. The earth and its inhabitants ... Geography. 274 EUSSIA IN EUROPE. Nearly all its great affluents join the Dnieper in its middle course, and at short intervals from each other, so that their floodings are all concentrated about one jjoint, and cause the main stream to rise suddenly. The river is still in a state of nature, its mean breadth being from 2,000 to 3,800 feet, but in the floods it extends in many places to a distance of 6 miles, entirely filling the main valley, and overflowing into those of its tributaries on both banks. The danger of these inundations is all the greater since th
. The earth and its inhabitants ... Geography. 274 EUSSIA IN EUROPE. Nearly all its great affluents join the Dnieper in its middle course, and at short intervals from each other, so that their floodings are all concentrated about one jjoint, and cause the main stream to rise suddenly. The river is still in a state of nature, its mean breadth being from 2,000 to 3,800 feet, but in the floods it extends in many places to a distance of 6 miles, entirely filling the main valley, and overflowing into those of its tributaries on both banks. The danger of these inundations is all the greater since the disappearance of the forests has rendered the discharo-e more irregular than formerly, and the rising more sudden and extensive. The low-lying districts thus periodically flooded are extremely fertile, which is mainly due to the particles of " black earth " washed down from the upper Fig. 131.—High Banks of the Dnieper, above Chekkasi. Scale 1 : t ofP 9»Q0' QMQ-. iiMO 10 Miles. regions. With the soil the very timber of the north is brought down, and many tracts along the Dnieper banks are now covered M'ith birch forests reaching nearly to the liman district. But most of these lands, which might support a vast population, produce nothing but coarse hay and reeds. The third river in Europe for the volume of its waters, and forming the main artery of a region inhabited by 12,000,000 people, the Dnieper might also be supposed to be one of the most important for its navigation. It traverses succes- sively several distinct zones of cultivation, climate, and culture, passing from the forest region to that of the " black lands," and thence to the arid steppes. Since. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Reclus, Elisée, 1830-1905; Ravenstein, Ernest George, 1834-1913; Kea
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade18, booksubjectgeography, bookyear1883
