MADRAS'. A province of British India, formerly the Presidency of Madras (Map: India, C 6). It occupies, together with its tribu tary States, the southern part of the Indian Peninsula, being irregularly bounded on the north by Bengal and the Central Provinces, and on the northwest by Bombay. Mysore. and Hy derabad. The province under direct British ad ministration is divided into 22 districts. with a total area of 141.726 square miles; population, in 1S91, 35.630,440; in 1901, 3S,209,436. The native States of Travancore. Cochin, Padukota, Karnul. and Bellary, politically controlled by Great Britain, cover an area of 9969 square miles; population. in 1891. 3.700.622; in 1901, 4,188.086. The surface consists of a high plateau land eneircled by mountain ranges, the Eastern Ghats extending in a southwestern direction until they merge in the Nilgiris. which are connected with time Western Ghats (qq.v.). A long and broad plain lies between the Eastern Ghats and the shores of the Bay of Bengal. generally known as the Coromandel Coast (q.v.). and a narrow plain interspersed with lagoons extends between the Western Ghats and the Malabar coast (q.v.) on the Arabian Sea. The principal rivers, the
Godavery, Kistna. and Kavery, all rise in the Western Ghats, and traversing the plateau break through the Eastern Ghats and flow into the Bay of Bengal. The soil of the plateau generally is fertile and productive under irrigation; the coast lands are sandy and. except in the deltaic regions. sterile. The climate varies according to elevation: on the whole it is sultry but fairly healthful. While on the west coast the rainfall is usually excessive, in the interior it is gen erally inadequate and its failure has been the cause of occasional famines; extensive irrigation works have been constructed in the attempt to modify this evil. Forests of teak, sandalwood, eucalyptus, ebony, and rosewood, under reserva tion rules, cover about 18 per cent. of the sur face. The chief wild animals are the elephant, gayal (a species of cattle), black leopard, and ibex. The principal minerals are iron, coal, copper, lead, antimony, and silver, while gold, garnets, and diamonds are found in paying quan tities, and salt is largely manufactured on the coats by evaporation.