20 ‘THE SHADOW OF THE WORLD’S FUTURE 
the true average—an individual life would be only one 
two-hundredth of the period of authentic history. If 
Man’s life-history has extended over a million years, 
it is only one twenty-thousandth. When these facts 
are kept in view we perhaps reach a better perspective 
for the purposes of a larger study of human affairs, and 
are delivered from the temptation to over-emphasise 
the world-significance of human tragedies. Doubtless, 
from the widest point of view, the obliteration of the 
whole solar system is insignificant. This, however, is 
not for us. 
To return to the question of the effect of the earth’s 
physical features, etc., and of its various linguistic, 
political and other divisions; these are so diverse that 
its areas differ greatly as regards their fitness for human 
habitation. So great are the causes of diversity in the 
nature of human occupation, that even countries of 
great size do not give at all similar figures for the 
densities of their population-distributions. Taking 
even the largest divisions, the world-average of about 
37 persons per square mile is widely departed from. 
The order of density per square mile for the several 
continents is as follows — 
Europe . 127-6 Africa . . 106 
Asia . . 65-2 South America 9-5 
North and Central America 17:6 Qceania, etc. 2-8 
In the order of their aggregate populations in millions, 
these territories are 1:— 
Asia . . . 1041-8 Africa . 1340 
Europe . ‘ 494-2" South America 679 
North and Central America 157-0 Oceania, etc. 95 
When smaller and vet still large units of territory 
! The population of Asia is possibly understated. A recent count 
of China’s population shows that it is very much greater than was 
thought recently.