Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/952

 900 FRANCE: — FRENCH WEST AFRICA AND THE SAHARA

four years they have been greatly improved. A new metalled road (310 miles in length) for motor traffic runs from Save to the Niger. At Kotonn an iron pier has been erected, and from that port a railway runs into the interior to Save (156 miles) with a branch line to Whydah and Segborue in Lake Aheme (20 miles). The line is intended to run to Chaora (400 miles). The gauge is a metre. A metre gauge railway has also been constructed from Porto Novo to Pobe - (50 miles) along the Lagos frontier. A telegraph line connects Kotonu with Aboniey, Togoland, the Niger, and Senegal. In the colony there are 1,389 miles of telegraph line, and 70 miles of telephone line. In 1919, 114 vessels of 259,887 tons entered, and 123 vessels of 277,003 tons cleared the ports of Dahomey. French and English coins are in circulation. The budget of the colony for 1919 provided for the sum of 5,921,000 francs. The local budget, for 1920 was 7,785,175 francs.

The Colony of French Sudan was formed in 1904 from the Territories of Senegambia and the Niger, less the Senegal Protectorate, which was restored to Senegal. Its old name of Upper Senegal-Niger was changed to French Sudan by decree of December 4, 1920.

The Colony is bounded on the north by the Algerian sphere; on the west by Mauritania, the Faleme' river, and the frontier of French Guinea ; on the south by the frontiers of the Ivory Coast, Gold Coast, and the Upper Yolta, and on the east by the Military Territory of the Niger. It there- fore includes the valley of the Upper Senegal, about two-thirds of the course of the Niger, much of the country enclosed in the great Bend, and a large part of the Sahara to the Algerian sphere of influence. The area is about 617,600 square miles with a population in 1920 of about 2,200,975, including 975 Europeans.

At the same time that this Colony was formed the Military Territories, whicn now form an integral part of it, were broken up. The Second Military Territory, which included nearly all the country within the Bend, was handed over to the Civil administration, and the First (Timbuktu) has been incorporated in Upper Senegal-Niger, and is administered by a colonel under the authority of the Lieutenant-Governor. The Third (Zinder-Chad) Territory has been constituted an autonomous unit. In 1919 the greater part of the southern portion in the bend of the Niger was created a separate Colony in the name of the Upper Volta (Haute Volta, see below).

The whole of Upper Senegal-Niger is under civil administration, with the same judicial and educational systems as the other Colonies comprised in the Government General. The budget of the colony for 1920 provided for 13,567,000 francs.

The most important and populous towns in the Upper Senegal-Niger are: Bamako, the capital, (16,000 inhabitants), Segou (8,405 inhabitants), Kayes (12,000 inhabitants), Djenni (5,450 inhabitants), Timbuktu (4,270 inhabitants), Gouudn.ni (3,200 inhabitants). Nioro (3,400 inhabitants). All the principal towns have regional or urban schools ; Bamako has a pro- fessional school ; there is a Mussulman superior school at Timbuktu with 67 pupils and one medersu (official).

The natives cultivate ground nuts, millet, maize, rice, cotton, castor oil plant, sesame ; other products are rubber and kariti. Large stocks of cattle abound in the colony.

Native industries comprise pottery, brick-making, jewellery, weaving, leather-making. Chief imports are cottons, food stutl's, metal work. Chief exports are ground nuts, cattle, rubber, gum, kopak, skins and wool.