Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. 4 (of 8)

Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. 4 (of 8) - French Explorations and Settlements in North America and Those of the Portuguese, Dutch, and Swedes 1500-1700

PHYSIOGRAPHY OF NORTH AMERICA. BY NATHANIEL S. SHALER, Professor of Palontology in Harvard University. PHYSIOGRAPHY OF NORTH AMERICA. THE continents of the earth have two distinct types of form,the one regular, symmetrical, triangular in outline; the other without these regularities of shape. To the first of these groups belong the continents of Africa and Australia of the Old World, and the two Americas of the New; to the second, the massive continent of Europe and Asia. Some have sought to reduce the continent of Asia to the same type as that of the other continents; but a glance at a map of the hemispheres will show how different is this Indo-European continent from the other land-masses. These general features of the continents are not only of scientific interest; they are of the utmost importance to the history of mans development upon these several lands. It is not without meaning, that, while man has existed for a great length of time upon all the continents, the only original civilizations that have been developed have been on the lands of the Indo-European continent. Working on several different lines of advance, several diverse racesAryan, Semitic, Chinese, and perhaps othershave risen from the common plane of barbarism, and have created complicated social systems, languages, literatures, and arts; while on the four other continents, despite their great area, greater fertility, and wider range of physical conditions, no race has ever had a native development to be compared with that undergone by the several successful races of Asia and Europe.[1] ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 51291
Author: Winsor, Justin
Release Date: Feb 23, 2016
Format: eBook
Language: English

Contributors

Editor: Winsor, Justin, 1831-1897