Pamir owing to its frontier position between
Kussian and British possessions, and during the
last three decades of the nineteenth century it
as probably more thoroughly explored tlian any
other part of Central Asia. Great Britain de-
sired in 1891 to have the region portioned be-
tween Afghanistan and China, but in the same
year Russia sent an official expedition into the
eountrj- in order to substantiate its claims. In
ISilo the boundaries were defined as outlined
above by a treaty between Russia an<l Great
Britain. Russia has cstablislied a fortihed out-
post, Pamirsky Post, on tlic Jlurghab River.
Consult: Bonvalot, Through the Hcuit of Asia
(London, 1889): Geiger, Die Pumirychicte
(Vienna, 1887); Dunmore, The Pamirs (London,
(189.3); Cobbohl, Jnnermost Asia (Xew York,
19011).
PAMLICO (pam'le-kO) SOUND. The largest of the numerous sea-lagoons which line the east- ern coasts of the United States. It stretches along the coast of North Carolina from Roanoke Island SO miles southward, and has an average width of 20 miles (Jlap: North Carolina. F 2). It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by long, narrow sand bars or beaches, which run out into an angle known as Cape Hatteras, and which are broken by the Ocracoke and Hatteras Inlets. The dcptli along the centre of the sound ranges from 10 feet in the north to 20 feet in the south, but on either side are large areas of shallow water, and the inner shores are lined with marshes. The Xeuse and Pamlico rivers enter the sound tlirough large estuaries, and north of Roanoke Island the Pamlico connects with the Albemarle Sound (q.v.). The fisheries on the Pamlico are impor- tant, and large numbers of wild fowl frccjuent its waters.
PAMMARI, pftm-ma're. An Indian tribe of Brazil. See Piru-puru.
PAMPA, piim'pa, L.. A territory of Argen- tina, liiiunded on the north by the provinces of !Mendoza, San Luis, and Cordoba; on the east by Buenos Ayres; on the south by the Territory of Rio Negro; *and on the west by the Territory of NeuquPn and the Province of!Mendoza (Map: Argentina, U 11). Its estimated area is .50,320 square miles. Its territory belongs almost wholly to the pampas region, with some hills and wood- lands in the northwest, and medanos (shifting .sand hills) in other portions. The Rio Colorado forms its southern boundary with an affluent, the Curaco, wholly within its territory. There are many lagoons and small lakes, into the largest of which flows the Rio Salado. Since the Indians were driven out in 1879 the country has been occupied by sheep and cattle ranches. The cap- ital of the territory is General Acha ( population about 2000), which has railway communication with the coast. The population of the territory, in 189.5, was 2.5.914; in 1900 (estimated), 4fi,6fl2.
PAMPANGA, pampiin'gA. A province of Central Luzon, Philippines:. It is situated north of Manila Bay. and bounded on the north by the Province of Ti'irlac, on the east l)y Bulaefln. and on the west by Zambales (Jlap:" Luzon, J) 6). Its area is 2209 square miles. It is mountain- ous in the west, but the eastern and southern portions are taken up by a part of the low and marshy delta of the Rio Grande de la Pampanga, Agiicultnre is extensively carried on. yielding rice, sugar-cane, sweet potatoes, tobacco, and cotton. Industries are also well developed; just bef<u'e the .Spanish-American War there were over 12,000 looms and 177 .steam sugar mills in operation. The population of tile province in 1901 was 223,922, ciiielly of the Pampanga race. The capital is Bacolor (q.v.).
PAMPANGA, Rio Gka.nue de la. The .sec- ond largest river of Luzon, Philippines, draining the greater part of the large central plain be- tween Manila Bay and the Gulf of Lingayen (Map: Luzon, E 5). It rises on the Caraballo Sur and Hows southward through the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Pampanga, emptying into Manila Bay through the numerous ramifications of a large, marshy delta. It is about 125 miles long, and receives several large and innumerable small tributaries. In the rainy season its in- undations cover large extents of territory, which are converted into excellent rice fields.
PAMPANGO, piiiii -piin'go. A group of tribes in Central Luzon speaking a ilalay language and liaving at the coiKjuest by Spain their own cul- ture and mode of writing.
PAMPAS, pam'p.iz (Sp., Port, pampa, from South Anierieau Indian pinnpa, Quichua baiitbii, baiiba, plain). The designation of certain plains in South America. In Peru the name is applied to the forested region along the Ucayali River and also to the dry lake basins on the Andean Plateau. The more common signification of the term, however, refers to the immense grassy plains which occupy the central part of Argen- tina between the Rio Salado on the north and the Rio Negro on the south and which merge into the forested region of the Gran Chaco and the steppes of Patagonia. The pampas comprise an area of about 2.50.000 square miles, with a flat or gently undulating surface sloping toward the southeast and south. On their western border the elevation ranges from 1000 to 1300 feet above the sea. while along the Atlantic it is gen- erally less than 100 feet. The soil is mostly clay of Quaternary and Tertiary age. During the wet season a luxuriant growth of grasses cov- ers the plains, affording pasturage to great herds of cattle and flocks of sheep. A portion of the region along the Paranfl is adapted to agricul- ture, and there are smaller areas of arable land in the interior. In the northern and western parts the surface is often broken by deep ravines or barrancas and by shallow depressions which are filled with brackish water during a part of the year. Strips of sandy, arid land are known as travesfas. The. inhabitants comprise the half- wild gaiichos of mixed .Spanish and Indian blood, who are chiefly occupied in hunting and grazing, and European immigrants. See Argf,ntin.4.
PAMPAS CAT. A robust, yellowish-gray wild cat, of the Argentine pampas and La Plata Valley. It is striped with straw-colored bands running obliquely backward across the flanks, and horizontally on the chest and legs. It has an exceedingly short head, and only two pre- molar teeth in the upper jaw. Other names are 'grass-cat' and 'straw-cat.' Hudson (Xaturalist in La Plata. London, 1892) speaks of it as one of the most characteristic animals of the pam- pas; and Mivart notes the resemblance between it and Pallas's cat (Fclis maniil) of the steppes of Russia.
PAMPAS DEEB. A small deer of Argentina {Cervus campestris) , locally called 'guazuti,'
