Online Encyclopedia
Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.
FERGHANA, or FERGANA
Online EncyclopediaEncyclopedia Home :: FAT-FLA
del.icio.us it!
|
See also:FERGHANA, or FERGANA , a See also:province of See also:Russian See also:Turkestan, formed in 1876 out of the former khanate of See also:Khokand. It is bounded by the provinces of Syr-darya on the N. and N.W., See also:Samarkand on the W., and See also:Semiryechensk on the N.E., by See also:Chinese Turkestan (Kashgaria) on the E., and by See also:Bokhara and See also:Afghanistan on the S. Its See also:southern limits, on the See also:Pamirs, were fixed by an Anglo-Russian See also:commission in 1885, from Zor-kul (See also:Victoria See also:Lake) to the Chinese frontier; and See also:Shignan, Roshan and Wakhan were assigned to Bokhara in See also:exchange for See also:part of Darvaz (on the See also:left See also:bank of the Panj), which was given to Afghanistan. The See also:area amounts to some 53,000 sq. m., of which 17,600 sq. m. are on the Pamirs. The most important part of the province is a See also:rich and fertile valley (1200-1500 ft.), opening towards the S.W. Thence the province stretches northwards across the mountains of the Tian-shan See also:system and southwards across the Alai and Trans-Alai Mts., which reach their highest point in See also:Peak See also:Kaufmann (23,000 ft.), in the latter range. The valley owes its fertility to two See also:rivers, the Naryn and the Karadarya, which unite within its confines, near Namangan, to See also:form the Syr-darya or Jaxartes. These streams, and their numerous See also:mountain affluents, not only See also:supply See also:water for See also:irrigation, but also bring down vast quantities of See also:sand, which is deposited alongside their courses, more especially alongside the Syr-darya where it cuts its way through the See also:Khojent-Ajar See also:ridge, forming there the Karakchikum. This expanse of moving sands, covering an area of 750 sq. m., under the See also:influence of See also:south-See also:west winds, encroaches upon the agricultural districts. The See also:climate of this valley is dry and warm. In See also: See also:Snow and See also:frost (down to -4° F.) occur in See also:December and See also:January. Out of some 3,000,000 acres of cultivated See also:land, about two-thirds are under See also:constant irrigation and the remaining third under partial irrigation. The See also:soil is admirably cultivated, the See also:principal crops being See also:wheat, See also:rice, See also:barley, See also:maize, See also:millet, See also:lucerne, See also:tobacco, vegetables and See also:fruit. Gardening is conducted with a high degree of skill and success. Large See also:numbers of horses, See also:cattle and See also:sheep are kept, and a See also:good many camels are bred. Over 17,000 acres are planted with vines, and some 350,000 acres are under See also:cotton. , Nearly 1,000,000 acres are covered with forests. The See also:government maintains a forestry See also:farm atMarghelan, from which 120,000 to 200,000 See also:young trees are distributed See also:free every See also:year amongst the inhabitants of the province. Silkworm breeding, formerly a prosperous See also:industry, has decayed, despite the encouragement of a See also:state farm at New See also:Marghelan. See also:Coal, See also:iron, See also:sulphur, See also:gypsum, See also:rock-See also:salt, lacustrine salt and See also:naphtha are all known to exist, but only the last two are extracted. Some seventy or eighty factories are engaged in cotton cleaning; while See also:leather, See also:saddlery, See also:paper and See also:cutlery are the principal products of the domestic See also:industries. A considerable See also:trade is carried on with See also:Russia; raw cotton, raw See also:silk, tobacco, hides, sheepskins, fruit and cotton and leather goods are exported, and manufactured wares, textiles, See also:tea and See also:sugar are imported and in part re-exported to Kashgaria and Bokhara. The See also:total trade of Ferghana reaches an See also:annual value of nearly 03,500,000. A new impulse was given to trade by the See also:extension 0899) of the Transcaspian railway into Ferghana and by the opening of the See also:Orenburg-See also:Tashkent railway (1906). The routes to Kashgaria and the Pamirs are See also:mere bridle-paths over the mountains, See also:crossing them by lofty passes. For instance, the passes of Kara-kazyk (14,400 ft.) and Tenghiz-bai (11,200 ft.), both passable all the year See also:round, See also:lead from Marghelan to See also:Karateghin and the Pamirs, while See also:Kashgar is reached via See also:Osh and Gulcha, and then over the passes of See also:Terek-davan (12,205 ft.; open all the year round), Taldyk (11,500 ft.), Archat (11,600 ft.), and Shart-davan (14,000 ft.). Other passes leading out of the valley are the Jiptyk (12,460 ft.), S. of Khokand; the Isfairam (12,000 ft.), leading to the glen of the Surkhab, and the Kavuk (13,000 ft.), across the Alai Mts. The See also:population numbered 1,571,243 in 1897,and of that number 707,132 were See also:women and 286,369 were See also:urban. In 1906 it was estimated at 1,796,500. Two-thirds of the total are Sarts and Uzbegs (of Turkic origin). They live mostly in the valley; while the mountain slopes above it are occupied by See also:Kirghiz, partly See also:nomad and See also:pastoral, partly agricultural and settled. The other races are Tajiks, Kashgarians, Kipchaks, See also:Jews and Gypsies. The governing classes are of course Russians, who constitute also the See also:merchant and artizan classes. But the merchants of West Turkestan are called all over central See also:Asia Andijanis, from the See also:town. of See also:Andijan in Ferghana. The See also:great See also:mass of the population are Mussulmans (1,039,115 in 1897). The province is divided into five districts, the See also:chief towns of which are New Marghelan, See also:capital of the province (8977 in-habitants in 1897), Andijan (49,682 in 1900), Khokand (86,704 in 290o), Namangan (61,906 in 1897), and Osh (37,397 in 1900); but Old Marghelan (42,855 in 1900) and Chust (13,686 in 1897) are also towns of importance. For the See also:history, see KHOKAND. (P. A. K.; J. T. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML. Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide. |
|
|
[back] FERETORY (from Lat. feretrum, a bier, from ferre, t... |
[next] FERGUS FALLS |