Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-06-04
TERRITORIAL DIVISION
Of NORTHERN ITALY
National Geographic Society Do
scribes Venetia. Which Now Is /.
Threatened by Austria.
Venice. Great Mistress of the Ad
riatic.' Among the Noted
Cities Mentioned.

The territorial division of northerff
Italy. known as Venetia. which the,
Austrian offensive now threatens 70
the subject Of yesterdays war geography \,
bulletin. issued by the National q z
graphic Society from its Washington
headquarters. The bulletin ..iv.s ti..
following data about this fertile region
whose poisoning plains are dotted
with numerous cities famous as cente-s
of great historic interest and custo-
dams of art and architectural treas.
ures of incalcula Bile worth. ;"
"Nenetia. whose eastern, northern
and western boundaries have been the
hghting line of Austria and Italy sincss
the latter nation entered the Europest
struggle. is the rear boot straU of thu
Italian peninsula. II juts far up INTO
the Austro- Hungarian territory, at the
head of the Adriatic sea and is bound-
ed on the south by the Adratic and the
territorial division of italy known as
Emilia. of which Bologna is the princi-
pal city. The southwestern boundary
is Lombardy, of which Milan is thh
metropolis. 1t has area about equal
to that of the state of Vermont, but it's
population is ten times as great -
Venice, Mistress OF Adriatic. =
Among the noted cities whose liter.
airy shrines. historic buildings ana
wonderful art galleries are endangered
by the far-reaching iron fingers of war
are the great Mistress of the AdriatiS.,
Venice. once the seat of the most pow
erful republic in the world. Verona,
treasured in the hearts of the English-
reading world as the home of litera-
tures greatest lovers. Romeo and Ju-
liet: Padua, also a familiar name TO
the Shakespearean student: Nicerza,
rich in Palladio palaces: Udine, the
military base for Italian operations Old,
the lsonzo during the long attempted
drive toward the Austrian port or
Trieste. and that delight of artistsn
Chioggia. the chief fishing port of Italy.
"Nenetia is largely delta land having
been formed by the alluvial deposits.
brought down from the Tyrolean Alps,
largest watercourses of the Kingdom
the Po and the Adige The lower
reaches of these rivers flow through exs.
tensive plains where levees are necesu
sary to prevent frequent inundations.i
In this section the Pc has a fall of nox
more than a half inch to the mila,
Naturally this silt soil is extremely fer..
tile, producing large crops OF wheat
maize. rice, tobacco and chestnuts ton,
gether with mulberry leaves for silk,
worms. 80
Many Towns Manufacturing Centers,
Many of the towns of Nenetia are,
manufacturing centers. the chief prod,
ucts being glassware. wooden. silk and,
cotton goods paper and candles. Vene-.
tan lace has become so widely knowA.
as almost to have lost the geographic
Significance of its name.
The territory derives its name from,
the Feneti, the tribes which inha bited
this region during the early Roman,
days. When the barbarians poured over
the Alps and Atilla sacked Lombardy.
the people of the interior fed to the
Adriatic coast. taking refuge on the
low islands which cluster around the
mouths of the numerous rivers. II is TO
this hegira that Venice owed the initial
impetus for its rapid rise to power. be-
ginning in the fifth century.
Discovery of Another Route
Her fortunes finally waned with the
discovery of the Cape of Good Hope
route to the far east. in 1856, this ocean