Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1906-08-25
POPULATION OF MOROCCO.
French Observer Puts the Total at
Between 100000 anG 100000

between 'OoO'OOO "AS "'VNV'NN"'
Captain n. Larras, a French officer
who has been detached for service in
Morocco since 1898, makes known
the results Of very careful investi-
cation he has made into the size and
distribution of the population Of Mo-
| rocco. Previous estimates have diff
fered greatly; the totals adopted by
ErcGmann and Rohlfs, 100000 and
$4,000 respectively, exceed some
enumerations and are greatly exceed
ed by others, But by extensive per-
sonal observations, by a study of the
personal observations of other tray-
ele-s and by judici0us inquiries
among the Moors themselves Captain
Larras has arrived at results which
he considers to approximate more
closely to the truth than it has been
possible for earlier estimates to do.
He distinguishes between three re-
gions of Morocco: Atlantic Morocco,
from Tangier to Mogador; the Atlas
Biff country, with which is included
the valley Of the Muluya, draining
ley of the Sus, descending to the At
lantic, and the Saharan borderland.
The first region comprises most of
the large towns, including Fee and
Marrakesh, and may be described in
general terms as a fertile, well popu-
lated country; but here, as elsewhere
in Morocco, the distribution of the
population is very unequal Captain
Larras has arrived at the conclusion
that the number of inhabitants in
this region is about 100000
AS regards the mountainous zone.
the tribes of the air, OF the country
at the foot of the Atlas, occupy fer
tile lands and are fairly rich and nu-
merous; but among the mountains
and valleys are narrow and afford
shelter to only a very scanty popula-
ton living in the unfortified hamlets
which line the river banks. Thus
Captain Larras estimates the popu-
lation of the Atlas-Riff country at no
more than 100000, and adding
100000 inhabitants for the valley of
t. Muluya and a like number for
the Wad Sus and the country stretch
ing south as far as but not including
the Wad Draa, he arrives at 1901
900 as the total population of the
second of the three regions.
The third region, stretching from
the southern slopes of the Atlas into
the Sahara, comprises the valleys of
tho Wad Draa, the Wad Ziz and part
of the Wad Cir. Save for few no
mad and robber tribes the inhabi-
tants of this region are collected in
the fortified villages along the Lines
of the streams of water that flow
above or below ground. To the basin
Of the Wad Draa Captain Larras as
signs a population OF from 100000
to 0,000i to the basin of the Wad
Ziz (includil" Taflelt) from $780, 900
to 200, 00eSand to the Wad Cir, to-
gether with Figig,, from 10000 to
10000. According to this estimate,
the maximum figure for the popula-
ton of the Saharan borderland of
Morocco is under 100000, so that in
the three regions enumerated by Cap
tain Larras the total population
would be at most 100000.
Contenting himself with the con-
clusion that the population of the
country lies somewhere between
100000 and 100000, Captain
Larras expresses his own conviction
that the right number is nearer the
smaller total. 1t is to be noted, how
ever, that he himself thinks that, in
r4ait~ Of a heovy infant mortality and
the number of deaths from violence,
the population of Morocco ought, un-
der no worse conditions than pre-
vailed during the nineteenth century,
to be on the increase. Geographical
Journal.