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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL SERIES.—NO. 1.
FIRST LESSONS
IN
GEOGRAPHY;
OR,
INTRODUCTION TO "YOUTH'S MANUAL OF GEOGRAPHY."
By JAMES MONTEITH.
1856.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL SERIES.
No. 1.—MONTEITH'S FIRST LESSONS IN GEOGRAPHY, for Beginners.
No. 2.—MONTEITH'S YOUTH'S MANUAL OF GEOGRAPHY, for Junior and Intermediate Classes.
No. 3.—McNALLY'S SYSTEM OF GEOGRAPHY, for Advanced Classes in Schools, Academies, and Seminaries.
The above Books, which are written by Practical Teachers, constitute the most complete Geographical School Series extant; and they are so adapted to each other, that the learner advances from one to the other with satisfaction and success.
A.S. BARNES & CO.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, By JAMES MONTEITH, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York.
PREFACE.
It is evident, that to secure a complete system of teaching Geography in our Schools, there should be at least three grades of Text-books; namely, Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced. As the necessity for a Geography more introductory in its character than those now in use has been long felt, the Author would respectfully solicit the notice of his fellow-teachers to this little work.
Its plan is such, that the subject is presented in the most simple form.
It treats of General Features, such as the locality and description of Continents, Countries, States, Rivers, Mountains, &c., without dwelling prematurely upon the minute details that embarrass the learner in his first effort.
The Exercises are arranged in Question and Answer.
The Maps are free from all meridians, parallels of latitude, and any superabundance of names; thereby giving a greater prominence to the general divisions of land and water.
CONTENTS.
DEFINITIONS
- Map of the Western Hemisphere
- Map of the Eastern Hemisphere
- Map of North America
- Map of the United States
- Map of the Eastern States
- Map of the Middle States
- Map of the Southern States
- Map of the Western States
- Map of South America
- Map of Europe
- Map of Asia
- Map of Africa
- History of North America
- History of the United States
- History of the Eastern States
- History of the Middle States
- History of the Southern States
FIRST LESSONS
IN
GEOGRAPHY.
LESSON I.
Q. What is Geography?
A. A description of the Earth's surface.
Q. What is the Earth?
A. The planet or body on which we live.
Q. What is the shape of the Earth?
A. Round, like a ball.
Q. Of what is the Earth composed?
A. Land and Water.
LESSON II.
Q. What is a Continent?
A. The largest division of the land.
Q. How many Continents are there?
A. Two; the Eastern and the Western.
Q. On which Continent do we live?
A. On the Western Continent.
Q. What are the divisions of the Western Continent?
A. North America and South America.
Q. What are the divisions of the Eastern Continent?
A. Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Q. What is an Ocean?
A. The largest division of the water.
Q. How many Oceans are there?
A. Five; Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern or Antarctic, Northern or Arctic.
LESSON III.
Q. Which is the largest Ocean?
A. The Pacific Ocean.
Q. What is an Island?
A. A portion of land entirely surrounded by water.
Q. What is a Peninsula?
A. A portion of land almost surrounded by water.
Q. What is a Lake?
A. A body of water almost surrounded by land.
Q. What is an Isthmus?
A. A neck joining two larger portions of land.
Q. What is a Strait?
A. A passage connecting two larger bodies of water.
LESSON IV.
Q. What is a Cape?
A. A point of land extending into the water.
Q. What is a Mountain?
A. A vast elevation of land.
Q. What is a Hill?
A. A small elevation of
Q. What is a Volcano?
A. A mountain which sends out fire, smoke, and lava.
Q. What is a Valley?
A. The low land between hills or mountains.
Q. What is a Plain?
A. A level tract of land.
Q. What is a Desert?
A. A barren region of country.
LESSON V.
Q. What is a Sea?
A. The division of water, the next in size to an ocean.
Q. What is a Gulf or Bay?
A. A body of water extending into the land.
Q. What is a River?
A. A stream of water flowing through the land.
Q. By what are Rivers formed?
A. By Springs.
Q. What is a Spring?
A. Water flowing from the ground.
Q. What are Small Streams called?
A. Brooks and Creeks.
LESSON VI.
Q. Who governs an Empire?
A. An Emperor.
Q. Who governs a Kingdom?
A. A King or a Queen.
Q. Who governs a Republic?
A. Men elected by the People.
Q. Which is the largest Empire in the world?
A. Russia.
Q. Which is the largest Kingdom in the world?
A. Great Britain.
Q. Which is the largest Republic in the world?
A. The United States.
LESSON VII.
