Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1914-08-28
BY LAWRENCE ELSTON,
international News Service.


London.-More than one-half or the
world and it's people are involved III
the great war now spreading over all
Europe.
That is not a broad statement or
glittering generality. Stupenoous'
stunning as it may appear at nrst
glance. a study of statistics will snow
1t to be fact that over fifty per cent
of the earth's area, land and sea, and
slightly in excess Of fifty per cent or
the worlds population are directly
concerned in the conflagration.
Roughly, there are about 56,O0O,OOo
square miles of the worlds land area.
The powers now at war and their col
onies occupy approximately 2S,9S2,9so
square miles, trifie 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 1,623,300,O00 people. The war
ring powers and their colonies contain
S9S, 100000 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 sf
becoming battle ground for conflict
between the nationals of the contend
ing powers.
Least of the continents, Europe.
since the time of Columbus, has ex-
tended it's claims over the lands and
populations everywhere until today
it's great governments overshadow the
greater share of the worlds people as
we'll 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 13,525,712 435,000,0OO
Russian Empire s.647.657 166,260,OOO
France and her
colonies 80. 4,372,OOO s3,S5O,OOO
German Empire L. 243,866 100000
Belgium and the
Congo Free
State Oil 1000 2S,000,000
Austria Hungary. 261 ,099 51,340,00
Servia ........ 1861 100000
Germany has secured 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 a 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
the valleys of the Nile and the Niger.
Egypt is still nominally depen-
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
million square miles, nominally