Repository: UIHistories Project: War Publications - WWI Compilation 1923 - Article 23 [PAGE 6]

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In what has been said above, reference !u been had mainly to the he great inland country \cgean and the Mediterranean on the west are, as a rule, imid, having a rainfall adequate for the production of mostc .. ilial Of even hot climate coiurtMinu' strunulv with the C O extreme temperatures of which make up the greater part of Anatolia and Armenia. These fringing land* not only differ in climatic conditions Nut are inhabited by peoples quite unlike those living inland. Here the problems of engineering importance include not onl\ the buildinu of railroads and highways, but also the dredging out and improving of harbors and the draining of lands, particularly those near the mouths of the streams which come from the highlands- While irrigation is essential to agriculture throughout the greater part of the remaining area, its counterpart — drainage — is needed in the coastal region. Included with Asiatic Turkey and until the present time forming part ot it, altho quite distinct in many ways, is the Arabian desert covering the greater part of the peninsula which juts far to the south into the Indian Ocean. The interior is little known; few travelers have penetrated the wilderness sparsely occupied by wandering, hostile tribes of Arabs, "the People of the Camel," but enough is known to indicate that there is a limited water supply which in a few localities was developed centuries ago, most of the works being now in ruins. It is quite possible that a thoro geological exploration and the sinking of deep drilled wells may reveal the existence of artesian or other water, as has be undertakings considered in this vast area. the and the Mediterranean lies a narrow strip of country of intense concern

Jewish

spot on the map, it possesses per Wry interest. centage of the land is suitable for cultivation; but these lands, if supplied with water, can be made highly productive and capable of supporting a larger population than that now living within the country. It Possesses little or no mineral wealth, and its value from a commercial standpoint may be said to reside almost entirely in the tourist or pilgrim traffic.

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