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In the Energy category, the Electricity access field has been updated for all countries with the latest available data. Additionally, in the Economy category, two new fields launched: Credit ratings and Ease of Doing Business Index Scores. These fields, in addition to the newly updated fields of Imports, Exports, Exchange rates, and Inflation rates for many countries, showcase the most recent business and trade environments in the world economy.

Years of wrangling were brought to a close this week when officials from Nepal and China announced that they have agreed on the height of Mount Everest. The mountain sits on the border between Nepal and Tibet (in western China), and its height changed slightly following an earthquake in 2015. The new height of 8,848.86 meters is just under a meter higher than the old figure of 8,848 meters. The World Factbook rounds the new measurement to 8,849 meters and this new height has been entered throughout the Factbook database.

Most countries have had their macroeconomic entries updated with the latest available data. The updated fields include: "GDP (purchasing power parity)," "GDP - per capita (PPP)," "GDP - real growth rate," "Labor force,"  and  "Unemployment rate."

More One-Page Country Summaries have recently been added to the site; the current total stands at 194. Additional One-Pagers are under development.

For the 60-plus countries where a "Terrorist group(s)" entry appears, a new direct link has been set up to Appendix T: Terrorist Organizations. The appendix provides details on US State Department-designated terrorist groups' aims, organization, tactics, weaponry, funding, etc.

In the Communications category, the entries for "Telephones - mobile cellular" and "Telephones - fixed lines" have been updated for all countries with the latest available data.

The "National Air Transport System" entry is a valuable indicator of economic and transportation activity. The quality of a country's air transport system is important since it binds a country together internally as well as connecting it to the wider global community. Found in the Transportation category, the "National Air Transport System" field has recently been updated for each country with the latest information regarding the number of registered air carriers, the number of fixed-wing aircraft they operate, and the numbers of passengers and amount of air cargo carried. For a more detailed description of this entry, please consult the Definitions and Notes under the Reference section of The World Factbook.

A new "Terrorist group(s)" entry - under a Terrorism category - has been added to more than 60 countries in The World Factbook. Included are 65-plus terrorist groups designated by the US State Department as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), as well as an additional 12 non-designated, self-proclaimed branches and affiliates of the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) FTO. Supplementing this basic information is a new Appendix T, focused on Terrorist Organizations, that provides details on each cited group's history, goals, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, weapons, size, and sources of support.

The World Factbook is pleased to announce the addition of charts showing urban growth rate and total population growth rate over time for all of the world's countries - as well as more than two dozen dependencies. These new graphics utilize UN data and are a collaborative effort of The World Factbook and USAID. The charts appear in every country's People and Society section, under the "Urbanization" entry.

Did you know that there are seven countries in the world whose populations exceed the staggering total of 200 million? You can quickly find out what those countries are - as well as locate all country population totals - by clicking on the References tab>Guide to Country Comparisons>People and Society>Population.

This week (4-10 October) is World Space Week, the largest annual space event in the world; this year's theme is "Satellites Improve Life." Many fascinating satellite and space station images may be found under the 'World' entry, as well as some of the ocean entries, particularly those of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans.

For each of the 55 African country entries, the "Population distribution" field that appears under both the 'Geography' and 'People and Society' categories, now has an added map link to supplement the text describing how the population is dispersed throughout the country.

Did you know that water-related rankings - the top ten longest rivers, the top ten largest lakes, as well as other interesting aquatic facts - may be found under the 'World' entry>Transportation>Waterways?

Many new photos have recently been added for the following island entities: American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

In the Communications section, the "Internet users" numbers for most countries were recently updated with the latest available data.

In the Military and Security category, the "Military and security service personnel strengths" entry was recently updated with the latest estimated numbers.

Continuing this month's cartography spotlight: Did you know that you can find multiple maps to almost a hundred countries under the References tab>Regional and World Maps>Maps at CIA? The maps usually include two, and frequently all three, of the following country maps: Administrative, Physiographic, and Transportation - in both PDF and JPG formats.

Most of the northern third of Africa is barren desert - the massive Sahara.  Did you know that much of the southern part of the continent is also desert or semidesert?  This geographic situation, and the resulting population distributions, are graphically visualized on the Africa Population Density map under the References tab>Regional and World Maps>NGA Population Distribution Maps>Africa, as well as on the accompanying individual country maps.

