Section I. Land. — The land area of the
United States, exclusive of Alaska and the insular
possessions, was given, in 1900, as 2,970,230
square miles, or 1,900,947,200 acres. The acre-
age in farms was given, as 838,591,774, which is
about forty-four (44.1) per cent, of the total land
surface of the country.^ Of the total area in-
cluded in farms, however, only about half (414,-
498,487 acres, or 49.4 per cent.) is given as im-
proved land.^ Hence only about twenty-two per
cent. (21.8) of the land area of the United States
is improved farm land. It is interesting and
helpful to compare the United States with some
of the European countries in this regard. In
England seventy-six per cent, of the total area is

^Twelfth Census of the United States, Statistical Atlas,
pp. 25 and 70.
