Among the nations of the early twentieth century, East Africa was one of the few with a population exceeding one hundred million. Yet East Africa's population alone was not enough to make other countries fearful. After all, many European nations had populations above ten million, and there was also a top-tier great power like Russia, with more than one hundred and fifty million people.
Russia had long maintained the largest population in Europe, but that did not mean its enormous population made other countries afraid. Industry, defense industry, economic capacity, social stability, mobilization capability, and other factors also had to be considered. If population alone determined national strength, the other European countries would have surrendered long ago.
Moreover, while the news of East Africa's population surpassing one hundred million was shocking, it was not beyond acceptance. By 1910, the United States' population had also approached one hundred million, leaving no great gap with East Africa. America's industrial strength and economic level were far stronger than East Africa's, so rather than worrying about East Africa, it was better to worry about the United States. No matter how one looked at it, America was somewhat more powerful than East Africa.
At the same time, East Africa's astonishing population figures were entirely understandable. As an immigrant nation, more than half of its population came from the Far East Empire, which could partly explain East Africa's unusual demographic situation.
The Far East Empire had long been the world's most populous nation. Even if it casually leaked a tiny fraction of its population each year, that would rival the population of a small or medium-sized country. East Africa had long taken in the Far East Empire's surplus population, so its population's rapid growth came as no surprise.
The German territories in Europe also had to