Did you know that the 48 contiguous United States are slightly larger than Australia, the smallest of the seven continents? Check out maps showing the relative sizes of all the continents compared to the US under the 'World' entry, Geography>"Area - comparative."

Significant numbers of new photographs have recently been added to the following Mediterranean country entries: Greece, Italy, Morocco, Spain, and Turkey.

Dozens of new telecommunications definitions have been added under the "Telecommunications systems" entry on the Definitions and Notes page (under the References tab).

Dozens of new One-Page Country Summaries have recently been added to the site bringing the total number of Summaries to 171. Additional One-Pagers are under development and should be ready soon.

The "Marine fisheries" entry, which appears in the Economy category for the five world oceans - the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern Oceans - was recently updated with the latest available data.

Substantial quantities of new photos have recently been added to the following Far East country entries: Cambodia, China, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand.

In the Communications category, the "Telecommunication systems" entry - which includes communication over distance by cable, telegraph, telephone, radio, computer (including the Internet), or broadcasting system - has been updated for all countries.

The World Factbook is proud to announce a major enhancement to its military information database. Three new fields have been added to the Military and Security category of every country that should be of value to researchers across many disciplines. The new entries are: "Military and security service personnel strengths," "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions," and "Military deployments." Explanations of exactly what data is included in each of these fields may be found on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

The World Factbook presents a couple of geographic puzzles for budding geographers to work on while at home undertaking online learning. 1. What is the greatest distance between two capitals of countries sharing a border? (Hint: the countries are in the northern hemisphere.) 2. What is the greatest distance between one national capital and the capital closest to it? (Hint: the countries are in the southern hemisphere.) Get out your world maps or globes and start measuring. The answers will appear next week on the Did You Know? page, under the About tab.

By far the two most common forms of citizenship are by birth (where one is born) or by descent (nationality of one or both parents). The World Factbook lists both of these citizenship types and whether they are used by any particular country. The Factbook also indicates whether dual citizenship is recognized by a country and what the residency requirements are before applying for naturalization in a country. The "Citizenship" entry may be found in the Government section.

In the Communications category, the "Telephone systems" field name has been adjusted to "Telecommunication systems" to better reflect its many components including various types of telephone systems, cable transmission, satellite linkage, and diverse categories of radio transmission/relay.

The "Capital" entry (under Government) is where visitors to The World Factbook will find information related to time. This placement is because the Factbook indicates the time difference in a country relative to the time observed in Washington, DC. The "Capital" entry is also where information on daylight savings time and time zones may be found.

Did you know that only about a third of all countries - and only about one-fifth of the world's inhabitants - use daylight savings time? Find more detailed information on time zones and daylight savings time under World>Government>Capital.

Did you know? In a 100-year period, a water molecule spends 98 years in the ocean, 20 months as ice, about two weeks in lakes and rivers, and less than a week in the atmosphere. Groundwater can take 50 years to just traverse 1 km (0.6 mi). Find many more fascinating geographic facts about our world and its oceans in the "Geographic overview" of the World entry.

Most US national parks have been closed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak (some outdoor spaces in certain parks, however, remain accessible to the public). Visitors to The World Factbook can safely tour dozens of famous US parks and sites - and view hundreds of photos - by visiting the United States entry and clicking on the VIEW PHOTOS icon.

The useful population pyramids that appear in the People and Society category for every country under the "Age structure" entry have been updated with the latest 2020 data. These graphics have also been modified by the US Census Bureau to make them visually more appealing and easier to comprehend.

The language and religion entries in The World Factbook's Travel Facts have all been recently updated. We encourage students at home participating in online learning to use Travel Facts, as well as The World Factbook, for their studies of geography and national customs.

The Department of State advises US citizens to avoid all international travel at this time due to the global impact of COVID-19. Please follow these links for more detailed information: World Health Organization http://www.who.int/ and/or US State Department https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel.html.

Appendix H: Strategic Materials has been updated with the latest import data.

In the People and Society category, the "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24" entry was recently updated with the latest available data for all countries.

Ranging from Andorra to Zimbabwe, a total of 35 new One-Page Country Summaries have been added to site, bringing the total number of Summaries to 141. Additional One-Pagers are under development and should be ready soon.

