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The National Geographic Magazine 



purpose on account of aridity or inac- 

 cessibility. It has been estimated that 

 Cuba is capable of supporting in comfort 

 and prosperity a population of at least 

 15,000,000. That would be 340 to the 

 square mile, which is less than the density 

 of population in Rhode Island or Massa- 

 chusetts, where life is on a very comfort- 

 able and civilized plan, and much less 

 than the density in most tropical coun- 

 tries. Allusion has been made to Java as 

 affording many points of resemblance to 

 Cuba. In respect to population it affords 

 at least one point of decided difference. 

 The area of Java is about 49,000 square 

 miles ; that of Cuba about 44,000. The 

 population of Java is about 28,000,000; 

 that of Cuba about 1,630,000. The den- 

 sity of population of Cuba is about 36 to 

 the square mile ; that of Java is about 570 

 to the square mile. 



ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF POPULATION ARE) 

 COLORED 



As to sex, the population was distrib- 

 uted in the proportions of 51.8 per cent 

 males and 48.2 per cent females, the ex- 

 cess in number of males being probably 

 due to immigration. 



As to race, there were 58 per cent na- 

 tive white, 9 per cent foreign white, and 

 32 per cent colored. The colored formed 

 less than one-third of the population, and 

 their proportion has for many years been 

 diminishing. Three-fourths of all the 

 foreign-born in Cuba came from Spain. 

 Of the remainder, the countries which 

 most frequently contributed were China, 

 Africa, and the United States. 



The illiteracy of the population, though 

 deplorable, is not surprising in consider- 

 ation of the history of the island. Ac- 

 cording to the census of 1899, the pro- 

 portion of illiteracy (inability to read or 

 write any language) among the white na- 

 tive citizens was 51 per cent and among 

 the colored citizens 74 per cent. The 

 later reports from the island, however, 

 contributed by Gen. Leonard Wood in 

 1902, and since then by the Cuban au- 

 thorities, show a great and constant im- 

 provement in this important respect. The 



Cubans are very intelligent and quick to> 

 learn, and are now also ambitious to 

 learn, and the stigma of illiteracy will not 

 much longer deface the island in a notice- 

 able degree. 



The census of 1899 reports nearly 40 

 per cent of the Cuban population as en- 

 gaged in gainful occupations, as against 

 about 38 per cent in the United States by 

 the census of 1900. This, it must be con- 

 ceded, is a praiseworthy showing on the 

 part of the Cubans. Of their 640,000 or 

 so of bread-winners, about 48 per cent 

 are classified as engaged in agriculture, 

 fisheries, and mining ; about 23 per cent in 

 domestic and personal service; about 15 

 per cent in manufacturing and mechan- 

 ical pursuits ; about 13 per cent in trade 

 and transportation, and about 1 per cent 

 in professional service. These were the 

 percentages of 1899, and it is understood 

 that about the same proportions are ob- 

 servable now, although the professional 

 class is apparently increasing its percent- 

 age of late and the manufacturing and 

 transportation interests are undoubtedly 

 drawing recruits from the purely agri- 

 cultural ranks. 



RESULTS OP UNITED STATES OCCUPATION 



The occupation of the island by the 

 United States authorities, or "interven- 

 tion," as it is termed in Cuba, lasted for 

 about three years and a half — from Jan- 

 uary 1, 1899, to May 20, 1902. The in- 

 tervention was undertaken solely in order 

 to protect the Cubans from molestation 

 from outside while they were recovering 

 from the wounds and ravages of war, 

 and to assist them in putting their new 

 house in order. As soon as this was ac- 

 complished and a ^"stable government"' 

 established in the new republic, the inter- 

 vention was withdrawn. 



The closing paragraphs of Gen. Leon- 

 ard Wood's final report of 1902 contain 

 an effective summary of the principal 

 services rendered to the people of Cuba 

 by the United States temporary govern- 

 ment in the island, as follows : 



"The government was transferred as 

 a 'going concern ;' all the public offices 



