BAVA'RIA (Ger. Bayern). A kingdom and one of the constituent States of the German Em pire, the largest in area and population next to Prussia. The Grand Dimity of Hesse divides Bavaria into two unequal parts. The eastern and by far the larger part, is bounded by Austria Hungary on the east arid south. Saxony, the Thuringian States, and Hesse -Nassau, on the north. and Wiirttemberg, Baden, and Besse on the west. The western portion, or Rhine Pala tinate, is situated between Baden. Prussia, Alsaee-Lo•raine, and Hesse, and occupies only one-thirteenth part of the entire kingdom. The following table gives the area of Bavaria and its population in 1890 and 1900: Bavaria may be described as a mountainous country, as almost all of its boundary lines are formed by mountain ranges. On the south it takes in a part of the eastern Alps, which form the three mountain ranges of Southern Bavaria: the Alglitter Alps; the Bavarian Alps, contain Mg the highest summit of the German Empire, the Zugspitze (9725 feet) ; and the Salzburgcr Alps. Along the Bohemian frontier stretches the mountain range of Bamerwald, with its off shoot, the Dayerischer Wald, running in a north western direction along the Danube. On the north rise the Fichtelgebirge, the Rhongebirge, and in the northwest is the Spessart. The Fran conian Jura traverses the west and centre. The interior of Bavaria is an elevated plateau, slop ing toward the north, with a mean altitude of 1600 feet, and intersected in several directions by low hills. The la rgest monntain range in the
Palatinate is the Hardt which have an elevation of over 2200 feet.
Bavaria belongs mainly to the basin of the Danube, by which it is traversed through its en tire width from west to east. The part of Ba varia south of the Danube is drained by the tributaries of that stream, the most important of which are the Iller, Lech, Isar, and lint. The northern tributaries of the Danube in Bavaria are the W6rnitz, Alttniihl. Naab, Regen, and ils. The northwestern part of Bavaria is drained by the Main and its tributary the Reg nitz. There are not a few lakes in the southern part of the kingdom, the most important of which are the Chiemsee, Starnberger See, and Ammersee, besides several nuetain lakes, the most famous of which is KiMigsee, noted for its beautiful scenery. The most important canal of Bavaria is the Ludwigskanal, which connects the Altmiihl, a tributary of the Danube, with the Main, a tributary of the Rhine, thereby serving as a connecting link between the North and the Black seas. Among the numerous mineral springs in Bavaria, the most famous are those of Kissingen and Reichenhall•