Did you know that the Philippines' capital of Manila derives its name from the Tagalog "may-nila" meaning "where there is indigo" and refers to the presence of indigo-yielding plants growing in the area surrounding the original settlement? The World Factbook has completed the addition of capital city name etymologies (historical origins); these descriptions appear in the "Capital" entry under the Government section.

The World Factbook has completed its Travel Facts project. Nine newly added Travel Facts - from Luxembourg, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Saint Barthelemy, San Marino, Seychelles, Slovakia, Suriname, and Vanuatu - bring the final total to 222 (193 countries and 29 dependencies). Plans are in the works to add even more useful information to Travel Facts pages in the coming months.

In the Transportation category, "Merchant marine" data has been updated with the latest available numbers for all countries that have a merchant marine.

In the Communications category, the following fields were recently updated for all countries: "Telephones - fixed lines," "Telephones - mobile cellular," and "Fixed broadband."

At 11 pm London time, midnight Central European Time, the United Kingdom completed Brexit and withdrew officially from the European Union (EU) - the first ever country to do so. The World Factbook has modified its EU entry, as well as the EU map, to reflect the changes wrought by this departure. The various People and Society updates announced last week have all been modified in the EU entry to reflect its now smaller population size.

Ranging from Albania to Vietnam, a total of 43 new One-Page Country Summaries were recently added to site, bringing the total number of Summaries to 106. Additional One-Pagers are under development and should be ready soon.

In the People and Society category, the following fields were all recently updated: "Population" (projected mid-year numbers), "Age Structure," "Median Age," "Population Growth Rate," "Birth Rate," "Death Rate," "Net Migration Rate," "Sex Ratio," "Infant Mortality Rate," "Life Expectancy," and "Total Fertility Rate." 

Luzon - the northernmost, largest, and most populous island of the Philippines - is the site of the Taal Volcano (about 60 km south of Manila, the capital, near Batangos) that began erupting on Sunday, 12 January 2020. The Taal Volcano is one of 16 volcanoes worldwide classified as a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of special study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations. Hundreds of thousands of people have so far been urged to evacuate the 17-km danger zone around the volcano.

Ten additional Travel Facts have been added to the site bringing the total number to 213. The latest lot includes seven countries (Malawi, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, and North Macedonia) and three dependencies (Guam, Montserrat, and the Northern Mariana Islands).

The canyon under Denman Glacier in Antarctica was just recently identified as being the deepest point on that continent at -3,500 meters, which also makes it the world's deepest point on land. Challenger Deep - in the Pacific Ocean's Marianas Trench at -10,924 meters - is the lowest point on the earth's surface.

Dozens more One-Page Summaries of country information are in production and will soon join the 63 that are currently available. One-Page Summaries and Travel Facts are The World Factbook's most popular new features.

Nine more Travel Facts have been added to the Factbook. This latest batch includes seven countries (Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania) and two dependencies (Faroe Islands, Isle of Man). The total number of Travel Facts is now 203.

Time zone maps are some of the most readily available maps in the world - found in almanacs, dictionaries, travel guides, and phone books - but they rarely agree in content. The World Factbook's Standard Time Zones of the World map has a reputation for accuracy that makes it one of the most widely used and reproduced time zone maps in the world. The map may be found under the References tab>Regional and World Maps>Standard Time Zones of the World.

Batches of new photos have been added to the following World Factbook entries: Canada, Faroe Islands, France, Greenland, Guernsey, Iceland, Morocco, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.

New Travel Facts have been uploaded for the following 10 countries: Kosovo, Montenegro, Mozambique, Romania, Rwanda, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan. The total number of available Travel Facts is now up to 194 destinations.

In the Government category, the "Constitution" entry for all countries has recently been widely reviewed and updated where necessary.

The fields for "Military and security forces" (formerly "Military branches") and "Military expenditures" have been updated for all countries with the latest available information.

Dozens of new photos have been added to the following country entries spanning three continents: Botswana, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Namibia, Peru, Romania, Serbia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

The latest group of 10 new Travel Facts has been uploaded. Included in this batch are eight countries - Saint Kitts and Nevis, Senegal, Serbia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan - as well as the UK crown dependency of Jersey and the US territory of Puerto Rico. The total number of countries and dependencies with Travel Facts now stands at 184.

In the People and Society category, the "Major urban areas" and "Urbanization" entries were recently updated for all countries. For the 'World' entry, under "Major urban areas," the "ten largest urban agglomerations, by continent" have been newly compiled. These rankings provide a fascinating comparison of how dramatically different in population size the largest continental urban areas are.

