AREA AND POPULATION
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�to the extent of one-half every three years (one Councillor for each canton).
These conseils deliberate upon all economical affairs of the department, the
repartition of the direct taxes amon» the arrondissemcnts, the roads, normal
schools, and undertakings for the relief of the poor. Their decisions are con-
trolled by the Prefect, and may be annulled hy the President of the Republic,
Area and Population. I. Progress and Present Condition,
The area of France has changed but little since the treaties of 1815, In 1860, after the Italian War, it was increased by the annexation of Savoie and Nice from Italy ; and by the treaty of May 10, 1871, France lost the entire department of the Bas-Rhin, two arrondissenients, with a fraction of a third, of the Haut-Rhin, and the greater portion of the department of Mo- selle, making altogether an area of 5,590 square miles and 1,600,000 inhabitants, part of whom emigrated into France during the next few years.
The following table gives the area, in English square miles, and the legal population (including those present and absent) of the 87 departments of France according to the census returns of April, 1891 and March 29, 1896 :—
�
Area :
Population
Population per |
Departments
Engl. sq.
square mile, I
miles
April, 1891
April, 1896
1896 j
Ain
2,239
356,907
351,569
156-9
Aisne .
2,839
545,493
541,613
190
4
Allier .
2,822
424,382
424,378
150
4
Alpes (Basses-)
2,685
124,285
118,142
44
Alpes (Hautes-)
2,158
115,522
113,229
52
5
Alpes- Mari times .
1,482
258,571
265,155
178
9
Ardeche
2,136
371,269
363,501
170
1
Ardennes
2,020
324,923
318,865
157
8
Ariege .
1,890
227,491
219,641
116
2
Aube
2,317
255,548
251,435
108
5
Aude
2,438
317,372
310,513
127
3
Aveyron
3,376
400,467
389,464
115
4
Belfort (territ. de) .
235
83,670
88,047
387
4
Bouches-du-Rhone
1,971
630,622
673,820
341
8
Calvados
2,132
428,945
417,176
195
6 '
Cantal .
2,217
239,601
234,382
105
6
Charente
2,294
360,259
356,236
155
o
•J
Charente-Inferieure
2,635
456,202
453,455
172
1
Cher ,
2,780
359,276
347,725
125
1
Correze ,
2,265
328,151
322,393
142
3
Corse
3,377
288,596
290,168
85
9
Cote-d'Or
3,383
376,866
368,168
108
8
C6tes-du-Nord
2,659
618,652
616,074
231
7
Creuse .
2,150
284,660
279,366
129
9
Dordogne
3,546
478,471
464,822
131
1
Doubs ,
2,018
303,081
302,046
149
G
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