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KUBAR

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 935 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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KUBAR , a See also:

province of See also:Russian See also:Caucasia, having the See also:Sea of See also:Azov on the W., the territory of See also:Don See also:Cossacks on the N., the See also:government of See also:Stavropol and the province of See also:Terek on the E., and the government of See also:Kutais and the See also:Black Sea See also:district on the S. and S.W. It thus contains the See also:low and marshy lowlands on the Sea of Azov, the western portion of the fertile See also:steppes of See also:northern Caucasia, and the northern slopes of the See also:Caucasus range from its See also:north-See also:west extremity to the Elbruz. The See also:area is 36,370 sq. m. On the See also:south the province includes the parallel ranges of the Black Mountains (Kara-dagh), 3000 to 6000 ft. high, which are intersected by See also:gorges that grow deeper and wider as the See also:main range is approached. Owing to a relatively wet See also:climate and numerous streams, these mountains are densely clothed with See also:woods, under the See also:shadow of which a thick undergrowth of rhododendrons, " Caucasian palms " (Buxus sempervirens), See also:ivy, See also:clematis, &c., develops, so as to render the forests almost impassable. These See also:cover altogether nearly 20% of the aggregate area. Wide, treeless plains, from loco to 2000 ft. high, stretch north of the See also:Kuban, and are profusely watered by that See also:river and its many tributaries—the Little and See also:Great Zelenchuk, Lrrup, Laba, Byelaya, Pshish—See also:mountain torrents that See also:rush through narrow gorges from the Caucasus range. In its See also:lower course the Kuban forms a wide, low See also:delta, covered with rushes, haunted by See also:wild See also:boar, and very unhealthy. The same characteristics See also:mark the low plains on the See also:east of the Sea of Azov, dotted over with numerous semi-stagnant lakes. See also:Malaria is the enemy of these regions, and is especially deadly on the Taman See also:Peninsula, as also along the See also:left See also:bank of the lower and See also:middle Kuban. There is considerable See also:mineral See also:wealth. See also:Coal is found on the Kuban and its tributaries, but its extraction is still insignificant (less than ro,000 tons per annum).

See also:

Petroleum See also:wells exist in the district of Maikop, but the best are in the Taman Peninsula, where they range over 570 sq. m. See also:Iron ores, See also:silver and See also:zinc are found; See also:alabaster is extracted, as also some See also:salt, soda and See also:Epsom salts. The best mineral See also:waters are at Psekup and Taman, where there are also See also:numbers of mud volcanoes, ranging from small hillocks to hills 365 ft. high and more. The See also:soil is very fertile in the plains, parts of which consist of black See also:earth and are being rapidly populated. The See also:population reached 1,928,419 in 1897; of whom 1,788,622 were Russians, 13,926 Armenians, 20,137 Greeks and 20,778 Germans. There were at the same date 945,873 See also:women, and only 156,486 See also:people lived in towns. The estimated population in 2906 was 2,275,400. The See also:aborigines were represented by 100,000 Circassians, 5000 Nogai See also:Tatars and some Ossetes. The Circassians or Adyghe, who formerly occupied the mountain valleys, were compelled, after the Russian See also:conquest in 1861, either to See also:settle on the See also:flat See also:land or to emigrate; those who refused to move voluntarily were driven across the mountains to the Black Sea See also:coast. Most of them (nearly 200,000) emigrated to See also:Turkey, where they formed the Bashi-bazouks. Peasants from the interior provinces of See also:Russia occupied the plains of the Kuban, and they now number over r,000,000, while the Kuban Cossacks in 1897 numbered 804,372 (405,428 women). In point of See also:religion 90% of the population were in 1897 members of the Orthodox See also:Greek See also:Church, 4% Raskolniks and other Christians and 5.4% Mahommedans, the See also:rest being See also:Jews.

See also:

Wheat is by far the See also:chief See also:crop (nearly three-quarters of the See also:total area under crops are under wheat); See also:rye, oats, See also:barley, See also:millet, See also:Indian See also:corn, some See also:flax and potatoes, as also See also:tobacco, are grown. Agricultural machinery is largely employed, and the province is a reserve granary for Russia. Livestock, especially See also:sheep, is kept in large numbers on the steppes. See also:Bee-keeping is See also:general, and gardening and See also:vine-growing are spreading rapidly. Fishing in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, as also in the Kuban, is important. Two main lines of railway intersect the province, one See also:running N.W. to S.E., from Rostov to See also:Vladikavkaz, and another starting from the former south-westwards to See also:Novorossiysk on the north coast of the Black Sea. The province is divided into seven districts, the chief towns of which, with their populations in 1897, are See also:Ekaterinodar, See also:capital of the province (65,697), See also:Anapa (6676), Labinsk (6388), Batalpashinsk (8roo), Maikop (34,191), See also:Temryuk (14,476) and See also:Yeisk (35,446). The See also:history of the See also:original settlements of the various native tribes, and their See also:language and See also:worship before the introduction of Mahommedanism, remain a See also:blank See also:page in the legends of the Caucasus. The peninsula of Taman, a land teeming with See also:relics of See also:ancient Greek colonists, has been occupied successively by the Cimmerians, Sarmatians, See also:Khazars, See also:Mongols and other nations. The Genoese, who established an extensive See also:trade in the 13th See also:century, were expelled by the See also:Turks in 1484, and in 1784 Russia obtained by treaty the entire peninsula and the territory on the right bank of the Kuban, the latter being granted by See also:Catherine II. in 1792 to the Cossacks of the See also:Dnieper. Then commenced935 the bloody struggle with the Circassians, which continued for more than See also:half a century. Not only domestic, but even See also:field See also:work, is conducted mostly by the women, who are remarkable for their See also:physical strength and endurance.

The native mountaineers, known under the general name of Circassians, but locally distinguished as the Karachai, Abadsikh, Khakuchy, Shapsugh, have greatly altered their mode of See also:

life since the pacification of the Caucasus, still, however, maintaining Mahommedanism, speaking their See also:vernacular, and strictly observing the customs of their ancestors. Exports include wheat, tobacco, See also:leather, See also:wool, petroleum, See also:timber, See also:fish, salt and live See also:cattle; imports, dry goods, grocery and hardware. See also:Local See also:industry is limited to a few tanneries, petroleum refineries and spirit distilleries. (P. A. K.; J. T.

End of Article: KUBAR

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