The international geography . was a large andimportant tow^n, and a great centre of trade. Under the monopolisingpolicy of the Portuguese and their successors, the Dutch, its prosperitydecreased, and still more after the establishment of Penang. The openingup of the district has, however, given a fresh impetus to its growth. Thedistrict of Malacca is the largest of the settlements. Penang {, hete\-nut), formerly called Prince of Wales Island,lies about 360 miles north-west of Singapore, and with Province Wellesleyon the adjacent mainland is the most northerly of the Straits
The international geography . was a large andimportant tow^n, and a great centre of trade. Under the monopolisingpolicy of the Portuguese and their successors, the Dutch, its prosperitydecreased, and still more after the establishment of Penang. The openingup of the district has, however, given a fresh impetus to its growth. Thedistrict of Malacca is the largest of the settlements. Penang {, hete\-nut), formerly called Prince of Wales Island,lies about 360 miles north-west of Singapore, and with Province Wellesleyon the adjacent mainland is the most northerly of the Straits channel separating the island from the mainland is about two mileswide and forms a very good harbour. Penang, which succeeded Malaccaas the chief centre of trade in the Straits, declined with the growth ofSingapore. Its local trade is, however, large and increasing. ProvinceWellesley consists chiefly of an alluvial plain with wooded hills in theinterior. Besides the betel-nut, spices of various kinds and rice 514 The International Geography The Bindings, about 70 miles south of Penang, comprise thePangkar or Dinding Islands, and a part of mainland opposite, lying northand south of the Dinding river. The Keeling or Cocos Islands, a group of about twenty smallforest-clothed coral islands, discovered in 1609 by Captain Keeling, lieabout 500 miles south-south-west of Java. Coco-nut palms abound andyield the principal export. Christmas Island, 200 miles south of Java, is an upraised coral atollthe coast of which is formed by the hard rocks on which the coral grewwhile they were beneath the surface of the water. A valuable product isthe phosphate of lime of which a considerable part of the rocks is com-posed. The island is covered with exceedingly dense forest and under-growth. Large tree-climbing land crabs and great red-brown rats arecharacteristic elements in the restricted fauna. The Protected Native States.—^These are all small States undernative rulers who ar
Size: 1848px × 1352px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectgeography, bookyear19
