Cathay started reciting the names of the 12 divisions into which, according to Nasir al-Din, the "Cathayans" were dividing the day – and Martini, who of course knew no Persian, was able to continue the list. The names of the 24 solar terms matched as well. The story, soon published by Martini in the "Additamentum" to his Atlas of China, seemed to have finally convinced most European scholars that China and Cathay were the same. Even then, some people still viewed Cathay as distinct from China, as did John Milton in the 11th Book of his "Paradise Lost" (1667). In 1939,
Cathay, North Dakota Cathay, North Dakota Cathay is a city in Wells County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 43 at the 2010 census. Cathay was founded in 1893. Cathay had its start by the building of the railroad through that territory. Cathay is located at (47.553931, -99.411403). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. As of the census of 2010, there were 43 people, 19 households, and 12 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 29 housing units at an average density of .