Mountain advocate., 1914-08-28
BY LAWRENCE ELsToN,
international News Service.

international News Service.
| Iondon.-More than onc-half or the
world and its people are involved IN
the great war now spreading over all
Europe.
That is not broad statement or
! elittering generality. Stupendous,
stunning as 1t may appear at first
glance. study of statistics will show
It to be a fact that over fifty per cent
OF the earth's area, land and sea, and
slightly in excess of fifty per cent of
the worlds population are directly
concerned in the conflagration.
Roughly, there are about 100000
| square miles of the worlds land area.
The powers now at war and their col
onies occupy approximately 2s,9S2.996
square miles. trifle more than half
the total. The seas of the world are
controlled by the powers In about the
same proportion as the land.
Whitaker's London Almanack esti-
mates the worlds total population in
1912 at 1928, 100000 people. The war
ring powers and their colonies contain
SOS, 440, 900 people. considerably more
than one-half.
With so much of the world con-
trolled by the warning nations. no
grand division of the earth. no CONT
nent and none of the great oceans Is
without the very real possibility of
becoming battle ground for conflict
between the nationals of the contend
ing powers
Least of the continents, Europe.
sincsS the time OF Columbus. has ex-
tended its claims over the lands and
populations everywhere until today
its great governments overshadow the
greater share OF the worlds people as
well as the land.
Countries Involved.
The countries now directly involved
in the war hold these areas and popu-
lations:
Nation. Square Miles Population
British Empire 13,525.712 100000
Russian Empire s.647,657 $500, 900
France and her
colonies ..... 4,372,OOO S3,S5O,OOO
German Empire 1.243,s66 100000
Belgium and the
Congo Free
State ........ oil 900 100000 900
Ausria-Hungary. 261 .099 5l,S40,0O0
Servia ........ 23,66l 100000
Germany has secured a foothold in
Africa where she controls about one
million square miles In the southern
part OF the continent. German East
Africa and German West Africa. Be
tween these two provinces. which are
about equal in size, lies the great
South African British Empire. With
Germany entirely eliminated. AFRICA
would be far on the way toward be-
Ing an English and French continent.
France at present holds more Afri-
can territory than any other nation,
aggregating more than four million
square miles. or q greater area than
that OF the United States. with Alaska
and the American insular possessions
included. This French territory takes
In most OF the Sahara Desert. Algeria
in the north and vast fertile area in
he valleys OF the Nile and the Niger.
Egypt is still nominally a Deepen
dency Of the Turkish Empire, but for
all practical purposes, both Upper
Egypt and Lower Egypt are British
possessions. The Sudan provinces OF
England now Join the British territor-
les in East Africa. which includes a
frontage OF about four hundred miles
on the Indian ocean. Thus the route
is nearly all in British territory for
the Cape to Cairo" railroad
Congo Free State.
In the very heart of tropical Africa
lies the Congo Free State. With nearly
a million square miles. nCminally a