Snaith

Snaith, a town of Yorkshire, on the Aire, 7 miles W. by S. of Goole. Pop. 1647.

Snake River

Snake River, the largest affluent of the Columbia River, rises among the Rocky Mountains near the western border of Wyoming, sweeps through southern Idaho, forming here the famous Shoshone Falls (q.v.), and, turning north, divides Idaho from Oregon and Washington. At Lewiston it turns westward, and in southern Washington, as the Lewis River or Fork, joins the Columbia, after a course of 1050 miles. It traverses a mountainous country, in deep, lava-walled canons, and is navigable for steamboats only to Lewiston (160 miles).

Sneek

Sneek (Snayk), a town in the Netherlands, 13 miles SW. of Leeuwarden. Pop. 12,465.

SnehAetten

SnehAetten. See Dovrefjeld.

Sniatyn

Sniatyn, a town of Austrian Galicia, on the Pruth, 25 miles NW. of Carlowitz. Pop. 10,832.

Snizort

Snizort (Snee'zort), Loch, a large inlet in the north-west of Skye, which narrows from 9 to 3 3/4 miles, and is 8 1/2 miles long.

Snowdon

Snowdon, a mountain-range in Carnarvonshire, North Wales, stretches NNE. from a point 5 miles N. of Criccieth, near the head of Cardigan Bay, to near Conway, but is broken up into five distinct summits, the chief of which, Moel-y-Wyddfa ('conspicuous peak'), the highest mountain in south Britain, was shown by the new Ordnance map of 1889 to rise only 3560 (not 3571) feet above sea-level, and is crowned by two huts, the 'Hotel.' Its ascent is effected from Llanberis (on the north), Beddgelert (on the south), Snowdon Ranges station (on the west), and Capel Curig (on the east). 'snowdonia' was made a royal forest by Edward I. of England, but was disafforested in 1649. In July 1889 Snowdon was purchased for £5750 by Sir Edward Watkin, Bart. See Huson's Roundabout Snowdon (1893). See also Stirling.

Soar

Soar, a midland river, flowing 40 miles to the Trent, 12 miles SE. of Derby.

Sobat

Sobat, a tributary of the Nile (q.v.).

Sobral

Sobral, a town of Brazil, in the province of Ceara, on the Aracaty, 78 miles by rail SSW. of the seaport Camossin. Pop. 10,500.

Sobraon

Sobraon (Sobrah'on), a village of the Punjab, on the Sutlej, opposite which was fought, on 10th February 1846, an obstinate battle between the British under Sir Hugh Gough and the Sikhs, which put an end to the first Sikh war. Pop. 4000.

Society Islands

Society Islands. See Tahiti.

Socotra

Soc'otra, an island in the Indian Ocean, 150 miles E. by N. from Cape Guardafui, and 220 from the southern coast of Arabia. It is 70 miles long, 20 broad, and 1380 sq. m. in area, with a pop. of 10,000. The interior embraces numerous barren plateaus (1500 to 2000 feet), with several well-wooded mountains, rising to 4500 feet; there are fertile valleys between the ranges and belts of rich soil along the coasts. The climate is moist and warm, but healthy. Aloes and dragon's blood are products. After being occupied by Britain in 1835-39, it was taken under British protection in 1876 and formally annexed in 1886. The chief town is Tamarida on the north coast.