SOCIAL PROGRESS A Year Book and Encyclopedia of Economic, Industrial, Social and Religious Statistics CONTINENTS AND COUNTRIES. AREA; POPULATION, INCREASE, DENSITY. A New Estimate based on Latest Official Returns. The following tables, except as indicated, are, for Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, from the figures in the Statesman's Year-Book for 1903, and, for North and South America, from the Statistical Abstract of the U. S. for 1902. The figures for population will be found much larger than those in most almanacs because they represent in most cases returns ten year's later. The estimate of the population of the earth, e.g., in the 1904 World Almanac, is only for 1890. Most of our figures are for 1900 and some are later still. As knowledge particularly of the semi-civilized portions of the earth, has been vastly increased during the last 10 years, owing to these countries being brought under the control of civilized nations, it is believed that these tables present results, more recent and more accurate than any yet published. 1 For details see next page. 2 Including West Indies. Including Japan, but not the Dutch East Indies. Including all islands in the Eastern Indian and Southern Pacific Oceans. 'Total, including desert, steppes, etc. Differences in estimates of authorities are in part accounted for by including or not polar regions, islands, water spaces, etc. 7 Estimate of Ernest G. Ravenstein, F.R.G.S., in proceedings of Royal Geographical Society, 1891, p. 27. 8 Ravenstein estimates the fertile regions of the earth at 28,269,200 square miles; steppes, 13,901.000; desert, 4,180,000; polar regions, 4,888,800; Including 36,000,000 in the Dutch East Indies 10 Obtained by dividing populations in fourth column by areas in first. If desert and polar regions be allowed for, Africa has a density of 17.35; North America, 14.91; South America, 4.96; Asia, 62.30; Australia, 1.77; Europe, 103.75; Oceania, 13.80; the earth, 35.96 LIMITS OF POPULATION. If the whole earth were as thickly inhabited as Great Britain and Ireland (346 to the sq. m. see next section) it would have, omitting desert and polar regions, a population of 15,300,846,254. Ravenstein estimates that the earth, with present methods of production could support 207 to the sq. m. or 10,226, 234,493. If population increased each decade at the rate of 14 per cent. of its present population, it would reach the limits of population in 384 years. But methods of production will improve and there appears to be a law whereby the higher the evolutionary life, the less it expends its energy in reproduction. COUNTRIES. The figures are from the Statesman's Year-Book, 1903, and the Statistical Abstract of the U. S. for 1902 as above. RATE OF GROWTH. M. J. Bertillon, Chief of the Statistical Department of the City of Paris, gives the following figures of the gain of population per 1,000 in ten years. (Bulletin de l'Institut International de Statistique vol. XIII. Part II.) United States, 206; Mexico, 72.4; Austria, 92.6; Hungary, 102.5; Belgium, 122.9; Bulgaria, 182.1; Denmark, 126.7; France, 12.1; Germany, 139.8; Italy, 70.5; Netherlands, 131.3; Norway, 112.4; Russia in Europe, 136.2; Servia, 172.6; Spain, 32.1; Switzerland, 101.7. See Birth Rate RELATIVE STRENGTH OF GREAT POWERS. STATISTICS COMPILED FROM STATISTICAL ABSTRACT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR 1902 EXCEPT AS INDICATED. French, German, Russ. 14,176,175 1Statesman's Year Book, 1903. Russia in Europe and Asia. 288,559,977 2,054,123,500 11,541,596,436 2,365,224,496 Including colonies, dependencies, protectorates. Including United States Census Reports. Includes revenue from Algeria. Battle Foot- Ships & Colonies... 18.0 United States. 81,750,000,000 311,287 6,087,346 21. 20,493 108,200 64 1 Mulhall, Industries and Wealth of Nations, 1896. 2 Australia and Canada. 3 Estimate of French Ministry of Public Works, Journal Officiel, Paris, May 25, 1902. 4 Report of Commissioner of Navigation, the Russian being estimated from Mulhall's tables. Report of U. S. Commissioner, 1903. 6 Canada, New South Wales, New Zealand. 7 World Almanac, 1904. 8 Great Britain. 9 Canada and Australia. 10 Millions of foot-tons daily. Estimate, Mulhall, Dictionary of Statistics, 1898. 11 Statesman's Year Book, 1903. Some years ago Emile de Laveleye wrote: "A hundred years hence, leaving China out of the question, there will be two colossal powers in the world, beside which Germany, England, France, and Italy will be as pigmies-the United States and Russia." ARMED STRENGTH OF PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES. COMPILED BY CAPT. W. R. HAMILTON, ARTILLERY CORPS U. S. A., FOR THE WORLD The strength of the U. S. Army Oct. 15, 1902, was 3,586 officers and 66,003 enlisted men. 44,300 41,400 1,266 2,712 1,600 32,100 1,488 1In addition there are 3,598 men in the Hospital Corps, 29 officers and 840 men in the Porto Rico regiment, 100 officers and 4,978 men in Philippine scouts, 182 medical officers, volunteers9,727 in all. STATE MILITIA. Compiled for the World Almanac by Capt. W. R. Hamilton, Artillery Corps, U. S. A., for Dec. 1, 1902: Generals and General's staff, 1,791; cavalry, 4,951; artillery, 6,671; infantry, 96,808. Total, 110,221; total number authorized, 183,596; liable to military service, 8,727,500; State appropriations, $2,639,150. Naval militia: commissioned officers, Jan. 1, 1902, 433; enlisted petty officers and men, 4,447. OTHER COUNTRIES. Japan has a peace strength of 141,770, and a war strength of 474,770; China has 165,000 and 665,000; Mexico, 29,205 and 208,984; India, 146,565 and 346,565. PRINCIPAL NAVIES OF THE WORLD.1 COMPILED FROM THE STATESMAN'S YEAR BOOK, 1903. 1 This table includes ships in actual process of building, not those projected. The next strongest navies are the Swedish-Norwegian and the Austrian. It is a significant fact that the sea stands guard over all six of the AngloSaxon families-the United States, Great Britain, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada. This exempts them from the necessity of keeping great standing armies, thus saving them from the vampire of militarism, which curses the great continental powers, each of which has an extended frontier across which an army might march. A transport loaded with soldiers is helpless in a sea fight. It must be protected by a war vessel; and if attacked by a stronger fighting ship, both transport and convoy must surrender or be sent to the bottom. It follows, therefore, that a navy strong enough to cope with the navies of the world can protect Anglo-Saxondom from all the armies of the world. Armies have often proved dangerous to liberty, navies have never fallen under that suspicion. In all the world's history, it is said, no admiral has ever seized civil power. Navies may defend a land; they cannot conquer it. The vast standing army, which her thousands of miles of land frontier compels Russia to keep, is perfectly in harmony with her spirit of absolutism, and will serve to strengthen and perpetuate that spirit. On the other hand, the race which is the supreme representative of civil and religious liberty, and in whose hands is the keeping of the world's high hope of freedom. has no need to endanger its sacred trust by a great standing army. A force sufficient for police duty is all that Britain and America will require. |