The increase of Russian influence on the northern Persian border and its extension southwards towards Seistan led to the appointment of a British consul at Kirman, the dominating town of southern Khorasan, directly connected with Meshed on the north; and the acquisition of rights of administration of the Nushki district secured to Great Britain the trade between Seistan and Quetta by the new Helmund desert route.
Boundary between French territory and India.
While British India has so far avoided actual geographical contact with one great European power in Asia on the north and west, she has touched another on the east. The Mekong river which limits British interests in Burma limits also those of France in Tongking. The eastern boundaries of Burma are not yet fully demarcated on the Chinese frontier. At a point level in latitude with Mogaung, near the northern termination of the Burmese railway system, this boundary is defined by the eastern watershed of the Nmaikha, the eastern of the two great northern affluents of the Irrawaddy. Then it follows an irregular course southwards to a position south-east of Bhamo in lat. 24°. It next defines the northern edge of the Shan States, and finally strikes the Mekong river in lat. 21° 45' (approximately). From that point southwards the river becomes the boundary between the Shan States and Tongking for some 200 m., the channel of the river defining the limits of occupation (though not entirely of interest) between French and British subjects. Approximately on the parallel of 20° N. lat. the Burmese boundary leaves the Mekong to run westwards towards the Salween, and thereafter following the eastern watershed of the Salween basin it divides the Lower Burma provinces from Siam.
The following table shows the areas of territories in Asia (continental and insular) dependent on the various extra-Asiatic powers, and of those which are independent or nominally so:--
Territory. Sq. m. Russian . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,495,970 British . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,998,220 Dutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 586,980 French . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247,580 U.S.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114,370 German . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Turkish . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681,980 Chinese . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,299,600 Japanese . . . . . . . . . . . . 161,110 Other independent territories . 2,232,270