AIN - GEOGRAPHICAL ENVIRONMENT.
England is well supplied with riv ers, many of them of great importance to in dustry and commerce. Most of them carry their waters to the North Sea. If we consider the drainage as a whole, four principal river basins may be distinguished, those of the Thames, Wash and Humber belonging to the North Sea; and the Severn, belonging to the Atlantic. The basin of the Thames has its greatest length from east to west, 130 miles, and its average breadth about 50 miles, area, in cluding the Medway, 6,100 square miles. The river itself, which is the chief of English rivers, has a length of 210 miles. The basin of the Wash consists of the subordinate basins of the Great Ouse, Nen, Welland and Witham, which all empty themselves into that estuary, and has an area computed at 5,850 square miles. The basin of the Severn consists of two distinct portions, that on the right bank, of an irregularly oval shape, and having for its principal tribu taries the Teme and the Wye; and that on the left, of which the Upper Avon is the principal tributary stream. The area of the whole basin is 8,580 square miles. The next basin, that of the Humber, the largest of all, consists of the three basins of the Humber proper, the Ouse and the Trent, and its area is 9,293 square miles, being about one-sixth of the whole area of England and Wales. Other rivers unconnected with these systems are the Tyne, Wear and Tees, in the northeast ; the Eden, Ribble, Mersey and Dee, in the northwest. The southern coast streams are very unimportant except for their estuaries. See THAMES.
Areas and The total area of England and Wales amounts to 58,340 square miles, and the population (1911 census) aggre gated — England, 34,045,290; Wales, 2,025,202, making a total of 36,070,492. A later official estimate, made in 1914, placed the total at 36,960,684; while the National Register, taken in August, 1915, placed the civilian population at 35,360,000. In 1901 England and Wales con tained 78 per cent of the population of the United Kingdom; in 1911 it rose to 79.8 per cent, or four-fifths of the whole British Isles.
The density of the population in England is greater than in any other European country (disregarding Monaco) except the kingdom of Saxony (829 per square mile). In 1911 it was for England alone 670 per square mile; for Ezigland and Wales, 618. In Scotland it was only 154, and Ireland 137 per square mile.
The first uniform census of the United Kingdom was taken in 1801. The growth of population in England and Wales during 264 years is shown by the following available statistics: During the 100 years (1801-1901) the popu lation of the United Kingdom rose from 16, 000.000 to 41,000,000. The 1911 census revealed 17,445,608 males and 18,624,884 females, an ex cess of 1,179,276 females. Men serving in the army, navy and merchant service abroad are not included in this calculation. The number of separate families in 1911 was 8,005,290, as compared with 7,036,868 in 1901. In 1914 there were 879,096 births, 37,329 illegitimate births, 294,401 marriages and 516,742 deaths. The pro portion of male to female births for that year was 1,036 male to 1,000 female, while of the ,total estimated population 17,877,052 were males and 19,083,632 fetnales. The following table shows the areas and population of the 40 Eng lish and 12 Welsh counties (1911) : The political divisions are—England, 40 counties in 231 divisions returning 231 mernbers to Parliament ; 134 cities, boroughs, etc., in 204 divisions returning 225 members; and three universities, 5 members. Total, England, 461 members. Wales, 13 counties in 22 divisions — 22 members; 10 cities, boroughs, etc., in 11 divisions — 12 members. Total, Wales, 34. Total parLarnentary representatives, England and Wales, 495 (Scotland, 72; Ireland, 103).
Historical leading events in English history (which are treated more fully elsewhere), may be briefly summarized here for ready reference: B. C. 35 — First Roman invasion under Julius' Cesar, led to R-unan conquest and civilization A. D. 410 — Roman evacuation; left Britain and her earliest civilization a prey to the barbarians.