Civilization and Climate

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1915 edition. Excerpt: ...new country. A final point concerns countries which are poor in natural resources, or which are not located in the main centers of the world's activity, but which are nevertheless of high character. For example, so far as importance in the affairs of the world is concerned, England vastly outranks Scotland. Nevertheless, our estimate of the greatness of England owes much to the large number of Scotchmen who have gone out to build up the British Empire. Therefore, in estimating the relative merits of Scotland and England, the matter of size or even of commercial importance should receive relatively little consideration, whereas the character and ability of the people as rulers, merchants, scientists, writers, and men of all sorts should have a predominating weight. In publishing the final results I should be glad if I might print the names of those who have contributed, but of course this must be as each individual may choose. The individual lists will not be published, and will be treated as confidential. I judge that other contributors will feel, as I do, that their classifications are of necessity so imperfect that they do not care to distribute them to the world at large. Hence, while the list of contributors will be published unless the contributors prefer otherwise, their individual opinions will be withheld. I hope, however, to publish a list showing the average rank of each country and the range of opinion between those who put it highest and those who put it lowest. Inasmuch as the plan here outlined depends upon the cooperation of many contributors, no single individual can in any respect be held responsible for features of the final map which do not meet his approval. In addition to the general list of divisions, I enclose a...