There is but little land suitable for farming, and not far from one-half the bread-stuffs must be imported. Much of the timber has been destroyed, and this has resulted in a deterioration not only of the water-power, but of the cultivable lands as well. The railway lines are short and their business is local; there are practically no trunk line connections with the great centres of commerce. The harbors and the natural position of the country are its best remaining resources. The Greeks are born sailors, and the country is in the pathway of European and Asian commerce. Most of the grain-trade between the Black and Mediterranean Seas is controlled by Greek merchants, and the Greeks are everywhere in evidence in the carrying trade of the Mediterranean. The construction of the Corinthian canal has also given Greek commerce a material impetus. The chief exports are Corinthian grapes--commonly known as "currants"--fruit, and iron ore from Ergasteria. Great Britain, France, and Belgium are the chief buyers of the fruit-crop. The exports scarcely pay for the American cotton, Russian wheat, and the timber products that are purchased abroad. There has been a material growth in the manufacture of cotton, woollens, and silk in the past few years, much of the work being done in households. _Athens_ is the capital and largest city. _The Piraeus_ and _Patras_ are the chief ports. =Servia= and =Montenegro= are stock-growing countries. The former has suffered greatly from misgovernment and the waste of its resources. Wine-cask stock and cattle are sold to Austria, which has five-sixths of its trade. _Belgrade_ is its metropolis. Tobacco and live-stock are exported from Montenegro to Austria. QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION On a good map of central Europe trace an all-water route from the mouth of the Danube to the ports of the lower Rhine and the North Sea; what connection have the cities of Ratisbon and Lemberg with this route? How do the forests of these states affect the wine industry of Germany? From the Statesman's Year-Book find the amount and movement of the exports and imports of these countries. From the Abstract of Statistics find the volume of trade of these countries with the United States. FOR COLLATERAL REFERENCE Great Canals of the World--p. 4089. A good map of central Europe. [Illustration: RUSSIAN EMPIRE] CHAPTER XXIX EUROPE-ASIA--THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE The great plain of Eurasia, which borders about half the circuit of the Arctic Ocean, is undivided by topographic barriers or boundaries. It is physically a unit. =Russia.=--Russia comprises more than one-half the area of Europe; the Russian Empire embraces about one-half of Europe and Asia combined, and constitutes more than one-seventh of the land surface of the earth. East and west, from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok, the distance is about six thousand miles. It has a similar position with respect to southern Europe and China as has Canada to the United States.