Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls. See Zambesi.

Victoria Lake

Victoria Lake, or Alexandrine Lake, a shallow lake of South Australia. See Murray.

Victoria Nyanza

Victoria Nyanza (y consonantal), a great freshwater lake in East Central Africa, situated on the Equator, and on the meridian of 33° E., lies 3820 feet above sea-level, and has an area of over 30,000 sq. m., or about the size of Ireland. The water is good and fresh, although somewhat insipid, and often dirty white. The lake is drained by the Nile, and its chief feeders are the Kajera, the Nzoia, the Shimiyu, and the Katonga. Tides have been noticed, the rise lasting from 30 to 60 minutes. The lake, whose native name is Ukerewe, was discovered by Speke in 1858, visited by him and Grant in 1861-62, and subsequently explored by Stanley (1875), Mackay, Thomson, etc.

Vidin

Vidin. See Widdin.

Viersen

Viersen (Feer'sen), a town of Rhenish Prussia, 20 miles NW. of Dusseldorf. It manufactures plush, silk, cotton, and flax. Pop. 24,800.

Vierzon-Ville

Vierzon-Ville (Vee-er-zong'), a French manufacturing town in dep. Cher, 20 miles NW. of Bourges. Pop. 11,559.

Vigan

Vigan, Le (Vee-gong'), a town of France, dep. Gard, 45 miles WNW. of Nimes. Pop. 4050.

Vigevano

Vigevano (Veejay'vano), a cathedral city of Italy, 20 miles NW. of Pavia. Pop. 14,000.

Vigo

Vigo (Vee'go), a seaport and health-resort of NW. Spain, on a deep bay (20 miles), 20 miles SW. of Pontevedra by rail; pop. 23,000. Vigo was taken by Drake in 1585 and 1589, by Lord Cobham in 1719; and in 1702 the Spanish galleons, defended by a French fleet, were captured or destroyed here by the British and Dutch.

Vijayanagar

Vijayanagar (Vee-ji'a-nug'gar), a ruined city in Madras province, 40 miles NW. of Bellary.

Villafranca

Villafranca, a town of Italy, 9 miles SW. of Verona by rail, where in 1859 peace was concluded between Austria and France. Pop. 7500.

Villareal

Villareal (Span. pron. Veel-ya-ray-al'), a Spanish town 40 miles NE. of Valencia. Pop. 16,500.

Villa Rica

Villa Rica, second town of Paraguay, is 70 miles SE. of Asuncion, with 25,000 inhabitants and a large trade in tobacco and mate.

Villefranche

Villefranche (Veel-frongsh'), or Villafranca, a French fortified port in the dep. Alpes Mari-times, 3 miles E. of Nice. Pop. 3860. - (2) Villefranche de Rouergue, in Aveyron, 70 miles NE. of Toulouse by rail; pop. 7588. - (3) Villefranche-sur-Saone, in the dep. Rhone, 20 miles NW. of Lyons, has cotton manufactures; pop. 14,030.

Villena

Villena (Veel-yay'na), a town of Spain, 25 miles NW. of Alicante by rail. Pop. 14,100.

Villeneuve

Villeneuve (nearly Veel-nehv'), the name of numerous French towns, the largest Villeueuve-sur-Lot, or d'Agen, in Lot-et-Garonne, 15 miles N. of Agen by rail; pop. 12,890.

Vilna

Vil'na, capital of a government of W. Russia, on the Vilia, 430 miles SW. of St Petersburg by rail, with a trade in timber and corn; population, 158,000. It was the Lithuanian capital.