CAMPE

campe, joachim heinrich (1746-1818), german educationist, was born at deensen in brunswick in 1746. he studied theology at the university of halle, and after acting for some time as chaplain at potsdam, he accepted a post as director of studies in the philanthropin at dessau (see basedow). he soon after set up an educational establishment of his own at trittow, near hamburg, which he was obliged to give up to one of his assistants within a few years, in consequence of feeble health. in 1787 he proceeded to brunswick as counsellor of education, and purchased the _schulbuchhandlung_, which under his direction became a most prosperous business. he died in 1818. his numerous educational works were widely used throughout germany. among the most popular were the _kleine kinderbibliothek_ (11th ed., 1815); _robinson der jungere_ (59th ed., 1861), translated into english and into nearly every european language; and _sammtliche kinder- und jugendschriften_, 37 vols. campeche (campeachy), a southern state of mexico, comprising the western part of the peninsula of yucatan, bounded n. and e. by yucatan, s. by guatemala, s.w. by tabasco and n.w. by that part of the gulf of mexico designated on english maps as the bay of campeachy. pop. (1895) 87,264; (1900) 86,542, mostly indians and mestizos. area, 18,087 sq. m. the name of the state is derived from its principal forest product, _palo de campeche_ (logwood). the surface, like that of yucatan, consists of a vast sandy plain, broken by a group of low elevations in the north, heavily forested in the south, but with open tracts in the north adapted to grazing. the northern part is insufficiently watered, the rains filtering quickly through the soil. in the south, however, there are some large rivers, and the forest region is very humid. the climate is hot and unhealthy. in the north-west angle of the state is the laguna de terminos, a large tide-water lake, which receives the drainage of the southern districts. among the products and exports are logwood, fustic, lignum-vitae, mahogany, cedar, hides, tortoiseshell and _chicle_, the last extracted from the _zapote chico_ trees (_achras sapota_, l.). stock-raising engages some attention. one railway crosses the state from the capital, campeche, to merida, yucatan, but there are no other means of transportation except the rivers and mule-paths. the port of carmen (pop. in 1900, about 6000), on a sand key between the laguna de terminos and the gulf, has an active trade in dyewoods and other forest products, and owing to its inland water communications with the forest areas of the interior is the principal port of the state and of tabasco.