. Europe and other continents . o- China, and (3) the British Straits Settlements. Siam. — In this tropical country most of the inhabitants,who are either Chinese or Malays, live along the rivers and irrigationcanals, wherethey are largelyengaged in theproduction ofrice. Millet,which is raisedin the drierplaces, competeswith rice in im-portance as afood. Amongthe mineral pro-ducts are rubies,sapphires, gold, and tin. The forests yield tropical woods,especially teak wood, for use at home and for export. Siam is a monarchy, the king being assisted by a council ofministers and a legislative body
. Europe and other continents . o- China, and (3) the British Straits Settlements. Siam. — In this tropical country most of the inhabitants,who are either Chinese or Malays, live along the rivers and irrigationcanals, wherethey are largelyengaged in theproduction ofrice. Millet,which is raisedin the drierplaces, competeswith rice in im-portance as afood. Amongthe mineral pro-ducts are rubies,sapphires, gold, and tin. The forests yield tropical woods,especially teak wood, for use at home and for export. Siam is a monarchy, the king being assisted by a council ofministers and a legislative body of noblemen. The poorerclasses are still kept in a kind of serfdom by the local gov-ernors ; that is, they may be compelled to labor for the gov-ernors for two or three months each year. Bangkok, the capital and largest city, is situated on thebanks of a muddy river up which vessels of small draught areable to pass to the city. Most of the inhabitants live eitherin poor houses on narrow, ill-kept streets, or else in boats and. Fig. Buddhist temple at Bangkok. 1ND0-CHINA 395 floating houses on the river; but the king has magnificentpalaces decorated with carved marble and frescoed with is the religion of the country; and in Bangkok alonethere are said to be ten thousand Buddhist priests whosetemples (Fig. 281), decorated with gold, silver, and jewels, arewonderfully gorgeous. Next to the king the white elephant isheld in highest reverence, and Siam is often called the Landof the White Elephant. French Indo-China. — This dependency of France resemblesSiam in climate andpeople. Its forest-covered hills yieldvaluable teak andiron wood, and inits valleys are ex-tensive fields ofrice and culture is herefavored by thewarm, damp cli-mate and by thebroad, easilyflooded deltas andflood plains of the FIG ogo. Mekong and other A Malay house in the Straits Settlements, rivers. Silk, cot-ton, tea, and spices are other products, and there are alsoextensive
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectgeograp, bookyear1901
