branches of these oceans, called feas, as the Mediterranean fea, &c. receive their names generally from the countries they border upon. 7. A bay, or gulf, is a part of the fea, almoft furrounded by land; as the gulf of Mexico, the bay of Biscay, &c. 8. A firait is a narrow paffage out of one fea into another; as the ftrait of Gibraltar. 9. A lake is a water furrounded by land; as the lake of Geneva. 10, Rivers are ftreams of water, iffuing from fprings in high grounds, and falling into the fea, or other rivers; and are wider near their mouths than towards their heads or springs; they are defcribed in maps by black lines. 11. The land is divided into two great continents: viz. The eaftern and western continents, befides iflands. The eastern continent is fubdivided into three parts; viz.—Europe, which is the north-west part; Afia, the north-east ; and Africa, the fouth. The western continent confifts of America only, divided into North and South America. 12. An land is a piece of land entirely furrounded by water. 13. A peninsula is a country, or piece of land, furrounded by water, except on one fide, where it joins to fome other land. 14. An ifihmus is a narrow neck of land which joins a peninfula to fome other country; as the Ifthmus of Suez, which joins Africa to Afia; the Ifthmus of Darien, which joins North and South America. 15. A cape, called fometimes a promontory, or head-land, is a point of land extending fome way into the sea. 16. The surface of the earth is fuppofed to be divided by feveral imaginary circles, for the better determining the fituation and boundaries of the feveral countries and parts of the world, of which the most confiderable circles are the following:-1. The equator, called alfo the equinoctial line, which divides the globe of the earth into two equal parts, or hemifpheres I hemifpheres, the one north and the other fouth. This circle is every where equally distant from the two poles; and upon this circle, the degrees of longitude are marked. 2. The two tropical circles: viz.The tropic of Cancer, or the northern tropic, which encompaffes the globe, at the distance of 231 degrees from the equator; and the tropic of Capricorn, or fouthern tropic, which encompaffes the globe at the fame diftance on the fouth fide of the equator. The space between these two tropics is called the Torrid Zone. 3. The two polar circles; viz.-The arctic circle, which furrounds the north pole, and the antarctic circle, which furrounds the fouth pole; each at the distance of 23 degrees from its refpective pole. The space included between the tropic of Cancer and the arctic circle is called the northern Temperate Zone, and that fpace between the arctic circle and the north pole, is called the north Frigid Zone; and the correfponding fpaces on the fouthern hemifphere have fimilar names, as the fouthern Temperate Zone, and the fouthern Frigid Zone. 4. The meridional lines, which are lines drawn at right angles to the equator, and coinciding at the poles. These lines run directly north and fouth: and when the fun appears full fouth of any place, he is then faid to be on the meridian of that place; and it is then 12 o'clock at noon at that place. The latitude of places is always numbered on these lines. 17. The longitude is the diftance of one country from another, and is either east or west, and measured on the equator. The longitude of a place is always measured from the capital of the country where the author or traveller is; thus, when a perfon in England mentions the longitude of any other place, it is always understood that the longitude is reckoned from London; that is, the degrees of longitude are measured on the equator, and from that part of the equator, where the meridian paffing through London, interfects the equator, at that part of the equator which is cut by the mẹridian of the other place meafured to. 18. The latitude of a place is the distance of that place from the equator, measured on the meridional line; and is either north or fouth. 19. The inhabitants of the earth are diftinguished from each other by their relative fituations; of which there are reckoned three forts, Periæci, Antiæci, and Antipodes :1. The Periæci are those people who live at the fame distance from the equator, but under oppofite meridians : the length of their days and feafons is the fame; but when it is mid-day with one, it is midnight with the other. 2. The Antiæci live under the fame meridian, but oppofite parallels, and live equally distant from the equator; the one being in the fouth latitude, and the other in the north. These have the fun at the fame hour at noon; but the longest day of the one is the fortest day of the other, and their feafons of the year are different; for when it is fummer with one, it is winter with the other. 3. The Antipodes are fituated directly on oppofite fides of the globe to each other, the feet of the one, being directly oppofite to the feet of the other. These lie under oppofite meridians, and oppofite parallels; it is noonday with the one, when it is midnight with the other; the longest day with the one, is the fhortest day with the other; and when it is fummer with the one, it is winter with the other. 20. The inhabitants of the earth are fometimes diftinguished from each other, (in geography,) by the direction of their fhadows at noon-day; and are called Amphifcii, Afcii, Heterofcii, or Perifcii. 1. The Amphiscii are those situated in the torrid zone, and have their fhadows, one part of the year, directed towards the north at nɔon-day, and at another part of the year, towards the fouth, at noon-day, according to the part of the ecliptic the fun is in; confequently, the fun. is vertical to these people twice a year. They are then called: -2. Ascii, fhewing no fhadow at noon-day. 3. The Heterefcii, are those who inhabit the temperate zones, and whose fliadows at mid-day always fall one way: viz.-The shadows of of those in the northern temperate zone, falling always towards the north, at noon-day; and those in the fouthern zone, always fouth at noon-day. 4. The Perifcii are thofe who inhabit either of the frigid zones. These have their fhadows moved entirely round them every 24 hours, when the fun is in their hemifpheres, and fo far decline towards their pole, as not to fet for feveral days. 21. The horizon is properly a double circle; one of the horizons being called the fenfible, and the other the rational Borizon. The former comprehends only that space which we can fee around us, upon any part of the earth; and is very different, according to the difference of our fituation. The other, called rational, is parallel to the former, but paffing through the centre of the earth, and fuppofed to be continued as far as the celeftial sphere itself; whereas the former is fuppofed to pafs over the furface of the earth, where the fpectator ftands: but in geography, when the horizon is mentioned, the rational horizon is always underftood. By reafon of the round figure of the earth, every different part has a different horizon. The poles of the horizon, that is, the points directly above the head, and op pofite the feet of the obferver, are called the zenith and nadir. 22. The zenith is that pole of the horizon directly over the observer's head. 23. The nadir is the oppofite pole of the horizon, or that directly under the obferver's feet. A TABLE |