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KOVNO (in Lithuanian Kauna)

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 921 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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KOVNO (in Lithuanian Kauna) , a See also:government of See also:north-western See also:Russia, bounded N. by the governments of See also:Courland and See also:Vitebsk, S.E. by that of See also:Vilna, and S. and S.W. by See also:Suwalki and the See also:province of See also:East See also:Prussia, a narrow See also:strip touching the Baltic near See also:Memel. It has an See also:area of 15,687 sq. m. The level uniformity of its See also:surface is broken only by two See also:low ridges which nowhere rise above Soo ft. The See also:geological See also:character is varied, the See also:Silurian, Devonian, See also:Jurassic and See also:Tertiary systems being all represented: the Devonian is that which occurs most frequently, and all are covered with See also:Quaternary See also:boulder-See also:clays. The See also:soil is either a sandy See also:clay or a more fertile See also:kind of See also:black See also:earth. The government is drained by the Niemen, See also:Windau, Courland Aa and See also:Dvina, which have navigable tributaries. In the See also:flat depressions covered with boulder-clays there are many lakes and marshes, while forests occupy about 251 % of the surface. The See also:climate is comparatively mild, the mean temperature at the See also:city of Kovno being 440 F. The See also:population was 1,156,040 See also:ill 1870, and 1,553,244 in 1897. The estimated population in 1906 was 1,683,600. It is varied, consisting of See also:Lithuanians proper and Zhmuds (together 74%), See also:Jews (14%), Germans (22%), Poles (9%), with Letts and Russians; 76.6% are See also:Roman Catholics, 13.7 Jews, 4.5 Protestants, and 5% belong to the See also:Greek See also:Church. Of the See also:total 788,102 were See also:women in 1897 and 147,878 were classed as See also:urban.

The See also:

principal occupation of the inhabitants is See also:agriculture, 63% of the surface being under crops; both See also:grain (See also:wheat, See also:rye, oats and See also:barley) and potatoes are exported. See also:Flax is cultivated and the See also:linseed exported. Dairying flourishes, and See also:horse and See also:cattle breeding are attracting See also:attention. Fishing is important, and the See also:navigation on the See also:rivers is brisk. A variety of See also:petty domestic See also:industries are carried on by the Jews, but only to a slight extent in the villages. As many as x8,000 to 24,000 men are compelled every See also:year to migrate in See also:search of See also:work. The factories consist principally of distilleries, See also:tobacco and See also:steam See also:flour-See also:mills, and hardware manufactories. See also:Trade, especially the transit trade, is brisk, from the situation of the government on the Prussian frontier, the See also:custom-houses of Yerburg and Tauroggen being amongst the most important in Russia. The See also:chief towns of the seven districts into which the government is divided, with their populations in 1897, are Kovno (q.v.), (Novo-See also:Alexandrovsk (6370), Ponevyezh (13,044), Rosieny (7455), Shavli (15,914), Telshi (6215) and Vilkcmir (13,509)• The territory which now constitutes the government of Kovno was formerly known as Samogitia and formed See also:part of Lithuania. During the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries the Livonian and See also:Teutonic Knights continually invaded and plundered it, especially the western part, which was peopled with Zhmuds. In 1569 it was annexed, along with the See also:rest of the principality of Lithuania, to See also:Poland; and it suffered very much from the See also:wars of Russia with See also:Sweden and Poland, and from the invasion of See also:Charles XII. in 1701. In 1795 the principality of Lithuania was annexed to Russia, and until 1872, when the government of Kovno was constituted, the territory now forming it was a part of the government of Vilna.

End of Article: KOVNO (in Lithuanian Kauna)

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