Page:Morgan Philips Price - War and Revolution in Asiatic Russia (1918).djvu/38

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Introduction

from the earliest times the outpourings of Europe and Asia; but she has always reduced them to her one single type of humanity—agricultural, pastoral and military.

Coming to the regions to the east of Anatolia, we observe a considerable rise in the table-land. Here the table-lands lie at an average height of from 4,000 to 6,000 feet, and the mountain ranges from 7,000 to 10,000 feet. The cause of these high altitudes is the large outpourings of volcanic detritus, which has raised the level of the land by some 1,000 to 2,000 feet, leaving on either side, to the east and west, the lower levels of the Persian and Anatolian table-lands.[1] The climate of Armenia is in the main sub-arctic. The long cold winters render wheat and barley the only cereals that will endure the atmospheric conditions. Irrigation is less necessary than in Anatolia, for the rains of the short summer months generally provide for the needs of vegetation. The severe climate of the plateau breeds a hard and vigorous race of agriculturists and shepherds. But, unlike Anatolia, Armenia has never been able to unite her nomad and settled populations. The regions suitable for pastoral pursuits are geographically quite distinct from the agricultural regions, and so two economic types have been formed and have become quite stereotyped.

The great mountain system of the eastern Taurus from Diarbekr to the Persian frontier is generally known as Khurdistan.[1] It consists of parallel ranges and rugged valleys between 7,000 and 10,000 feet high, where the rigorous climate permits only sheep and cattle-grazing. In favoured spots barley can be grown;

  1. 1.0 1.1 See Map.

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