New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-18
POPULATION OF THE WORLD.
FIGURES FROM A NEW EDITION OF THE
GREAT STATISTICAL WORK.
Berlin, October 6.

An announcement OF the mghest mieIes' "
| statsticians throughout the world comes from
the little city of Gotha IL is to the effect that
the famous publishing house of Justus Perthes,
widely known for its "Almanach de Gotha and
| its numerous geographical publications, has this
! year resumed the publication of the Bevoeser-
ung der Erdc" This notable work was first is
sued in 1872 under the editorship Of DR.. Ernest
Benin, now deceased, and Dr. Hermann Wagner,
| now Professor Of Geography in the University
| of Goettingen. new edition was published about
every two years until the preparation of tho
eighth was we'll under way. Then DR.. Benin
| died and Professor Wagner abandoned the task,
| feeling unable alone to carry it TO successful
completion. Thus this valuable work has for
| the past nine years been allowed to lapse. 1t is
! now resumed with DIR. Wagner's name on the
title page as chief editor, and with that of DR..
| Supan as his associate. The new eighth edition
| is large octave Of 270 pages, very carefully ar-
ranged 1t is not a mere compilation Of statistics,
Unfortunately gathered and thrown together
All the facts and figures given are systematically
classified according to the divisions Of the globe
and the countries OF which they treat More
over, every figure given has been critically ex-
amined, and IL necessary corrected. The authori-
ties for all statistics given, and where there
| are varying statistics under any head, the
| figures of both given and their comparative
| trustworthness carefully discussed. The work
not only deals with the population OF the globe,
| but with its area also, and Of course with the
| density Of population in Various countries The
pains exercised by the editors and publishers may
be estimated from the fact that new measurements
of some considerable areas of the earth's surface
| have been specially made for this work More
| over for many countries which neglect to enumer-
ate their inhabitants, DR.. Supan has had special
censuses made In this manner he has ascertained
as exactly as possible the population of Africa,
the Turkish Empire, including Arabia, China, and
many Of the Fast Indian Islands.
According to DR.. Behm's most careful estimates
| in 1865, The population of the earth was about
$50 900. In 1880 the same eminent author
ity estimated it at 456 600 OOO the apparent in
crease being largely due more to accuracy in
enumeration than TO actual growth Of population
still more startling change was announced two
years later. when, in the edition Of the "De
voelkerung der Erde' for 1882 the worlds pop.
nlation was given at 1,434, 600, 900, showing an
apparent loss of %, 600, 900 in two years. This
also was due to greater accuracy in the statistics
the figures for China for example, having been
reduced under the light Of new investigations,
from 405,OOOO 600 to $4,000, 900.
THO present population of the world, according
to the edition of this work Just published is
79,729,400. These figures would indicate an
increase at the rate of 5,75O,0OO year since
1882, according to Dr. Behm's estimate in that
year. They are 5000, 900 less than those given
by Levasseur in 1886, which is due to the fact
that be recIoned the population of China and
Africa much higher than Wagner and Supan have
done. 1t must be confessed, however, that despite
the utmost care in collecting statistics the element
Of guesswork enters so largely into the censn. VI
ho, t,1f 81. IL IL.
may not he within $4,000, 900 or $4,000, 900 OF
the real fact Eleven years ago Professor Wagner
could get actual census returns from only A per
cent of the total population of the globe. At
present by virtue of the special censuscs which
he himself has promoted reasonably exact figures
have been obtained from between So and 81 per
cent Of the whole. In this proportion however
is included the population Of the Russian Empire
VI which no actual census has been taken. The
total figures given indicate apparent Increase
Of l25, 600 since $780, But allowing for the
change made in the figures for China on the
strength of more careful investigations, this in
crease is reduced to 10 600 900.
According to this work the area of Asia. the
largest Of the great divisions Of the earth's sur
face, is 17,530,Gs6 square miles, and its popula-
ton is s25,054, OOO or fortyseven inhabitants to
the square mile. These figures do not include the
Arctic Islands. The second grand division in
area Is America, including both the northern and
southern continents, but not including the Arctic
regions. Its area is l4,S01, 402, and its pOpula-
tion l,7l3, 900 only eight to the square mile
Third in area is Africa, with IL ,277,364 square
miles and 163, 953, 900 inhabitants or fourteen
to the square mile none of these figures including
Madagascar or other islands. The area of Europe
is put at 3,756,s6o square miles, and its popua-
tion at 357 81 1000, ninety-four to the square
mile, these figures not including Iceland or Nova
Zembla Next comes Australia, including Tas-
mania, with 1891 ,442 square miles and 3,230,000
population, or only about one to the square mile.
Under the head of Polar Regions are included
173O,S10 square miles, with $4,000 inhabitants.
Finally, the islands Of the oceans are grouped
together, with 1920 square miles of area and
1920, 900 inhabitants or about ten to the square
mile.
III the figures for America, the results of the
census Of / 800 in tine United States are given.
Some corrections Of areas of various South Ameri-
can States appear. The great advances made In
recent years in knowledge of Africa and its peo-
pes may be in the attention wsich this
work devotcs TO that continent. few years
ago the usual estimate of the population OF Africa
was 22O, 100000 The present work puts it at
100000. Concerning the area Of the conti-
nent and its partition among the various Powers
the following statements are made: To British
South Africa, 95l 900 square miles are given,
with the total population Of 100000. To the
Portuguese possessions in East Africa. 10000
square miles are credited and in West Africa
1000 The Congo Free State has an area of
s65,3sO square miles and IA 900 900 inhabitants.
No estimate of area or population is made of the
British holdings in East Africa and in the Niger
country.