.

Surabaya or Soerabaya. Dutch: Soerabaja. Dutch province of Java and its capital, a seaport.

Susa or (Biblical) Shusan. Winter residence of the Persian kings of antiquity, in Elam.

Sweden. Scandinavian kingdom of Europe. Has been united with Denmark and Norway,[Pg 56] with the latter of which it shares the Scandinavian Peninsula. The last Swedish-Norwegian union lasted from 1814 to 1905.

Switzerland. German: Schweiz. French: Suisse. Italian: Svizzera. Republic of Europe. The most important of the languages spoken are, in the order named, German, French, Italian, and Romansh. S. is a confederation of cantons, and the division of governmental powers between local divisions and the federal authorities somewhat resembles the U. S. system. The Swiss navy is not very important.

Sybaris. Ancient Greek town in Lucania. The wealthy inhabitants were experts in providing delight to their senses. This colony of southern Italy has left to us the word sybarite, a luxury-loving and usually effeminate person.

Sydney. Capital and important commercial center of New South Wales, Australia.

Syracuse. Italian: Siracusa. City of Sicily, the chief town in ancient times. Founded by Dorian Greeks. The Athenians were defeated here B. C. 413. Also, city of New York State.

Syria or Aram. In the widest sense, the region in western Asia bounded by the Mediterranean, the Arabian Desert, the Tigris, and the mountains of Armenia, inhabited by Semitic peoples. Also the region north of Palestine now under French control.

Tabriz. Capital of Persian Azerbaijan. Important commercial center.

Tagus. Spanish: Tajo. Portuguese: Tejo. River of Spain and Portugal.

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Tanagra. Ancient town of Boeotia, Greece. The Athenians were defeated nearby, B. C. 457.

Tananarivo or Antananarivo. French: Tananarive. Capital of Madagascar.

Tangier. Seaport of Morocco, where Emperor William II made a speech in 1905 which helped to bring about the World War.

Taranto. Ancient: Tarentum. City of Lecce, Apulia, Italy. Was the leading Greek city in Italy, and under Roman rule it had a reputation for luxury.

Tarshish. Country mentioned in the Bible, connected with shipping. It is not known just where T. was. The Phoenician coast and Italy are possibilities.

Tarsus. City of Turkey. Was the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia. St. Paul was born here.

Tartary or Tatary. Country of the Tartars or Tatars. Parts of Russia and central and eastern Asia.

Tasmania. Island near Australia, part of the Australian Commonwealth.

Taurus. Mountain chain of Asia Minor.

Teheran. Capital of Persia and important commercial center.

Tempe. Valley of ancient Thessaly, the beauty of which is much praised by ancient poets.

Tenedos. Turkish island in the Aegean Sea. The Greeks retired here, in Homer’s story, when they left the iron horse before Troy.

Teos. The ancient town in Asia Minor where Anacreon was born.

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Thames. Celebrated river of England, also rivers in Connecticut and Ontario, Canada.

Thasus. Greek island in the Aegean Sea, at one time occupied by the Phoenicians.

Thebes or Thebae. Two cities of antiquity. One was the capital of Egypt for a time, and was said to be the oldest city in the world. It is the No or No-Ammon of the Bible. The other was the chief city of Boeotia, important in Greek legend. It is the modern Thivai.

Thermopylae. Pass leading from Thessaly into Locris, Greece. Here Leonidas and his three hundred Spartans valiantly fought against the armies of Xerxes, B. C. 480. Also called: Pylae.

Thessalonica and Therma. Ancient names for Salonica, q. v.

Thessaly. Ancient division of Greece. Also: Thessalia.

Thrace or Thracia. Ancient country of eastern Europe, part of the Macedonian Empire, then a Roman province.

Tiber. Latin: Tiberis, Tybris, Tiberinus. Italian: Tevere. River of Italy, on which Rome stands.

Tibet. Asiatic country dependent on China. Also: Thibet.

Tierra del Fuego. Islands at the southern tip of South America, separated from mainland by the Strait of Magellan.

Tiflis. Province of Asiatic Russia and its capital.

Tigris. River of western Asia, joins Euphrates and falls into the Persian Gulf.

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Tokio or Tokyo. Capital and chief city of Japan.

Toledo. Province of Spain and its capital, a city of much historical importance. Has been capital of Visigoth and Mohammedan kingdoms and of the Christian kingdom of Castile. Ecclesiastical center of Spain. The swords of T. have been famous. Also, city of Ohio, manufacturing center and lake port.

Toronto. Capital of Ontario, Canada, located on Lake Ontario.

Toulon. French port and naval station on the Mediterranean.

Toulouse. Old city of Haute-Garonne, France, capital of the department. University.

Trafalgar. Spanish cape near which Nelson won a great naval victory but was himself slain.

Transylvania. District of Hungary transferred to Roumania after the World War.

Trebizond or Tarobosan. Ancient: Trapezus. Province of Turkey and its capital, port on the Black Sea. Has belonged to several different empires. There was, during the middle ages, an empire of T. connected with the Byzantine Empire.

