Ben Venue

Ben Venue (Venoo), a Perthshire mountain (2393 feet) flanking Loch Katrine.

Ben Wyvis

Ben Wyvis (Wee'vis or Wi'vis), a lumpish mountain (3429 feet) of Ross-shire, 8 m. NW. of Dingwall.

Benzerta

Benzerta. See Bizerta.

Berar

Berar', a cominissionership of India till 1902 under the resident of Hyderabad, and called 'Hyderabad Assigned Districts,' but now in the Central Provinces. It is bounded by Bombay and the Nizam's dominions. Its length from east to west is about 150 miles; area, 17,710 sq. m.; pop. 2,754,000. Berar consists of six districts, assigned to Britain under the treaties of 1853 and 1861 with the bankrupt Nizam of Hyderabad, but leased in perpetuity in 1902. Mainly a broad and fertile valley running east and west, between the Satpura and Ajanta ranges, it is traversed by the Purna, a tributary of the Tapti. Ellichpur was the capital of the old kingdom.

Berat

Berat', a town of Albania, Turkey, 30 miles NE. of the seaport of Avlona. Pop. 12,000.

Berber

Berber, a town on the right bank of the Nile, below the confluence of the Atbara. Pop. 8000.

Berberah

Ber'berah, a seaport of British Somaliland, with a good harbour, on a bay of the Gulf of Aden. It was conquered by Egypt in 1875, but in July 1884 the British government took possession of it. A fair here brings over 30,000 people together.

Berbice

Berbice (Ber-beess'), the E. division of British Guiana (q.v.), bounded on the E. by the Corentyn and Dutch Guiana. Area, 21,000 sq. m. The Berbice River is navigable for small vessels 175 miles from its mouth. An important affluent is the Canje. New Amsterdam, on the right bank of the Berbice River (pop. 9000), is the chief town and port.

Berchtesgaden

Berchtesgaden (Berhh-tez-gah'den), a village of Bavaria, on a mountain-slope, 15 miles S. of Salzburg. It has a royal castle (once an abbey) and huge government salt-mines. Pop. 1901.

Berck-sur-mer

Berck-sur-mer, a harbour and bathing resort in the French dep. of Pas-de-Calais, 22 miles S. of Boulogne. Pop. 5752.

Berdiansk

Berdiansk', a seaport of southern Russia, in the government of Taurida, on the NW. coast of the Sea of Azov. Pop. 28,180.

Berditchef

Berditchef, a town of Russia, 108 miles WSW. of Kiev, with five annual fairs. Pop. 55,000.

Berehaven

Berehaven. See Castleton Berehaven.

Bere Regis

Bere Regis, a Dorset town, 8 miles SSW. of Blandford. Pop. of parish, 1144.

Beresina

Beresina (Ber-e-zce'na), a river of Russia, rising in the N. of the Lithuanian government of Minsk, and flowing 350 miles S. (over 200 navigable) to the Dnieper. It is memorable on account of the disastrous passage of the French army, November 1812, during the retreat from Moscow.

Bereslav

Bereslav, a town in the Russian government of Kherson, on the Dnieper. Pop. 11,093.

Berezna

Berezna, a town of Russia, in Tchernigov, on a tributary of the Desna. Pop. 10,827.

Berezov

Berezov', a town of Siberia, in the government of Tobolsk, on a branch of the Obi. Pop. 2000.