Utanian Press Agency, Release 31 May 301 AP

UPA (Utanian Press Agency)
Release: Thursday, May 31, 301 AP.

Utania's historical population estimated

When the Guwimithian Tsarist Empire began allowing immigrants into the military provinces now known as Utania, the Utani population was about five million. In the 170 years since, the Utani population has grown to 35.9 million, while the 2.6 million non-Utani immigrants who settled here between 140 and 300 AP have grown to 11 million non-Utani.

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So says the Bureau of Census Historical Projections Unit, which today issued its own results from the census and its own historical analysis of Guwimithian Dependency population surveys. The unit is tasked with analysing the current census and making adjustments to previous Dependency census results to determine the population growth since records began.

The research and analysis project has yielded excellent results says Unit Director Professor Josef Ostrakov.

"The Guwimithian data, while severely coloured by the belief in the inferiority of the Dependency peoples, is statistically sound. It details all of the immigrants that arrived in the Utanian provinces from 140 AP, right up to the installation of civilian governors in the 230s, and they then continue the excellent work."

In total, a nett 2,611,000 immigrants have come to live in Utania since 140 AP. There has, however, been two mass emigrations of non-Utani: in the 230s and 40s when civilian governors replaced the military ones, 350,000 colonists left the country, and the past two years have seen 611,000 non-Utani leave the country as independence was attained.

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The period of greatest settlement was the late second century and early third century. During the period 150 to 230 AP, 1.8 million people came to live in the "great land of prosperity". Since then, the only great burst of immigration was during the booming self-government period from 266 and 300, when 530,000 immigrants came into the country.

"Immigrants came to Utani initially to assist the Guwimithians in running it", says Professor Walter Kemble of the Luka University Department of History. "The Guwimithians may have owned the land, but they had no real interest in leaving their comfortable homes on the island to run the Dependancies, so they invited Ingallish, Liliani, Westrians, Pentians, Zartanians and others to help them manage the ever-growing Dependency farms.

"Many of the immigrants were also lucky enough to be granted land of their own, too." Professor Kemble points out that by 200 AP, there was over 2 million non-Utani living in the country, managing farms, managing transport companies to get produce to the docks, working in mining. They also established factories where thousands of non-Utani workers produced cloth, steel, cigarettes and other manufactured items.

"In those days, people considered the Utani only useful for farm work and labouring", comments Kemble with a chuckle of "isn't that ridiculous". "The economy was 90% dominated by non-Utani. No one remembered the amazing achievements of the Savaj Empire, the culture, the sciences. All they knew was that these people were not Ingallish, Liliani or Ulano-Gronkian (which includes Guwimithian), so they were inferior."

Professor Kemble says that it was only after civilian government arrived in the 30s that Utani were permitted to actively interact in the economy.

"In the 30s, the civilian governors gave business licenses to Utani to start small businesses, such as corner stores. Not to say that Utani hadn't been doing so essentially illegally beforehand, passing themselves off as non-Utani with false papers, or foreign passports. That began the period of their economic participation in the Dependencies.

"Utani had been operating corner stores and other businesses, but mostly in Utani towns. That was perfectly legal as the Governors were not interested in managing the Dependency peoples. Then, when limited self-government came in 266, Utani were further allowed to interact in the economy, and began managing some larger companies. It was during the boom of the 70s and 80s that Utani, particularly (people from the) Ujam and Nystos (tribes), became bankers, engineers, doctors in far greater number."

Yet, despite this, the non-Utani dominated the economy still, as they continue to do so. It is estimated that for every non-Utani with Û100, there is three Utani with a collective Û130, one of whom will have Û70.

Utani population resurgence

The study has found that while the Utani population now exceeds 75% of the total Utanian population, that is the first time since the 210s that this has been the case, according to Professor Ostrakov. While this demonstrates that the Utani population is dramatically growing, it is aided by the departure of an estimated 610,000 Guwimithians who fled the country last year in anticipation of Utanian independence.

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This doesn't explain the Utani population boom, however, which came as a result of self-governance and an improved medical system. Population growth amongst Utani has averaged 2.5% in the 80s and 90s, 2% in the 70s and 1.5% for the 260s.

"Utani started having more children in the 60s in response to increased prospects for their children", says Professor Kemble, "but a lack of medical skills in the rural areas stopped the increase really having much of an impact, until the 70s and 80s when the elected governments of the Horn of Olives and "Mountains" provinces provided hospitals, obstetricians and pediatricians to ordinary Utani."

"Forty years ago, at the height of non-Utani population as a proportion, there was only 15.5 million Utani, and 7.2 million non-Utani, who made up 30.7% of the population. Now, there is 35 million Utani and 11 million non-Utani. And in twenty-five years, it is estimated there will be 71.6 million Utani and 14.1 million non-Utani, and only 16.5% of the population will be non-Utani."

Professor Ostakov points out that Utani will apparently never again be less than 75% of the country. "The reign of the non-Utani here is essentially over."

Music to an Utani nationalist's ears.

Zeitgeist Magazine, this week's edition

People quoted in this article were:
Professor Josef Ostrakov, Unit Director of the Bureau of Census Historical Projections Unit. It is the release of his Unit's report that prompted this article.
Professor Walter Kemble of the Luka University Department of History.
Professor Philip Ayama of the Luka University Department of Utani Language and Culture.

First published in this week's Zeitgeist Magazine. Kindly reproduced with permission.