The Washington herald., 1922-10-19

Inc areas In A1r1ca anecteu o.
the treaty of Versailles are even
more extensive than those SO affect
ed in Europe, so that the student
of geography finds 1t necessary TO
reconstruct completely his ideas
concerning African colonial posses
sions.
More than a million square miles
of territory in Africa-one-eleven
of the entire continent-belonged
to Germany in 1914. Today, thess
vast regions are being administered
under mandates exercised by Gre ~
Britain, France and Belgium.
France Gains Big Area.
The National Geographic Society
has just issued a new map which
shows that as a result of .he world
war the French nave addcd to their
control inundated areas consider
ably larger than all of France IN
Europe. The tricolor now flies over
more territory in Africa than does
that Of any other nation, French
colonies. protectorates, and man
dates having an aggregate area
which exceeds by nearly $4,000
square miles that of the entir
United states, including Alaska and
all the insular possessions.
The map shows more than 735, 900
square miles of territory trans
ferred from German sovereignty TO
British mandates (4l3.0cg square
miles to Great Britain proper. and
$4,000 squars miles to the Union OF
South Africa). From the empires
territorial accretio1s. however, mus;
be deducted the 350,0o0 square miles
which until recently constituted tn,
British protectorate in Egypt.
1t is interesting to note that only
THREE countries in Africa-Liberia
Egypt and Abyssinia, with a bar,
741, 900 square miles of territory
are independent. The remaining
millions of square miles of the sec.
ond largest continent, comprisins
more than ne-f1fth of the earth.
land surface. are ruled by European
nations.
The acquisition of colonial terri.
tory in Africa took place, in the
main. during the last quarter of the
nineteenth century. At the begin
ming of that century, France had q
foothold on the West Coast near the
Senegal River: Portugal was estab.
lished in lower Guinea. on the Wesl
Coast, and in a small district op.
posite. the Island of Madagascar. OF
the east; while Great Britain's CHIEF
interest lay in Cape Colony, which
had been taken from the Dutch dur
ing the Napoleonic wars.
Explorations Led to Scramble.
nj
Livingstone and Stanley, Rohlfs and
Du Chaillu during the last half OF
the nineteenth century. fired tn.
popular ina gination and brought
about that awakening of public in,
terest'in the Dark Continent which
caused a scramble for colonies be-
tween 1875 and 1900.
Germany did not embark upon a
colony-acquiring policy until 1882
when a colonial society was formed
to promote lectures and to estab.
lish a colonial museum in Berlin
Bismarck was won over to the
scheme and German traders begar
to establish stations along the West
Coast of Africa.
One of the most active agents II
Germany's colonial enterprise was {
Bremen citizen. Luderitz, who &C
Guired. by treaties with natives, 8
small area around Angra Pequen;
on the west coast, north of the Capt
Colony settlement. He demanded
German protection; Bismarck grant
ed 1t, and in 1884 the German fias
was for the first time authorized tc
fly over colonial property in Africa
Luderitz's name is perpetuated il
that of a small town on the coast.
Next came acquisitions In Togo.
land and the Cameroons. In 1SS:
Germans were active on the eas
coast. making treaties with triba
chiefs for an enormous tract of land
embracing 100000 square miles
known subsequently, as the protecto
rate CT German East Africa.
German Holdings Converted.
To the union of South Africa has
been entrusted the mandate ovel
German Southwest Africa; Grea
Britain has fallen mandatory heir ts
German East Ffrica, now known a.
Tanganyika Territory, to a strip o.
Togoland U3.514 square miles) lyint
on the .east bank of the Volta River
and to a portion of the CAMERON,
(34,750 square miles) bordering OF
her possessions in southeastern Nj.
geria.
France has assumed the mandat,
over the major portions of Togolant
(20,154 square miles) and the Cam
ercons (270,270 square miles).
Belgium's share in mandate re
sponsibilities over Germany's for
mar Afrtca, eolnuial .p,pira rou