SHOLAPORE, a collectorate of British India, in the presidency of Bombay, lying between N. Lat. 16. 10. and 18. 34., E. Long. 75. and 76. 28.; bounded on the N. and E. by the Nizam's dominions, S. and S.W. by the collectorates of Belgaum and Sattara, W. and N.W. by those of Poona and Ahmednuggur. Its length from N.W. to S.E. is 170 miles; greatest breadth, 50; area, 4991 square miles. The country is undulating, presenting a series of hills and valleys, with comparatively few trees. Its chief rivers are the Kestnab, which washes the southern border, the Bheema and the Seena. The soil is admirably adapted for the growth of cotton, which is the principal crop raised. There is a great want of internal communications, as there is no good road in any part of the country; while the rivers Bheema and Seena, when swollen at the time of the monsoons, offer serious impediments in the way of travelling. Considerable care has been bestowed on agriculture; but as European implements have not yet been generally introduced, there are still great deficiencies, both in the cultivation of the soil and in the mechanical arts. Sholapore was acquired by the East India Company in 1818, after the fall of the Peishwa. It was at first included in the collectorate of Poona, but in 1838 formed into a separate collectorate. Pop. 675,115.