Trent. Italian: Trento. Italian city, taken from Austria after the World War.

Trieste or Triest. Important Adriatic port, gained by Italy after the World War.

Troy. Ancient city of Asia Minor where, according to the Homeric legend, the Greeks fought to recover Helen, runaway wife of Menelaus. The country was called Troas,[Pg 60] Troad, or Troja. The city was also known as Ilium.

Troyes. City of Aube Department, France, of historical importance.

Tunis. French protectorate of northern Africa (also called Tunisia) and its capital.

Turin. Italian: Torino. Province of Italy and its capital, a leading silk manufacturing center. Formerly capital of the duchy of Savoy and the kingdom of Sardinia.

Turkestan. Region of central Asia. Politically, it is in Russia, China, and several minor states.

Turkey. Formerly: Turkish or Ottoman Empire. Republic of Asia and eastern Europe. Much reduced in area and importance by a series of wars, including the World War of 1914-1918.

Tuscany. Former grand duchy of Italy developed out of the city-state of Florence, now a department or province.

Tusculum. Ancient town of Latium where Cato the Censor was born and Cicero had a villa.

Tyre. Ancient seaport of Phoenicia. Modern: Sur.

Tyrol or Tirol. Former crownland of Austria, part of which, including Trent, is now in Italy. T. is in the Alps.

Ukraine or Little Russia. One of the Soviet Republics. Also called: Ukrainia. Officially: Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republics.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The combined kingdoms of England (including[Pg 61] Wales), Scotland, and Ireland. The last, except for what is called Northern Ireland, has been taken from the United Kingdom.

United States of America. Federal republic of North America. An American (or, in the Latin countries, a North American) is a citizen of the United States, in ordinary usage.

Ur of the Chaldees. Locality in ancient Babylonia from which Abram (Abraham) is said to have come.

Ural. River and mountains dividing European and Asiatic Russia.

Urbino. Former duchy of Italy and its capital, now capital of the department of Pesaro e Urbino. No longer of great importance.

Uruguay. River and republic of South America.

Utica. Important city of ancient Africa, founded by the Phoenicians.

Utrecht. Province of the Netherlands and its capital, an anciently-founded city.

Valencia. Old kingdom, now included in Spain. Province of Spain and its capital, a Mediterranean port, which was founded in the second century B. C. The Romans called the city Valentia.

Valparaiso. Province of Chile and its capital, a fortified seaport.

Venetia. District of northern Italy, the territory belonging to Venice. Now a province of the kingdom.

Venezuela. Republic of northern South America.

Venice. Italian: Venezia. City of Italy, near[Pg 62] the head of the Adriatic. Located on eighty little islands. Of great historical importance.

Verdun. City of Meuse Department, France, nearly destroyed in the World War.

Verona. Province of Italy and its capital.

Versailles. City of France near Paris, of historic importance.

Vesuvius. Volcano of southern Italy.

Vienna. German: Wien. Capital of Austria, interesting in many ways. Founded by the Romans, has long been important politically and commercially, but has declined somewhat since the World War.

Vilna. City of Poland, claimed also by the Lithuanians.

Volga. River of Russia.

Wales. Principality of Great Britain, which is for most purposes treated as part of England.

Warsaw. Polish: Warszawa. Capital of Poland. Of historical and present importance.

Washington. City of District of Columbia, capital of U. S. Also, state of U. S., on the Pacific.

Waterloo. Town of Brabant, Belgium, where Napoleon was defeated in 1815.

Weimar. Capital of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Germany. Important in literary history.

Wessex. Former kingdom in southern England, of present interest chiefly because of the writings of Thomas Hardy.

West Indies. The group (or groups) of islands[Pg 63] between Florida and Venezuela, including the Bahamas, the Antilles, and the Virgin Islands.

West Point. Town in the state of New York where the United States Military Academy is located.

White. Sea of Russia, opening into the Arctic Ocean.

Wittenberg. City of Prussian Saxony, Germany, where the Lutheran Reformation began.

Wuchang. City of Hupeh, China.

Xanthus. Ancient name of two rivers, one more familiar as the Scamander, q. v. Ancient city of Lycia, Asia Minor.

Yangtze. Most important river of China.

Yellow. Sea between China and Korea.

Yokahoma. Important treaty port and commercial center of Japan.

York. City of Yorkshire, England, ecclesiastical center.

Yorktown. Town of Virginia where Cornwallis surrendered, practically bringing about the end of the Revolutionary War.

Ypres. City of West Flanders, Belgium, about which there was much heavy fighting during the World War.

Zama or Zama Regia. Ancient town of northern Africa where Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal, B. C. 202, bringing the second Punic War to an end.

Zambesi. River of Africa.

Zanzibar. Island on the coast of East Africa a sultanate under British control, and its capital, a seaport.

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Zela. City of Pontus, Asia Minor, in ancient times. Here Julius Caesar defeated Pharnaces, then writing to Rome, “Veni: Vidi: Vici.” (I came: I saw: I conquered.)

Zurich. German: Zürich. Canton of Switzerland and its capital, on the Lake of Z. the chief commercial and industrial city of the republic.