Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/87

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
AREA AND POPULATION.
51


The Danish navy was manned, in September 1869, by 901 men, and officered by 15 commanders, 34 captains, and 67 lieutenants. (Report of the Royal government to the Statesman's Year-book.)

Area and Population.

The area and population of Denmark, according to the last census, taken February 1, 1870, are as follows:—

Provinces Area Population
1870
Geogr. sq. m. English sq. m.
Seeland and Moen 133.3 2,793 636,506
Bornholm 10.6 221 31,846
Fünen and Langeland 61.9 1,302 236,269
Lolland-Falster 30.1 640 91,017
Jutland 458.0 9,597 787,927
Total 693.9 14,553 1,783,565

Denmark is a purely agricultural country, the greater number of the people being occupied in the cultivation of the land, and in the simple employments necessary to meet the more immediate wants of the agricultural districts. There being no coal, and but little water-power in the country, the manufactories of any description are but few in number, and of small extent.

The proportionate increase in the population of Denmark for the last fifteen years has been larger in the towns than in the country districts. In Copenhagen it has been 8.05. per cent., in the other commercial towns together 10.29 per cent., whilst in the country districts it has only been 5.99 per cent. The following was the population of the four chief towns at the enumerations of 1855, 1860, and 1870:—

Chief Towns Population
1855 1860 1870
Copenhagen (Kjöbenhavn) 143,591 155,143 180,866
Odense 12,932 14,255 16,721
Aarhuus 8,891 11,009 13,020
Aalborg 9,102 10,069 11,953

The soil of Denmark is greatly subdivided, owing partly to the state of the law, which interdicts the union of small farms into larger estates, but encourages, in various ways, the parcelling out

of landed property. In consequence, the number of small

b 2