or SIWA, a state of Abyssinia, in the southeast of that country, lying between N. Lat. 8° 30' and 11° E. Long. 33° and 40° 30', and extending from the river Hawash, which separates it from the country of the Gallas on the south, to its affluent the Berkona, and to the Wanshit, a tributary of the Abai, which separate it from Amhara on the north. The country is very elevated, and attains on the south and east a height of 9000 or 10,000 feet above the sea. Towards the south the land gradually declines to the broad plain watered by the Hawash; towards the east the descent is much steeper; while the centre and west of the country is occupied by the valley of the Jamma, sloping by degrees to the height of about 3000 feet, which that river has at its confluence with the Abai. Both on the north and on the south of this valley there are high mountains, rising 4000 or 5000 feet above its surface. The Jamma is the principal river in the land, and receives many affluents from the south. These divide the table-land through which they flow into a number of narrow ridges, since many of them flow through deep ravines, interrupted by numerous cataracts. The loftier parts of the country are in many places well cultivated, producing large crops of wheat and barley, and are studded with numerous villages and trees; but there are also extensive regions used only for pasturage. The climate is cool and healthy, sometimes exceedingly cold. In the lower ground, where the temperature is higher, cotton is largely grown. Many of the valleys of Shoa are exceedingly beautiful, with a luxuriant and even gigantic vegetation; but the climate here is very hot and unhealthy. Among the mineral productions of the country coal is the most important; some metals have also been found, as well as sulphur, nitre, and alum. The vegetable productions include dyewoods, drugs, indigo, and coffee, besides those already mentioned. Almost the only manufacture is a coarse kind of cotton cloth, which is made in large quantities at every farm. A considerable trade is carried on, chiefly through Zeila, which is the nearest port, not far from the Strait of Bab-el-mandeb. The exports comprise the produce of the surrounding countries, as well as of Shoa itself, such as ivory, spices, and gold-dust. The country is governed by a king, and the population amounts to 1,500,000, including heathens, Mohammedans, and Christians.