The following countries and entities recently had their maps updated: Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Micronesia, Palau, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Syria, Taiwan, and the European Union.

The World Factbook continues to prepare additional country Travel Facts. The latest nine countries and one dependency that have been added are: Eswatini, Guyana, Haiti, Namibia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Palau, Madagascar, Paraguay, and Guernsey. The total number of countries and dependencies with Travel Facts is now up to 174.

Did you know that the twin cities of Tegucigalpa and Comayaguela in Honduras, jointly, constitute the capital of the country? However, virtually all governmental institutions are on the Tegucigalpa side, which in practical terms makes Tegucigalpa the capital. Other countries with dual official national capital cities include: Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania. South Africa has three capital cities.

The World Factbook Staff tries to keep up with scheduled elections in every country. However, election dates sometimes get changed unexpectedly. For example, earlier this year, the Bolivian Government moved the date of its national parliamentary elections from 27 October - the same date of elections as in Argentina and Uruguay - to 20 October to ensure that Bolivians residing in those countries are able to vote at polling locations in those countries.

In the People and Society category for all countries, the former "Health Expenditures" field has been replaced with a "Current Health Expenditures" (CHE) entry that is calculated differently. An explanation of the new CHE field appears on the Definitions and Notes page, under the References tab.

Ten new Travel Facts have been added to the website. Included are nine countries (Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tonga, Uganda, Uruguay, Zimbabwe) and one dependency (Greenland). The total number of available Travel Facts has now reached 164!

In light of recent events in the Persian Gulf, The World Factbook has added a special statement to the "Maritime threats" entry (in the Military and Security category) for Iran, Oman, and the Indian Ocean that warns of dangers to commercial shipping in the waters off the Iranian coast and around the Arabian Peninsula.

Have you ever been stumped by one of the quiz questions that appeared in What's New? Have you ever wondered at how many people use The World Factbook or how the Factbook's logo developed? Answers to all of these questions and many more may be found on the Did You Know? page - under the About tab.

New Travel Facts pages for nine countries and one overseas territory - Grenada, Honduras, Hungary, Malta, Monaco, Nicaragua, Tanzania, Ukraine, Zambia, and Gibraltar - have been added to the website. The total number of entities with Travel Facts pages is now up to 154.

All of The World Factbook's Travel Facts and One-Page Country Summaries can now be accessed from two new links on the lower left of the home page. Individual country Travel Facts and One-Page Summaries will continue to be accessible from country pages. More Travel Facts - in addition to the already extensive selection - will be available soon.

In the Military category, the "Maritime Threats" field, has been updated with final 2018 numbers for all countries where seagoing piracy is a problem. Overall, there was a more than 10% increase in incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships during 2018 (201) when compared to 2017 (180). The waters off the coast of West Africa are the most dangerous in the world at present; attacks in 2018 more than doubled over 2017. Entries have been added for Benin and Ghana both of which saw significant increases in attacks when compared to recent years. Attacks off the Horn of Africa remain at very low levels, continuing the trend of the last few years. The Straits of Malacca and South China Sea remain areas of high risk of attack, as well as parts of the Sulu and Celebes Seas in the vicinity of the southern Philippines.

A fourth tranche of the ever-popular country comparison maps has been uploaded onto the site, which means that almost 85% of the world's countries are now displayed in comparison to the United States. To see the relative size of a country shown superimposed over part of the US, go to the Geography section and check under "Area – comparative" (the fifth geography entry). Eventually, all country descriptions will include these useful and celebrated maps.

While the availability of electricity has expanded rapidly over many parts of the world in the past few decades, there are still over 1 billion people worldwide that do not have access to electricity. The World Factbook recently updated all of its "Electricity access" entries with the latest available data from 2016 and 2017.

Four newly revised maps have been added to the site under the References tab>Regional and World Maps. The World Political map displays all the latest updates, including Kazakhstan's new capital, while three Americas regional maps - North America Political, Central America and the Caribbean Political, and South America Political - all now conform to the Factbook's new map style and colors.

The World Factbook is proud to unveil its new Travel Facts feature!

