Logo
Prev
Bookmark
Rotate
Print
Next
Contents
All Pages
Related Articles
Browse Issues
Help
Search
Home
'
National Geographic : 1902 Aug
Contents
PROBLEMS OF consumer on the other side of the globe, is at a great advantage over that which must send its products two or three thou sand miles by rail, before placing them upon the vessel which conveys them to the consumer. Our present all-water routes from the eastern coast to the Orient are 12,500 miles via the Suez Canal, 15,000 miles via Cape of Good Hope, and over 16,ooo miles via Cape Horn and the Pacific; or one-half the distance round the globe if via the Suez, and two-thirds the dis tance around the globe if via Cape Horn. Nevertheless, about two-thirds of our commerce with Asia and Oceania still goes across the Atlantic Ocean, rather than undergo the expense of rail trans portation to the waters of the Pacific on our own western coast. The disad- THE PACIFIC 305 vantage under which we thus labor in an attempt to compete with our Euro pean rivals for the trade with the Orient is shown in the fact that while the dis tance traversed by a vessel passing from New York to Shanghai is from 12,500 to 16,000 miles, the distance from London to Shanghai is but about 10,500 miles, an advantage to the British merchant of from 2,000 to 5,000 miles, according to the route of the vessels from New York. In spite, however, of the disadvan tage under which our merchants labor in their attempts to cultivate commer cial relations with the Orient, our actual commerce with the islands and countries of the great Pacific has grown rapidly in recent years, and more rapidly than that of any other nation. Our imports from Asia and Oceania increased from Map No. i. Principal Productions of the Countries Fronting on the Pacific (see page 307)
Links
Archive
1902 Sep
1902 Jul
Navigation
Previous Page
Next Page
