Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/947

 FRENCH WEST AFRICA AND THE SAHARA

895

1,359; Somalia, 3,568; and Indians, 109. In 1902 a French mission school for boys and one for girls were opened at Djibouti with 50 pupils. The local budget for 1920 balanced at 2,887,000 francs. The country has scarcely any industries, but with the coast fisheries and inland trade there is considerable traffic. The salt mines, opened in 1912, exported in 1918, 11,500 metric tous of salt. The chief imports are cotton goods, butter, coal, sugar ; the chief exports were coffee, ivory, hides and skins. The total imports in 1918 amounted to 67,411,794 francs, and the total exports (1917) to 50,324,846 francs. The export of the products of Abyssinia in 191S amounted to 75,552,277 francs. Merchandise imported at "Djibouti, destined for Abyssinia, amounted to 35,839,140 francs. Much of the traffic with Abyssinia which formerly passed by Zailah now goes by railway from Djibouti to Addis Abeba ^386 miles). [See also under Abyxsitiia.] The vessels of 3 French, 4 English, 2 Russian, and 1 Itilian shipping companies visit Djibouti, which is also in communication with Aden by means of French and English steamboats for local traffic. In 1917 there entered at Djibouti 272 steam merchant vessels of 643,290 tons. Of these vessels, 163 were French, 44 English, 33 Italian, 19 Greek, 11 Japanese, 1 Dutch, and 1 Swedish.

FRENCH WEST AFRICA AND THE SAHARA

French West Africa comprises the following colonies: — (1) Senegal, (2) French Guinea, (3) the Ivory Coast, (4) Dahomey, (5) Upper Senegal-Niger (French Sudan), (6) the Upper Volta Colony, (7) Civilian Territory of Mauri- tania, and (8) the Military Territory of the Niger.

In 1912 the Military Territory of the Niger was placed under a Commis- sioner, whose headquarters were at Zinder, the capital. In 1916 the region of Tibesti was attached, administratively, to French West Africa ; it forms a part of the Military Territory ot the Niger.

The approximate area and population of French West Africa is (1920) shown as follows : —

Area (in Square

.Miles)

Population.

Colony

Non-African Races

African Races Total

French ! Foreign

French

Senegal

Guinea

iTory Coast

Danoraev

F ench Sudan.

Upper Volta.

Mauritania

Military Territory of Xiger

74,11:! 1*5, 21S

42,460 617,600 154.400 347,400 347,400

3,659 5^4 1,100 100 900 130 500 90 900 To 100 — 144 — 200 25

1,200,000 1,204,113

1,890,000 1,851,200

1,406,000 1,407,030

860,000 860,590

2,200,000 2,200,975

3,000,000 3,000,100

240,000 240,144

700,000 . 700,225

Total.

1,800,566 7,403 74

11,456,000 11,464.377

A treaty of October 19, 1906, determines the course of the Anglo-French boundary from the Gulf of Guinea to the Niger. The delineation of the boundary was completed in 1912, and approved by the two governments 1914. The British government has leased to France for purposes of commerce two pieces of land, one on the right bank of the Niger between Lealaba and the confluence of the rivers Moussa and Niger, and the other on one of the mouths of the Niger, each to form one block of from 25 to 120 acres with a