144 country pages - ranging from Afghanistan to Yemen - now have an embedded Travel Facts icon, which visitors can click to reveal a downloadable one-page summary of important facts to know before traveling to that country. Travel Facts include: Passport/Visa requirements, US State Dept. Travel Warnings, Vaccination Requirements, Climate, Currency, Major Languages, Religions, Time Difference, Potable Water, International Driving Permit requirement, Road Driving Side, Electricity/Voltage/Plug Type(s), Cultural Practices, Telephone Code, Local Emergency Phone Numbers, and US Embassy/Consulate Information.

Travel Facts for the remainder of the world's countries will become available in the months to come.

The latest rankings (2017) on the top "Ports" and "Airports" have been entered into the 'World' entry. The ports information lists the top 20 container ports in terms of throughput numbers, while the airports data presents the top 10 airports by total passengers and by cargo traffic (in metric tons).

The 8th Women's World Cup soccer tournament kicks off tomorrow in Paris; 24 nations will be competing in this quadrennial championship. To help familiarize visitors with the tourney participants, The World Factbook has prepared special One-Page Summaries for each of the 24 qualified finalists (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, England (United Kingdom), France, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Scotland (United Kingdom), South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United States). The One-Page Summaries may be accessed via a special link that appears in the Introduction section - at the end of the Background statement - in each of these countries. Alternatively, all 24 One-Page Summaries gathered together may be found in a link at the end of the Background statement of the 'World' entry.

Caves are an interesting and amazingly varied component of the earth's crust. The World Factbook has added Ten Cave Superlatives to its 'World' entry (under Geography>Terrain) to help you get a feel for the diversity of caves. Check it out and enjoy.

Can you name the five countries that have one-syllable names? Hint: they begin with the initials C, F, G, L, and S.

Although The World Factbook no longer appears in a printed format, annual editions - from 2000 onward - are available online and may be accessed on this site by two pathways. Visitors can click on THE WORLD FACTBOOK ARCHIVE in the upper right portion of any page on the website. Alternatively, the ARCHIVE may be accessed by visiting the Gallery of Covers, under the References tab, and clicking on any of the years that appear highlighted in blue.

For the first time in over a decade, a new appendix has been added to The World Factbook. Appendix H: Strategic Materials lists all of the compounds, metals, non-metals, and rare earth elements deemed to be of critical importance to US national security. The appendix consolidates much of the information that already appears in individual country 'natural resources' and 'economy' entries into a convenient one-stop source. Additionally, much supplementary data is included.

Last year the CIA's sister agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), produced a very well-received Africa Atlas. In the spirit of inter-agency cooperation, the NGA has allowed most of the maps from that Atlas to be used on The World Factbook's website. They were recently added and may be found under the References tab>Regional and World Maps. Click on either of the icons for NGA Africa Country Maps or NGA Africa Population Distribution Maps to view them.

The Antarctica entry has been extensively updated with information provided by the Department of State's Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Afffairs (OES). Included are the latest available figures on deployed staff at Antarctic field stations, and information on Antarctic governance (treaty updates), economic activities (fishing and tourism), natural resources, and environmental issues.

Did you know that despite Madagascar's close proximity to the African continent, ocean currents isolate the island (the world's fourth largest) resulting in high rates of endemic plant and animal species. Approximately 90% of the flora and fauna on the island are found nowhere else on earth. Just recently, five new miniaturized frog species were discovered, the largest of which can sit on a thumbnail with room to spare and the smallest of which is about the size of a grain of rice.

In response to the US recognition of Israel's claim to the Golan Heights on 25 March 2019, The World Factbook has updated all of its maps that show that portion of the Middle East.

The east central African country of Burundi recently announced that it would make Gitega the political capital of the country, while Bujumbura, the former capital, would remain its economic capital. All branches of the government are expected to have moved from Bujumbura to Gitega by 2021. Gitega had been the capital of the Kingdom of Burundi up to 1966, when the country became a republic.

In the People and Society category, "Age structure" field, the accompanying Population Pyramid has been updated for every country with the latest estimated numbers for 2018.

On 20 March 2019, Kazakhstan changed the name of its capital city from Astana to Nur-Sultan in honor of its long-serving, recently retired president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. This is not the first time the city has had its name changed. Founded in 1830 as Akmoly, it became Akmolinsk in 1832, Tselinograd in 1961, Akmola in 1992, and Astana in 1998.

In the Economy section for the five world oceans - the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern Oceans - a new "Marine fisheries" entry has been added that lists and describes the major fishing regions, the total tonnage caught, as well as the principal fish catches.

