Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 14.djvu/165

Rh Kuen-lun in the sense thus explained, the zone it includes will be seen to abut at its north-western extremity on the series of elevated s known under the name of, which extend over a distance of nearly 200 to a little beyond 39° N.  Here the width of the zone is about 100. To the eastward it becomes broader, and on the 79th is nearly 150  across. In this region the chief appear to be laid out, generally, in a north-west and south-east direction, like those of western, with transverse ridges at irregular intervals. The transverse direction would seem to predominate in the outer portion of the zone nearest to the of, but the  details are too little known to permit us to say more on this point. Of the longitudinal ranges two are of conspicuous magnitude, running approximately parallel to one another about 60 or 70 apart; the more northern or outer may be spoken of as the main Kuen-lun; the other, which separates the s of the, which run off to the south-west, from those of the  which pass down to the  of , , and , constitutes the  before referred to, and has been called the Muztagh or Karakorum range from two of the best known  across it. The latter of these great lines of elevation, from which the Kuen-lun slope of the may be said to commence, is of very considerable altitude throughout, its summits rising more than 28,000  above -level, and few of the  falling below 18,000 or even 19,000  over a length of some 400. Its flanks are covered with enormous s, some of them being continuous for distances of 60 or 70. The main Kuen-lun is not much inferior in magnitude, one of its peaks rising above 25,000, while the points between that elevation and 20,000 are numerous. The lie between 18,000  on the east and 13,000  on the west. The between these ranges vary in elevation from about 15,000  to 10,000, the  in some cases collecting in small , in others forming  which, after flowing for some distance parallel to the separating ridges, suddenly change their direction and run off to the north-east through deep transverse lines of rupture, in a manner analogous to that observed on the border of the  slope.

The whole of the region is described as remarkable for its general barren character. The sides are naked and the for the most part narrow and steep. There is a complete absence of, and of any sort are only found at the lower levels bordering on the northern ,—,, and  alone being mentioned, besides a few. The is scanty and  poor,  being found along some of the, and  in the bottoms of the deep  among the higher. Among the are  common in, such as , , , , , , and. The life also appears to be mainly that found in the neighbouring parts of. Some facts of interest relating to the structure of these may be gathered from the fragmentary reports of Dr Stoliczka, the accomplished who so prematurely died from the results of exposure in these inhospitable regions. The summit of the Karakorum Pass is of, and beds are found in some of the  on the north of the Kuen-lun main range, associated with  deposits supposed to be  and. For the greater portion of the the  is very rigorous. The extremes of are great, and the  little. The is small. The fixed settlements are confined to the outer ; few or are found above 6000  of altitude, and hardly any over 8000. The upper are occupied by a, wholly  in their habits. The tract may be regarded as appertaining to the for the time being of the lying in the  below it. But from the nature of the case any recognized authority hardly extends beyond the permanently inhabited region. (undefined)

 KUKA, or, the capital of the of in, is situated in 12° 55′ N.  and 13° 25′ E. , 4  from the western shores of  or , in the midst of an extensive and for the most part. The of the whole district consists of a layer of  resting on, beneath which are found  and. At a depth of 40 or 50  is reached, usually sweet, but sometimes. From a distance Kuka presents a very dead and monotonous appearance, there being no or lofty  of any sort. The, built of , are about 20 in height. There are two distinct, separated by more than half a. The western or Billa Futebe is the larger of the two, measuring from west to east about a  and a half, and rather less from north to south. The plan is rectangular, and there is a gate in each of the four sides. From west to east runs the main known as the Dendal, which widens out to the west into the market place. About the middle of the Dendal stands the ’s secondary. The eastern town or Gedibe is somewhat longer and narrower than the western. The Dendal continues from its western gate till closed at the east end of the by the great  of the, gradually widening out into a large open square. The larger of Kuka are of  or, with windowless walls and flat roofs; the poorer  are mere huts of  or , varying in shape from that of a  to that of a. In almost every there is at least one large shady, whose branches are tenanted by , , or a variety of lesser ; and the whole place is vocal with. Kuka is a wealthy. It always contains a large number of strangers—,, and adventurers—attracted even from , , , , , , by the fame of the ’s liberality. The enjoys the rare advantage of being absolutely free from all  of  or. In the, which is held outside the western gate, there are often more than 10,000 buyers and sellers. It is at once a for, , , and other , a , , and  , a  , and a. The consists mainly of  and. For the, not only of but of the neighbouring , Kuka serves as a kind of. In its are to be seen bands of  students, who spend the  in collecting  from the people, and after  gather round the  which they kindle in the public squares, and noisily and mechanically recite the verses of the  far into the. A less cheerful feature of the life is the unusual number of. The is estimated at 60,000.

Kuka was founded by Mohammed al Amin el Kanemi. It received its name from a kuka or (Adansonia digitata), which attracted the attention of the settlers as a rare thing in the district. In the  was laid waste by  Mohammed Sherif of ; and when it was restored by  Omar he gave it the present double form. It is probably from this feature of the place that the plural Kukawa has become the ordinary designation of the in  and throughout the ; though the local inhabitants generally use the singular Kuka. Kuka has been visited by Denham and Clapperton, Beurmann, Vogel, Barth, Rohlfs, and Nachtigal. For further details see Barth, Travels in Central Africa,, ; Rohlfs, Quer durch Afrika,, ; Nachtigal, Sahará und Súdán,,, vol.i. p. 581–748. The last is the most elaborate account.  KUKU KHOTO, in undefined or undefined, a  of the   of, situated to the north of the , in 40° 50′ N.  and 111° 45′ E. , about 160  west of. It lies in the of a small  which joins the 

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