The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-08-07
WAR MAY
involve entire WORLD
COLONIAL POSSESSIONS OF MA.
TIoNs SCATTERED OVER
FACE OF GLOBE.

(By Associated Press.)
-Four out Of the six great powers of
Europe which threaten to engage in
warfare have colonial possessions, pro-
tectorates and dependencies scattered
all over the world.
Austria-Hungary and Russia have no
colonial possessions, though the Rus
sian empire stretches through the con-
tinents of Europe and Asia and pre-
sents long coast line on the northern
Pacific, OF the others, Great Britain
has colonies and protectorates the
world over; France has colonies and
protectorates in Africa, India, China
in South America, in the West Indies,
in the north Atlantic, and in the Pa
cific and Indian oceans.
England's vast empires. India, Cana
da, and Australia; her holdings on the
Malay peninsula; her colonies in Al
RIGA, and her fortified positions in the
Mediterranean, Gibraltar and Malta
put her at the head of the colony-hold-
ing nations of the world; they also
increase the field of her protective op.
erations in case she becomes involved
in war with Austria-Hungary and Ger
many, and possibly with Italy.
Many of the minor holdings of the
four powers with colonial possessions
to defend are themselves without mil
itary strength. In many cases the
protecting power has only small gar
risons' on shore, amounting to nothing
more than local police forces. This is
particularly true in Africa, outside OF
the British and French colonies, in the
Pacific ocean and in American waters
Africa May Be battle-ground.
The continent of Africa presents
notable picture of the juxtaposition of
protectorates and colonies be.
longing to Great Britain, France and
Germany.
France has protectorate over Mo-
rocco, and her Algerian possessions,
facing the Mediterranean, are bounded
on the East by Tripoli, a dependency
of Italy Then comes Egypt, where
British interests are paramount. On
the Red Sea and contiguous to Egypt,
is the Italian dependency of Eritrea.
Coming down the east coast are Brit
British East Africa, German East Afri-
ca, Portuguese East Africa, and then
British South Africa, embracing Rho
desia, the Transvaal, the orange River
Colony, Natal, and the Cape of Good
Hope. On the west, contiguous in
the order named, are German South
west Africa; Portuguese West Africa,
the Congo state, belonging to Belgium
the French Congo; Kamerun, belong
ing to Germany, the Niger Terrific
ries, a protectorate of Great Britain;
French West Africa; Togloland, be-
longing to Germany; the Gold Coast,
a British Colony, and the Ivory Coast,
annexed by France twenty years ago.
The following is list of the COLO
MES of the four countries involved:
Great Britain.
Gibraltar-At the entrance to the
Sea; area two square
miles; military force 1857.
Malta-In the Mediterranean Sea;
area 1T square miles; military
7647. ~ ~
Cyprus-Island in the. Mediterran-
can, 60 miles from the coast of Asia
Minor; area 1854 square miles; mill
tary strength 121 men.
Empire OF India-Area 1906, 900
square miles; population .295. 1000. 900;
military strength, British troops 49,
ss7; native troops, 1886, with 35,7oo
reservists.
Ceylon-Off the southeast coast of
India, area 1888 square miles; mill
tary strength 1882 men.
Maldive Islands-In the Idian
ocean, 400 miles southwest of India;
area 115 square miles; population So
600; a group of IL coral islets.
Federated Malay States-Of. the
Malay peninsula; area $4,000 square
miles; population $4,000; military
strength, S51 natives, under eleven