CENTRAL PROVINCES. A ellief-commis kionership of British India, created in 1Stil, and embracing the former Province of Nagpur, the two territories of Sagar and Nerbudda, and other territories added .since ()lap: India, D 4). It is botnuled by the Central India Agency and Chota-Nagpur on the north, orissa on the cast, )1adras on the southeast,1 11 1 1 1 It ant. ..yt.era t., —era r, and Bombay on the southwest and west. Its total area is 1 5,936 sq11:1I• miles. of which the portion under direct British con tains sal.filT square miles. The surface is covered with m1111E9'011. hilly ranges, among which the chief. the Satpura range, enters from the West. rims in an easterly direction, and has numerous offshoots. The northern part belongs to the basin of the Nerbudda and forms a valley of about 10. 000 square miles, with an a‘erage elevation of 1000 feet above sea-level. The portion south of the Satpura range is watered by the \Vanilla, \Vainganga. and the Alahanadi rivers, and con tains most of the cultivable land of the pnivince. All of these rivers. are navigable for some dis tance except during the dry season.
The climate is hot and dry, and the rainfall is generally satisfactory, but the soil absorbs the moisture so quickly that artificial irrigation hecomes necessary in cultivation, and this is sup plied mostly by tanks. Of the total area of the British possessions in the provinces. only one-fourth is cultivated. while the rest is either unlit for cultivation or covered with forests and jungle. About one-third of the total area under
cultivation consists of rice-fields. while the re mainder is tinder wheat and ether food grains, oil-seeds. and cotton. The mineral deposits con sist chiefly of coal and iron. The industries hut little developed and consist chiefly in the production of cotton goods and articles. The Central Provinces are traversed by two almost parallel railway 'Mes in the north and in the south, connecting Bombay with Cal cutta and Allahabad.
The administration consists of a chief com missioner assisted by a secretary and a number of commissioners in charge of different depart ments. The British possessions are divided into the four divisions of Nagpur, Jabalpur. Ner bmida. and Chhattisgarli, each in charge of a commissioner. The tributary States are fifteen in number.
Education is partly aided by the Government and partly private. There are about 2300 schools of all kinds, of which only 300 are in the native States. The population of the Brit ish territory was 10,784.'294 in 1891, and 9.g45. 31S in 1901. The native States had a population of 2,160,511 in 1891 and 1.983.496 in Pio]. Neatly 82 per cent. of the population is over Ili per vent. Animistic, and the remainder is made up of Mohammedans. Jains, and Chris tians. The ehicf town and seat of administra tion is Nagpur