Where is the Kalahari Desert? You can find out by going to the Appendices tab>Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names. Under the ‘K’ entries you’ll discover the answer.

Have you ever wondered where the hottest, coldest, driest, or wettest places in the world were located? Look no further than the World>Geography>"Climate" entry to find out. New subfields for the earth's ten driest, wettest, coldest, and hottest locales were recently added.

The World Factbook has added seven new continent area comparison maps to its 'World' entry under "Area - comparative." Each of these interesting maps compares the United States to one of the world's seven continents. Check them out, the relative sizes of the land areas may surprise you.

The Bosporus is one of the world's most strategic waterways; it is the strait that separates Europe to the west from Asia to the east. Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), one of the great historic cities of the world, straddles the Bosporus; it is the only metropolis in the world located on two continents. Can you identify the two bodies of water that the Bosporus connects? Consulting the map of Turkey will reveal the answer.

Greece and its northern neighbor Macedonia recently resolved a nearly-three-decade-old naming dispute in which both countries claimed historical rights to the name "Macedonia." The Republic of Macedonia agreed to change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia and this renaming was officially promulgated on 12 February 2019. The World Factbook will incorporate the new name throughout its database after the US State Department receives an official diplomatic notification from the Macedonian Government and after the name has been approved by the US Board on Geographic Names - all of which should take place within the next few days.

Other country name changes of the 21st century include last year's name change of Swaziland to Eswatini, the Czech Republic adopting the short-form name of Czechia in 2016, Cape Verde formalizing the Portuguese use of its name Cabo Verde for all official purposes in 2013, and East Timor adopting the name of Timor-Leste shortly after attaining independence in 2002.

Where is Tasmania? To find out, go to the Appendices tab>Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names. Under the ‘T’ entries you’ll discover the answer.

The "Area - rankings" field in the World>Geography category contains many Top Ten rankings. Recently, listings for the Top Ten largest forested countries, the Top Ten most densely forested countries, and the Top Ten largest deserts were added to this field. Check it out.

Lake Victoria, the world's largest tropical lake and the second largest fresh water lake, is shared among three countries. Can you name them? Consulting one of the Africa maps under the References tab>Regional and World Maps will provide the answer.

The Yucatan Peninsula is a huge land body extending north from Central America that divides the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea; it is shared by three countries. Can you name them? Various maps under the References tab will help you determine the answer.

These additional six common words - pains, plane, pure, rain, regalia, serial - can also be unscrambled to form the name of a country. How did you do?

Each of following six common words - also, chain, enemy, laity, mail, moan - can be unscrambled to form the name of a country. Did you get them all?

Although the three island groups that make up the Pacific nation of Kiribati only have a land area of 811 sq km, their 32 coral reefs and one coral island are dispersed across 3.5 million sq km of ocean and fall on both sides of the Equator and the 180th meridian. Kiribati thus is the only country in the world to fall into all four hemispheres (northern, southern, eastern, and western).

Did you know that Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean is the most remote island in the world (the farthest from any other point of land)? A territory of Norway, the island is 1,639 km (1,019 mi) from Antarctica.

There are 11 countries whose names begin with an 'A'; all but two of them also end with an 'A'. Can you name the two 'A' countries that don't end with an 'A'?

All of the Energy numbers, including those for "Electricity," "Crude oil," "Refined petroleum products," "Natural gas," and "Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy," have been updated with the latest data available.

The number of countries by continent varies greatly. Africa has the most with 54; South America only has 12. To find out how many countries compose the other four inhabited continents (Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania), and which countries appear on what continent, visit the 'World' entry and go to the Geography category>countries by continent.

While a number of countries around the world celebrate harvest festivals, several observe a special Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving in the United States takes place on the fourth Thursday of November and typically includes a turkey dinner, with lots of trimmings. Liberia, an African country settled by freed American slaves beginning in 1822, adopted a number of American customs including Thanksgiving. In Liberia, Thanksgiving celebrations occur on the first Thursday of November and the repast consists of roasted chicken, accompanied by mashed cassavas and green bean casserole.