Q. What is a Map?
A. A picture of the whole, or a part, of the Earth's Surface.
Q. What are the directions on a Map?
A. Toward the top, North; toward the bottom, South; to the right, East; to the left, West.
Q. In what direction from the centre of the picture is the Island?
A. North.
Q. In what direction is the Volcano? The Cape?
Q. The Bay? The Lake? The Strait? The Mountains?
Q. The Isthmus?
Q. What is in the East? In the West? In the South? In the North? In the Northwest? In the Southeast? In the Northeast? In the Southwest?
LESSON VIII.
Q. In what Division of the Earth do we live?
A. In North America.
Q. What Division south of North America?
A. South America.
Q. When you
A. Atlantic Ocean.
Q. Where does the Sun rise?
A. In the East.
Q. Where, then, is the Atlantic Ocean?
A. East of America.
Q. When you look at the setting Sun, what Ocean is before you?
A. Pacific Ocean.
Q. Where does the Sun set?
A. In the West.
Q. Where is the Pacific Ocean?
A. West of America.
Q. What Ocean north of America?
A. Northern Ocean.
LESSON IX.
Q. What Ocean south of America?
A. Southern Ocean.
Q. What Isthmus joins South America to North America?
A. Isthmus of Darien.
Q. Which is the most northern Country of North America?
A. Greenland.
Q. What Bay west of Greenland?
A. Baffin's Bay
Q. Do you live in North America or in South America?
Q. What Ocean east of America?
Q. What Ocean west of America?
Q. Where is the Northern Ocean?
Q. Where is the Southern Ocean?
Q. In what Ocean are the Sandwich Islands?
Q. In what Ocean are the Cape Verd Islands?
LESSON X.
Q. What are the Divisions of the Eastern Continent?
A. Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Q. Which is the largest?
A. Asia.
Q. Which is the smallest?
A. Europe.
Q. Which is furthest to the right, or east?
A. Asia.
Q. Which is furthest south?
A. Africa.
Q. What Ocean east of Asia?
A. Pacific Ocean.
Q. What Ocean south of Asia?
A. Indian Ocean.
Q. What Ocean west of Africa?
A. Atlantic Ocean.
Q. What Sea south of Europe?
A. Mediterranean Sea.
LESSON XI
Q. What Sea east of Africa?
A. Red Sea.
Q. What Cape in the south of Africa?
A. Cape of Good Hope.
Q. What Division of the Earth is composed of Islands?
A. Oceanica.
Q. Which is the largest Island in the World?
A. Australia.
Q. What Oceans do you find on the Eastern Hemisphere?
Q. What Division between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans?
Q. What Division west of Asia?
Q. What Division south of Europe?
Q. Between what Divisions is the Mediterranean Sea?
Q. Between what is the Red Sea?
Q. Where is the Cape of Good Hope?
LESSON XII.
Q. What three Oceans around North America?
A. Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific.
Q. What Country furthest north?
A. Greenland.
Q. What
A. Central America.
Q. In what Country do we live?
A. In the United States.
Q. What Country north of the United States?
A. British America.
Q. What Country south of the United States?
A. Mexico.
Q. What Country in the northwest?
A. Russian America.
Q. What Peninsula in the south?
A. Yucatan.
LESSON XIII.
Q. Between what two Oceans is the United States?
A. Atlantic and Pacific.
Q. What Bay west of Greenland?
A. Baffin's Bay.
Q. What Bay in British America?
A. Hudson's Bay.
Q. What large Sea southeast of North America?
A. Caribbéan Sea.
Q. Which are the largest two Countries of North America?
Q. Between what two Countries is the United States?
Q. In what Country is Hudson's Bay?
Q. Between what two Countries is Baffin's Bay?
Q. What large Island southeast of the United States?
Q. Where is Cape Farewell?
LESSON XIV.
Q. What large Gulf south of the United States?
A. Gulf of Mexico.
Q. Where is the Gulf of Mexico?
A. South of the United States.
Q. What two great Rivers in the United States?
A. Mississippi and Missouri.
Q. What Mountains in the western part of N. America?
A. Rocky Mountains.
Q. Where are the Rocky Mountains?
A. In the western part of N. America
Q. What Island east of Greenland?
A. Iceland.
Q. Where is Iceland?
LESSON XV.
NORTH AMERICA.
