LAND AND OTHER AGENTS OF PRODUCTION 



129 



we have faith that we shall discover new resources and attain to a 

 better control of natural forces, we are certain to discount the dangers 

 that less optimistic men foresee. Only when that future has arrived 

 will it become clear whether we have ordered our activities by a 

 rational faith or have been reckless and unsuccessful gamblers. 



A. Area the Fundamental Fact 

 33. SOME FIGURES CONCERNING LAND AREA 



The latest estimates of the land area of the earth show a total of 

 nearly fifty-eight million square miles, as follows: 



Asia 17,470,282 square miles 



Africa 11,632,000 



South America 7,344,508 



North America 7,146,641 



Europe 3,671,624 



Australasia 3,456,290 



Polar regions 6,970,000 



Total 57,69i,34S 



Only about half of this area is to be thought of as even potential 

 agricultural land, as is seen from the following rough classification: 



Steppes 14,000,000 square miles 



. Polar regions 6,970,000 



Desert 4,861,000 



Fertile area 29,000,000 



For the United States, the figures are as follows: 1 



1 Figures given in the Thirteenth Census. The decrease in total land area 

 in 1910 is due chiefly to the building of the large irrigation reservoirs in the West 

 and to the formation of the Salton Sea in California. 



