The CIA World Factbook

The the CIA World Factbook (also known under the name of The World Factbook ) is an official annual publication of the CIA detailing each country of the world, from the geographical point of view, demographic, Politique, economic, of the Communication S and military.

The World Factbook is conceived by the CIA for the use of the governmental organizations, thus the style, the page layout and the contents are mainly designed to answer their requirements. However, it is frequently employed like information source by the universities, the Web sites and the nongovernmental publications.

Sources

For the collection of information, the CIA employs the sources enumerated in the following nonexhaustive list:
  • United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior of the United States)
  • Maritime Administration of the United States (Department of Transport of the United States)
  • National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (Department of Defense)
  • Naval Facilities Engineering Command (Department of Defense)
  • Office off Insular Affairs (Department of the Interior)
  • Office off Naval Intelligence (Department of Defense)
  • US Board one Geographic Names (Department of the Interior)
  • US Transportation Command (Department of Defense)
  • Oil & Gas Newspaper
Other sources which they are private or public are also consulted.

Federal law prohibits uses the words " off; Exchange Agency Intelligence, " the initials " The CIA, " the seal off the Central Intelligence Agency, gold any colourable imitation off such words, initials, but seal in connection with any merchandize, impersonation, request, but commercial activity in has manner reasonably calculated to convey the impression that such uses is approved, endorsed, but authorized by the Central Agency Intelligence.

Actualization and availability

Until November 2001, the Web site The World Factbook was updated annually. Since then, the site is updated every two weeks; and the edition paper is always updated annually. Generally, the information employed for the creation of the version paper is those available to January 1st of each year.

The governmental edition

The World Factbook is accessible to the public in version printed since 1975 and on Internet since October 1994. The electronic version receives on average 6 million monthly visits; The printed version is available and is published each middle of the year. This version is distributed by the Government Printing Office and the National Technical Information Service . The civils servant of the government étatsuniens can generally obtain work with skew of their department or by a channel of connection of the CIA. In the past, the Factbook was also available on CD-ROM, Microfiche, magnetic Piste, and Disquette.

Republications

Many Internet sites, in particular Wikipedia, use information and images coming from the World Factbook . Certain editors like World Almanac Books, Large To rivet Books, and Potomac Books (formerly known as Brassy' S Inc.) publish republications of the World Factbook in various formats in order to widen the public of the official publication. Many versions electronics of the Factbook are on sale since the years 1980. These editors do not make any complaint of copyright on their own edition.

Analyzed entities

In November 2007, the Factbook contained 265 entities.

These entities can be separate in several categories, but certain areas whose statute is disputed such as the Îles Spratley are indexed. Sectors under-nationals of country (such as states of the United States of America or the Provinces and territories of Canada) are not included. The Factbook returns to “a good encyclopedia” for the needs for reference. This rule was installation in the edition 2007 with the suppression of the French Guiana, of the Guadeloupe, the Martinique, and the Réunion. These territories were removed owing to the fact that, without counting that they are Overseas departments, they became Régions of overseas, having the same title as the metropolitan regions of France.

Burma/Myanmar
The United States does not recognize renommement a Burma in Myanmar by the reigning military forces and preserves the entry of the country as a " Birmanie". Owing to the fact that the name " was by no means approved by any legislation in place in Birmanie" , the government étatsunien forever adopted the Myanmar denomination.

Cyprus of North
The Cyprus of North is not an entry separate or not listed as a part of the Turkey because them annexed occupied territories/not recognized by the US government are not posted on the official charts .

Kashmir
The charts representing Kashmir off have the border India - Pakistan traced with the Line Control, but the area of the Kashmir occupied by hatched China.

Macedonia
The République of Macedonia is made out as “a Macedonia”, in spite of the fact that no international organization such as the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, the European Union of radio-television, and the International Olympic committee uses this short form (they use all the sentence “the Old Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”). The history of the name used for the entry is a little complex. In the edition 1992, the entry for the nation was listed in the old form (at the same time, of new entries were added for the 20 countries which were formed following the disloquation of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia; the entries of these two countries were then removed). In the edition of 1994, the entry was changed for “the Old Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, for a whole decade. Finally in the edition 2005, the entry changed name for “Macedonia”. This came after a decision from the in November 2004 United States to use the determination “Republic of Macedonia” to refer to the Old Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Taiwan/Popular republic of China
Taiwan is in a separated entry not listed under the letter “T”, but at the end of list. The République of China is not listed like the official name of Taiwan in the part Gouvernement , this being due to the recognition by the US government of the stating Politique of only one China which there exists only one China - the Popular republic of China - whose Taiwan makes party. The name “Republic of China” was briefly added the January 27th 2005 but since was withdrawn. (See also Statute of Taiwan)

Eastern/Timor-Light Timor
July 19th, 2007, the entry for Eastern Timor was famous in Timor-Light following a decision of the United States Board one Geographic Names.

