CHAPTER IX
THE PEOPLE : NUMBERS, RACES, AND LANGUAGES
Growth of Population.—It is probable that in the 64 years since annexation the population of the Panjab has increased by from 40 to 50 per cent. The first reliable census was taken in 1881. The figures for the four decennial enumerations are :
Year Panjab N.W.F. Province Kashmir British Native States Total 1881 1891 1 90 1 1911 17.274.597 19,009,368 20,330,337 19,974.956 3,861,683 4,263,280 4,424,398 4,212,974 21,136,280 23,272,648 24.754.735 24,187,730 1.543.726 1,857,504 2,041,534 2,196,933 2,543.952 2,905,57 8 3,158,126
Incidence of Population in Panjab.—The estimated numbers of independent tribes dwelling within the British sphere of influence is 1,600,000 The incidence of the population on the total area of the Panjab including native States is 177 per square mile, which may be compared with 189 in France and 287 in the British Isles. As the map shows, the density is reduced by the large area of semi-desert country in the south-west and by the mountainous tract in the north-east. The
