The British Empire

Previous Selection

XI.—THE BRITISH EMPIRE.

Area

The area of the United Kingdom consists of only 121,069 square miles; but the area of the British Empire, with all its colonies and dependencies, falls little short of 11,000,000 square miles; that is to say, is nearly three times as large as Europe, almost as large as Africa, and comprises more than a fifth part of the land-surface of the whole globe.

Of this huge territorial surface a perfectly insignificant fraction is in Europe; while, in round numbers, the square miles contributed by Asia are one and three-quarter millions, by Africa two and a quarter millions, by America three and a half millions, and by Australasia three and a quarter millions.

Population

The population of some parts of this Empire, especially of certain protectorates and spheres of influence, is altogether unknown, and of others is only more or less roughly estimated; but so far as can be ascertained, the aggregate inhabitants of the empire in 1891 numbered close upon 372 millions, the actual figure in the table (Table 49 Appendix A) being 371,825,244. Of this number 93,505,155 were inhabitants of protectorates or spheres of influence; 240,587,167 were in our colonies or dependencies; the remaining 37,732,922 being the actual population of the United Kingdom.

Asia

Of the 240,587,167 inhabitants of our colonies and dependencies, 221,434,862 were in British India, making with 66,908,147 inhabitants of the Indian Protected States, a total population of 288,343,009 persons in the Indian Empire. Ceylon further contributed 3,012,224 persons; other Asian possessions 740,199; and other Asian protectorates 1,092,634; the total in Asia thus amounting to 293,188,066 persons.

Africa

The population of the British Colonies and Dependencies in Africa was 4,035,869, while that of the African protectorates or spheres of influence, very imperfectly known, was 25,504,374, making a total of 29,540,243 in Africa.

America

The population of those parts of the Empire that are in America was 6,737,654. Of these, 5054449 were in North America, namely 4,834,728 in Canada, and the renaming 219 721 in Newfoundland, Labrador, and Bermuda. The West Indies contributed 1,361,617 to the population of the Empire, and British Guiana 288,328; these several figures with 31,471 in British Honduras, and 1,789 in the Falkland Islands, making up the aggregate given above of 6,737,654 in various parts of America.

Australasia

The inhabitants of Australasia numbered 4,275,305, the two most populous of the colonies being Victoria with a population of 1,140,405, and New South Wales with 1132,234 inhabitants.

Europe

The only parts of Europe, other than the United Kingdom itself, that form parts of the Empire are the Isle of Man and Channel Islands, Gibraltar, and Malta, the little island of Heligoland having been ceded since the census of 1881 to Germany. The population of these European colonies or dependencies was only 351,054, namely 147,842 in the islands in the British Seas, 25,755 in Gibraltar, and 177,457 in Malta.

We have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient Servants,

BRYDGES P. HENNIKER, Registrar General.
WILLIAM OGLE, Statistical Superintendent.

Noel A. HUMPHREYS, Secretary.

Previous Selection