Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 08.djvu/570

LEFT SOUTH AFRICA 498 SOUTH AFRICA sion is made for the future inclusion with- in the Union of those territories and of the territories of the British South Af- frica Company. Topography and Rivers. — The southern- most province contains many parallel ranges, which rise in steps toward the interior. The southwestern peninsula con- tains the famous "Table Mountain" (3,582 feet), while the "Great Zwarte Region" and "Lange Bergen" run in parallel lines from W. to E. of the Cape province. Be- tween these two ranges and the "Rogge- veld" and "Nieuwveld" to the N. is the Great Karoo Plateau, which is bounded on the E. by the "Sneeuwbergen," con- taining the highest summit in the prov- ince ( Compassberg, 7,800 feet). In the E. are ranges which join the "Drakens- bergen" (11,000 feet), between Natal and the Orange Free State. The Orange Free State presents a succession of undulating grassy plains with good pasture-land, at a general elevation of some 3,800 feet, with occasional hills or kopjes. The Transvaal is also mainly an elevated pla- teau with parallel ridges in the "Maga- !ies" and "Waterberg" ranges of no great height. The veld or plains of this north- ernmost province is divisible into the Hooge Veld of the S., the Banker Veld of the center, and the Bush veld of the N. and E., the first and second forming the grazing and agricultural region of the Transvaal and the last a mimosa-covered waste. The eastern province of Natal has pastoral lowlands and rich agricultural land between the slopes of the Drakens- berg and the coast, the interior rising in terraces as in the southern provinces. The Orange, with its tributary, the Vaal, is the principal river of the S., rising in the Drakensbergen and flowing into the Atlantic between the Protectorate of Southwest Africa and the Cape of Good Hope. The Limpopo, or Crocodile river, in the N., rises in the Transvaal and flows into the Indian Ocean through Portu- guese East Africa. Most of the remain- ing rivers are furious torrents after rain, with partially dry beds at other seasons. Area and Population. — The total area of the Union is 473,096 square miles, di- vided as follows: Cape of Good Hope, 276,966; Natal, 35,291; Transvaal, 110,- 450; Orange Free State, 50,389 square miles. The white population in 1918 was 1,436,611. The colored population in 1911, the last year for which definite figures are available, was 4,697,152. The princi- pal towns are Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Pieter- mariteburg, East London, Benoni, Kim- berley, Germiston, Bloemfontein, Krugers- dorp, and Boksburg. The death rate is usually slightly ab^ve 10 per thousand, but in 1918, as the result of the influenza epidemic, it rose to over 17 per thousand. Instruction. — In April, 1918, the insti- tutions for higher education were reor- ganized, and there are now three univer- sities, the University of Cape Town, the University of Stellenbosch, and the Uni- versity of South Africa. There are also several colleges administratively con- nected with these universities. The total number of students in 1918 was 2,069, the total number of professors and instructors 252. Schools other than those for higher education in 1917 numbered 4,945 for white scholars, with 259,076 students; and 2,670 for colored students, with 187,866 students, having a total of 17,971 teach- ers, and expenditures of £3,169,889. There are also a number of training colleges and special schools. Finances. — The ordinary revenue and expenditures of the Union in 1918-19 was £19,256,000 and £19,858,824 respectively. The public debt of the Union on March 31, 1920, was estimated at £166,270,000. Defense. — Toward the end of the World War all the British troops stationed in South Africa were withdrawn and the Union itself provided all military forces necessary for its defense. These were raised under the Defense Act, which makes all citizens liable to service within the Dominion. Only a certain proportion of the younger men, however, are annu- ally enrolled and trained. These form the Active Citizen Army, the members of which, after four years, become members of the Citizen Reserve Force, until the age of 45. There are also a Coast Gar- rison Force, a Permanent Force, and a National Reserve, the latter comprising all citizens between the ages of 17 and 60 not belonging to any of the other forces. Boys between 13 and 17 are com- pulsorily enrolled in a cadet corps, wher- ever this is possible. During the World War 136,070 white and 92,837 natives en- listed from the Union. All of these, with the exception of an infantry brigade and several other white units, as well as some 3,000 officers of the Royal Air Force, were used in the operations in Africa. Agriculture and Production. — In 1918 the total acreages under cultivation were as follows: Cape Province, 3,152,209; Na- tal, 1,106.618; Transvaal, 3,012,844; Or- ange Free State, 2,814,893. In the same year the tota] production of wheat in the entire Union *was 600,000,000 pounds, oats 335,000,000 pounds, of maize l,942 r 000,000 pounds. Other important crops were barley, rye, kafir corn, peas and beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, tobacco, and sugar. The live-stock in 1918 consisted of 6,852,000 cattle, 781,000 horses, 84,500 mules, 554,000 donkeys, 314,000 ostriches, 30,000,000 sheep, 8,000,- 000 goats, 1,000,000 pigs, and 9,500,000