Q. By whom was America discovered?
A. By Columbus; about 360 years ago.
Q. What kind of People did he find here?
A. Dark-colored Savages.
Q. What did Columbus name them?
A. Indians.
Q. After whom was America named?
A. A man named Americus.
Q. What can you say of the Northern part of N. America?
A. It is very cold.
Q. What of the Southern part of N. America?
A. It is very warm.
LESSON XVI.
Q. How many States are there? 31.
Q. How are they divided?
A. Into Eastern, Middle, Western, and Southern States.
Q. Which is the largest State?
A. Texas.
Q. Which is the smallest State?
A. Rhode Island.
Q. What State on the Pacific?
A.
Q. What State in the north, almost surrounded by Lakes?
A. Michigan.
Q. Which is the largest of these Lakes?
A. Lake Superior.
Q. What Lake east of Michigan?
A. Lake Huron.
Q. What Lake west of Michigan?
A. Lake Michigan.
Q. What River west of Texas?
A. Rio Grande.
LESSON XVII.
Q. What large River flows south into the Gulf of Mexico?
A. Mississippi River.
Q. What large Rivers flow into the Mississippi?
A. Missouri, Ohio, Arkansas, and Red.
Q. What River between Texas and Mexico?
A. Rio Grande.
Q. What Ocean east of the United States?
Q. What Ocean west?
Q. What Country south?
Q. What Gulf south?
Q. In what State do you live?
Q. What States touch your State?
Q. Where is Lake Superior?
Q. What Lake in Utah?
Q. Into what does the Ohio flow?
LESSON XVIII.
Q. Which State is furthest northeast?
A. Maine.
Q. Where is Maine?
A. In the northeastern part of the United States.
Q. Which State is furthest south?
A. Florida.
Q. Between what Ocean and Gulf is Florida?
Q. What State is furthest west?
A. California.
Q. Where is California?
Q. What States touch the Mississippi River?
Q. What States touch the Gulf of Mexico?
Q. How many Territories are there?
A. Eight.
Q. Which is the largest Territory?
A. Nebraska.
LESSON XIX.
THE UNITED STATES.
Q. What are the people of the United States called?
A. Americans.
Q. Who governed this Country about 80 years ago?
A. The King of England.
Q. How did the Americans obtain their freedom?
A. By a war which lasted nearly eight years.
Q. What great man led the American army?
A. George Washington, who became the first President.
Q. How has this Country increased?
A. From 13 to 31 States.
Q. What troubles had the settlers of this Country?
A. Many were murdered by the Indians.
LESSON XX.
CAPITALS.
CAPITAL OF THE UNITED STATES,
Washington, on the Potomac River.
EASTERN STATES.
States. Capitals. Situation.
Maine, Augusta, on the Kennebec.
New Hampshire, Concord, on the
Vermont, Montpelier, on the Onion.
Massachusetts, Boston, on the Boston Harbor.
Rhode Island, Providence, on the Providence Bay.
Newport, on the Rhode Island.
Connecticut,* Hartford, on the Connecticut.
New Haven, on the New Haven Bay.
* kon-net'e-kut.
LESSON XXI.
MIDDLE STATES.
States. Capitals. Situation.
New York, Albany, on the Hudson.
New Jersey, Trenton, on the Delaware.
Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, on the Susquehanna.
Delaware, Dover, on the Jones' Creek.
LESSON XXII.
SOUTHERN STATES.
States. Capitals. Situation.
Maryland, Annapolis, on the Severn.
Virginia, Richmond, on the James.
North Carolina, Raleigh, near the Neuse.
South Carolina, Columbia, on the Congaree.
Georgia, Milledgeville, on the Oconee.
Florida, Tallahassee, Inland.
Alabama, Montgomery, on the Alabama.
Mississippi, Jackson, on the Pearl.
Louisiana, Baton Rouge,* on the Mississippi.
Texas, Austin, on the Colorado.
* bat' on-roozh.
LESSON XXIII.
WESTERN STATES.
States. Capitals. Situation.
Arkansas, Little Rock, on the Arkansas.
Tennessee, Nashville, on the Cumberland.
Kentucky, Frankfort, on the Kentucky.
Ohio, Columbus, on the Sciota.
Michigan, Lansing, on the Grand.
Indiana, Indianapolis, on the West Fork of the White.
Illinois, (oy) Springfield, near the
Wisconsin, Madison, on the Fourth Lake.
Iowa, Iowa City, on the Iowa.
Missouri, Jefferson City, on the Missouri.
California, Sacramento, on the Sacramento.
* sang'ga-mon.