70 ERYTHREA - AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY IN GENERAL 



On the side of the French possessions of Obotz the boundary was de- 

 termined by the Franco-ItaHan protocols of 24 January 1900 and 10 

 July 1901. It starts at the extreme point of Ras Dumeira, follows the divid- 

 ing line of the waters of the promontory bearing that name for one and a 

 half kilometres (i), then goes straight to the point on the Ulima called Bisi- 

 divo, from which point it is merged in the Ulina and so reaches the place 

 called Daddato. 



According to the last " Annuario statistico itaHano " Erythrea has an 

 area of 119,000 square kilometres and a population of 300,000 (2). Accord- 

 ing to the results of the census of 1905 the population of Er3'threa was then 

 274,944, to whom must be added a floating population of 30, 000, emanat- 

 ing from beyond the frontiers and immigrating for purposes of work, the 

 European population and the population assimilated to it. The total 

 population of the country may therefore be placed at 300,000 (3). 



B.) Administrative Organization. 



The organization of Erythrea is determined by the law of 24 May 1903, 

 NO 205. In virtue of the organic administrative organization approved 

 by the royal decree of 22 vSeptember 1905, N^. 507 (4), the colony is ruled 

 by a civil governor, nominated by royal decree on the proposal of the Minis- 

 ter of the Colonies advised by the Council of Ministers, this arrangement 

 having been in force since the creation of the Ministrj'^ of the Colonies 

 (Ro3^al Decree of 20 November 1912, N^ 1205). 



The governor depends immediate^ and exclusively on the Minister 

 of the Colonies. He directs the colony's policy, governs its people and 

 administers its finance. He directs and is responsible for the colony's 

 civil and military administration, and in the capacity of represen- 

 tative in the colonj^ of the central government he has all the powers 



(i) I kilometre = 1093.633 j'arrls. 



(2) The different authorities do not agree on these points, as is easy to imagine since coun- 

 tries imperfectly investigated are in question. RosSETTi ascribes to Erythrea in his Carta dimo- 

 strativa della Colonia Eritrea (N" 3) Rome 1907, an area of 30,000 square kilometres and a popu- 

 lation of 275,000. A little earlier Mulazzaniin his Geogiafia della colonia Eritrea (Florence, Bem- 

 porad) gives it 1 30,000 square kilometres and 330,oooinhabitants. BAETOLOMMEi-GiOLiinL'En- 

 trea Economica (Istituto Geogratico de Agostini.Novara 1913) givesit 118,609 square kilometres 

 a"<l 335,000 inhabitants. Melli in L'Eritrea dellc sue origini a tutto il 1901 (Milan. Hoepli) gives 

 it 247000 square kilometres and 327,000 inhabitants, basing his statements on the census 

 of 1899, etc. 



(3) Cf . A. M. T.\xcREDi : Notizie e studi sulla colonia Eiitrea (Roma, Casa Editiice Italiana 

 1913). See also in this connection Marmelli and Dainelli, A f lante d' Africa by Ghisleri. The 

 results of the Censimento della polazione indigena della colonia Eritrea Anno 1905 are reported 

 in the Allegati alia Relazione sulla colonia Eritrea del R. Cotnrnissario civile F. Martini per gli 

 cscrcizi 1902-1907 (Rome 1913) Allcgalo No. 11, pp. 17-95. The results of the Censimento delle 

 popolazioni eutopee ed assimilata della colonia are in the same vohnne - Allegati nos. 12 and 13, 

 pp. 103-133. 



(4) See Bolhitino Vfficialc della Colonia Eritica, 21 October 1905, N» .12. 