Most maritime commercial cargo is containerized, and the distribution of container ports is a useful indicator of world maritime trade. The "Ports and terminals" entry in the Transportation section of the World entry has been updated to reflect the latest statistics on world container traffic. This entry includes the 20 largest container ports in the world as measured by the throughput of "Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units" or TEUs, twenty feet being the standard measurement of a cargo container. In addition, major container ports are listed in individual country entries with their respective throughput. Of the 20 largest container ports in the world, 15 are in East Asia, 3 in Europe, 1 in North America, and 1 in the Middle East.

This Sunday, 11 November 2018, marks the centenary of the end of World War I. At 0510 on 11 November 1918 on a railroad siding in the Forest of Compiègne in northern France, the German delegation signed the terms of the armistice that ended the fighting at exactly 1100 on that day. When the United States entered the deadlocked conflict on 6 April 1917, the US Army numbered 127,151 soldiers, 19 months later, on 11 November 1918, the US military numbered 4.7 million and about 10,000 US soldiers were arriving daily in France. It was their numbers, as well as US materiel and capital, that proved crucial in enabling the final Allied victory.

In the Government section, "Legislative branch" field, the 'election results' entry has been expanded for all European countries with the addition of text describing 'composition,' which tallies the number of men and women and the percent of women in unicameral and bicameral legislatures. The total percent of women in bicameral legislatures is included as a note at the end of lower chamber composition data. In coming weeks, composition data will be added for countries in other parts of the world.

Did you know that The Sudd is a vast swamp in the north central region of South Sudan in Africa? Formed by the White Nile, its size varies but can reach some 15% of the country's total area during the rainy season, making it is one of the world's largest wetlands.

There are about a dozen countries in the world that have two capitals, but only one has three. Can you name this African country, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations?

The Black Sea, which lies between Europe and Asia, is bordered by six countries. Can you name them? Check your answer by consulting any one of a number of maps under the References tab.

In the Military category, the "Maritime threats" entry, which covers seagoing piracy, was recently updated for all countries where these threats exist.

In the Communications category, a new "Broadband – fixed subscriptions" field was recently added for all countries. Additionally, the data for "Telephones – fixed lines" and "Telephones – mobile cellular" has been updated.

The "Constitution" entries under the Government category for all Western Hemisphere countries have been expanded with the inclusion of a summary description of the procedure for amending a country’s constitution. Expanded "Constitution" entries are now complete for all of the world’s nations.

This island country flies the world's only national flag that consists solely of four horizontal color bands (many countries have three bands, some have five). Can you name this Indian Ocean country?

This large island in the Indian Ocean supports a unique biota; about 90% of its plants and animals are found nowhere else on earth. Can you name this island – the world’s fourth largest – which is also a country?

Forty newly commissioned area comparison maps have been added to the website, meaning that most major countries of the world now are displayed in comparison to the United States. To see the relative size of a country shown superimposed over part of the US, go to the Geography section and check under “Area – comparative” (the fifth geography entry). Eventually, all country descriptions will include these useful and popular maps.

The Channel Islands, an archipelago in the British Channel off the coast of France, are composed of two crown dependencies. Can you name them? The answer may be found in Appendix F: Cross Reference List of Geographic names.

In the Economy category, the fields for “GDP (purchasing power parity),” “GDP (official exchange rate),” “GDP-real growth rate,” “GDP-per capita,” “Inflation rate,” “Public debt,” “Current account balance,” and “Gross national savings” were all recently updated.

Although Portugal is a small European country, it includes two prominent Atlantic archipelagos. Can you name them? Hint: Consulting any of The World Factbook’s World or Africa maps will quickly reveal the answer.

Did you know that the earth has two massive ice sheets, one in Antarctica, the other in Greenland. The former, which covers 98% of the Antarctic continent, is the largest single mass of ice on the earth covering an area of 14 million square kilometers (5.4 million square miles). Check the References tab>Regional and World Maps to peruse various maps that show the extent of the ice sheets

Did you know that there are four countries that make up the Horn of Africa, the eastern part of the continent that sticks out into the Indian Ocean? They are Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti (the initials spell SEED). The Horn designation is derived from its shape being reminiscent of a rhinoceros horn. Check out the Africa maps under the References tab>Regional and World Maps to see for yourself.

The World Factbook Archives have been expanded and now include all the editions from 2000 to 2017. The Archives may be accessed by clicking on “Download Publication” in the upper right corner of the home page.

Newly redesigned special one-page country Summaries for the World Cup finalists – Croatia and France – may be found at the end of the introductory Background statement for those two countries. The Summaries highlight key World Cup information in addition to selected facts from The World Factbook.

