Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 3.djvu/317

 STUDIES IN POLITICAL AREAS 303

of territory are readily explained by the fact that the largest European state belongs entirely to the broad eastern expanse of the continent, while Norway and Sweden, Spain, France, Great Britain, and Italy are clearly defined by the physical forms of central and western Europe.

Asia has nine nominally independent states, but only Qiina, Persia, and Japan can be regarded as independent in the European sense of the term. These take up almost one-third of the continent. Then come the possessions of the seven European powers, Russia, England, Turkey, Holland, France, Spain and Portugal ; but if we divide these holdings into the individual states which exist as colonial dependencies, we get for Asia a total of thirty-two separate colonial domains. 1 Among these, Siberia, China, the Empire of India (without Socotea and the African provinces), and Russian Central Asia together with the Trans- Caspian, must all be regarded as states of continental proportions ; they embrace 73 per cent, of the continent. In addition, independent Arabia, the Dutch Indies, Asiatic Turkey, and Persia, all of which are from four to five times the size of Germany, are to be looked upon as great states. Afghanistan, Siam, French Farther India, the Trans- Caucasus, Japan, and the Philippine Islands have territories from 215,- ooo to 1 15,000 square miles in area, and they are therefore to be com- pared in point of extent with the great states of Europe. If we draw the line of the medium states at Bhutan (circa 13,000 square miles), then all the nine smaller states, such as Samos, Cyprus, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Macao, and others, belong to fereign powers. Moreover, they show by their scattered peripheral position, how little they have to do with the Asiatic system of distribution of land. This system undoubt- edly gets its stamp from the broad mass of northern and central Asia, where three-fifths of the continent fall to the share of two domains. India begins the list of Asiatic states of medium size ; it is far ahead of the rest in point of importance, however, because, starting from a peninsula, it has sent a wedge deep into the body of the continent. Like it, the others also are found in the peninsulas, islands, and coast countries of western, southern and eastern Asia.

Australia has five colonies, which, together with Tasmania and New Zealand, regard themselves as one whole, and for years they have main- tained the community of their interests by independent agreements.

'The Pamir countries and the small districts east of Bhutan are here left out of consideration as no longer independent. All Arabia not under Turkish rule is taken as a whole.