Then came the great stretches of sea, often obscured by vast banks of clouds, which, as the sunlight fell upon them, looked strangely like earth-clouds at sunset.
Then, almost immediately underneath them, spread out the great land areas of the equatorial region.

The four continents of Halle, Galileo, and Tycholand; then Huygens--which is to Mars what Europe, Asia, and Africa are to the Earth, then Herschell and Copernicus.

Nearly all of these land masses were split up into semi-regular divisions by the famous canals which have so long puzzled terrestrial observers.
"Well, there is one problem solved at any rate," said Redgrave, when, after a journey of nearly four hours, they had crossed the western hemisphere.

"Mars is getting very old, her seas are diminishing, and her continents are increasing.

Those canals are the remains of gulfs and straits which have been widened and deepened and lengthened by human, or I should say Martian, labour, partly, I've no doubt, for purposes of navigation and partly to keep the inhabitants of the interior of the continents within measurable distance of the sea.