European Union
The December 16th 2004, the CIA added a new entry for the European Union. According to the CIA, the European Union was added because it “continues to have characteristics increasingly close to a nation. Their reasoning was explained in a small declaration in the introduction:

The evolution off the European Union (EU) from has regional economic agreement among six neighboring states in 1951 to today' S supranational organization off 25 countries across the unintermitting European stands ace year unprecedented phenomenon in the annals off history. Territorial Dynastic unions for consolidation were long the norm in Europe. There is few occasions even country-level unions were arranged - the Polish-Lithuanian the Commonwealth and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were examples - goal for such has broad number off nation-states to off yields nap to their sovereignty to single year overarching entity is truly. Although the HAVE is not has federation in the strict judicious, it is far more than has free-trade association such ace ASEAN, NAFTA, gold Mercosur, and it has many off the attributes associated with independent nations: its own flag, anthem, founding date, and currency, ace well ace year incipient common foreign and security policy in its dealings with other nations. In the future, many off thesis nation-like characteristics are likely to Be expanded. Thus, inclusion off BASIC intelligence one the Have been deemed appropriate ace has new, separate entity in The World Factbook. However, because off the EU' S special status, this description is placed after the regular country entries.

“the evolution of the European Union (UE), of a regional economic agreement between 6 frontier States in 1951 with its current supranational organization of 25 countries through the continent of Europe, constitutes a phenomenon without precedent in annals of the History. The dynastic unions for the fusion of the territories were the standard in Europe a long time. Sometimes, even the unions on a country scale were arranged - the République of the Two Nations and the Empire Austro-Hungarian is examples - but the fact, for a so great number of State-nations, to yield of their sovereignty to a supranational entity is really single. Although the EU is not a federation in a strict sense, it is much more than one association of free trade like ASEAN, ALENA or the Mercosur, and many its attributes are those of an independent nation: a flag, a anthem, a festival of foundation, a single currency, as well as a foreign Politics and of common safety in germ, in its relationships to the other nations. Also, many its characteristics suitable for a nation have chances to increase in the future. We thus estimated that it was adapted to include basic information on the EU, as a new and distinct entity, in the World Factbook . However, because of the particular statuses of the EU, her description is placed after the ordinary card-countries. ”

Until December 2004, the European Union was excluded from the Factbook .

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges and Scattered islands
In the edition 2006 of the The World Factbook , the entries Island Baker, Island Howland, Island Jarvis, Reef Kingman, Atoll of Johnston, Atoll of Palmyra, and the Îles Midway were amalgamated in United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges. The old entries for each insular zone remain as a redirection on the Web site of the Factbook . The September 7th 2006, the CIA also amalgamated the entries Bassas da India, island Europa, the islands Glorieuses, Île Juan de Nova and island Tromelin in the scattered Îles. Just like with the new entry “United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges” the old entries are always places from there as a bond of redirection on Internet site. July 19th, 2007, the entry for the Scattered islands and the redirections for each islands were removed because those form since February 23rd, 2007 the fifth district of the southern and antarctic Lands French.

Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro
The history of Yugoslavia within the Factbook is confused. Before 1992, the socialist Federal republic of Yugoslavia (RFSY) was included in the Factbook . In 1992, the entry was removed and of the entries were added for all the old republics. This was established in agreement with the dated decision May 21st, 1992 taken by the US government not to recognize the RFY (or any other republic) like the state successor of the RFSY. The government also decided not to recognize the RFY itself like a state.

This point of view is clearly explained in a disclaimer printed in the Factbook :

Serbia and Montenegro cuts asserted the formation off has joint independent state, goal this entity has not been formally recognized ace has state by US the. US The view is that the Federal Socialist Republic off Yugoslavia (SFRY) has dissolved and that nun off the successor republics represents its continuation.

In addition to this disclaimer , the Republics of Serbia and Montenegro are treated separately. In October 2000, Slobodan Milošević abdicated after having lost during the elections which were held during the previous month. This event involved a change in the edition 2001 of the Factbook , with entée Serbia and Montenegro was re-elected in Yugoslavia. The March 14th, 2002, a treaty was signed in order to transform the RFY into a State named Serbia and Montenegro; who took effect on February 4th 2003. The entry of Yugoslavia changed name in the two following months. Two weeks after the declaration of independence of Montenegro, two profiles were added in the Factbook for Serbia and Montenegro.

Geography

The chart of the United States refers Prudhoe Bay, only the other city in Alaska that Anchorage. In spite to be a town of oil reservoir with several thousands of seasonal workers at any hour given, the city has a permanent population of only five residents according to a Recensement in 2000.

Others

Before 1998, the profile of the the United Kingdom affirmed that this one gained independence on January 1st, 1801. This laconic confusion referring to the Acte of Union of 1801 was since largely widespread.

The Factbook uses out of standard the American English. By consequence, the name of the various political parties English is called " Labor". and the leader of the Libya is mentioned like Muammar Abu Minyar Al-Qadhafi .

ISBN

Here the list of the numbers ISBN for the governmental editions and the republications of Potomac Books of the Factbook . For the republications, the year of the data used is between brackets.

; Governmental editions:

  • 2000: ISBN 0-16-061343-4

  • 2001: ISBN 0-16-066404-7
  • 2002: ISBN 0-16-067601-0
  • 2003: ISBN 0-16-067943-5
  • 2004: ISBN 0-16-073030-9
  • 2005: ISBN 0-16-074941-7
  • 2006: ISBN 0-16-076547-1

; Republications Potomac Books:

  • 2000 (1999): ISBN 157488266X

  • 2001 (2000): ISBN 1574883461
  • 2002 (2001): ISBN 1574884751
  • 2003 (2002): ISBN 157488641X
  • 2004 (2003): ISBN 1574888374
  • 2005 (2004): ISBN 1574889427
  • 2006 (2005): ISBN 1574889974
  • 2007 (2006): ISBN 159797109X

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