Special World Cup one-page country Summaries are available for the eight countries that have reached the quarter finals of the 2018 World Cup soccer tournament – Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, England (United Kingdom), France, Russia, Sweden, Uruguay. Located at the end of the introductory Background statement for each of those countries, the Summaries highlight key World Cup information in addition to selected facts from World Factbook entries.

Which of these countries – Belgium, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Serbia, or Switzerland – is the smallest participating in the World Cup tournament (by area)? Find the answer by going to the References tab and clicking on the Guide to Country Comparisons>Geography>Area.

The five African nations competing at the ongoing soccer World Cup tournament in Russia – Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia – include two of the world’s most populous countries and three others with residents in excess of 11 million. You can rank these countries by population (along with all of the world’s nations) by going to the References tab and clicking on the Guide to Country Comparisons>People and Society>Population.

The World Factbook is pleased to announce the addition of one-page country Summaries to its site. Links to 10 selected country Summaries – those of Afghanistan, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, North Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States – may be found at the end of the introductory Background statement for each of those countries. The Summaries highlight key information from lengthier World Factbook entries and should be of use to teachers, students, travelers, researchers, news reporters, or anyone with an interest in geography. Summaries will be periodically updated and new country Summaries will be forthcoming in coming weeks – initially focusing on some of the countries participating in the soccer World Cup.

In the People and Society category, “Urbanization” field, both of the subfields - for ‘urban population’ and ‘rate of urbanization’ - were recently updated for all countries.

On 18 April 2018, the king of Swaziland announced his intention to change the internationally used name of his country to more closely reflect the Swazi-language form of the name. The decision came into force the following day. On 11 May 2018, the Government of Swaziland published a gazette officially changing the name from Kingdom of Swaziland to Kingdom of Eswatini (long form) or just Eswatini (short form). On 25 May 2018, the US Board on Geographic Names – Foreign Names Committee voted to approve the changes and they have now been incorporated into The World Factbook.

Many national flags exhibit either numerous stars or merely one star in their design. There are only four countries that prominently display just two stars on their flag. Can you identify them? Consult the References tab>Flags of the World to determine the answer. Hint: Three of the four countries all begin with the same letter of the alphabet.

On Friday 4 May 2018 at 11:30 pm (23:30 hours), North Korea turned its clocks forward one-half hour to Saturday 5 May 12:00 midnight to align its time zone with that in South Korea. This time difference is 9 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC; formerly Greenwich Mean Time) and 14 hours ahead of Washington, DC. Time differences for every country in The World Factbook may be found in the Government category, “Capital” entry.

Although most of the length of the Amazon River passes through Brazil, that country is not the ultimate source of that river. Can you name the country where the Amazon originates? Hint: You can determine the answer by consulting either of the South America maps under the References tab>Regional and World Maps.

After almost six decades of rule by the Castro brothers – first Fidel and then Raul – Cuba on April 19th installed a new president, Miguel Diaz-Canel. Check the Government section, "Executive branch" entry to see other recently inaugurated or newly elected presidents including those of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Botswana, Costa Rica, Montenegro, Paraguay, and Sierra Leone.

Sunday April 22 will mark Earth Day, which was “born” in the United States in 1970 and is now observed in virtually every country on earth (192 of 195 countries by last count). Planet earth was “born” a very long time ago, see the “Geography – note” in the World entry to find out just how old the earth is. While in the World entry, check out the “Geographic overview” to learn a lot of additional fun facts about the earth.

This week is National Library Week. One of the largest and most famous libraries in the ancient world was the Great Library of Alexandria in Egypt (founded about 295 B.C., it may have survived in some form into the 5th century A.D.). The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, an Egyptian National Library established in 2002 on the site of the original Great Library, commemorates the original archive and cultural center. Consult the map of Egypt to find the location of Alexandria. Note that it is not on the Nile River as many other major Egyptian cities are. Can you think why the ancients may have wanted to set up the library where they did?

The ongoing National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC commemorates Japan’s friendship gift of 3,020 cherry trees to the US in 1912 – and provides an opportunity for a Japan-related query. Japan is composed of four main Home Islands and 6,848 smaller islands and islets. Can you name the Home Islands? The answer may be found in the Japan entry by checking the Japan map or the Geography – note.

The Gulf of Tonkin in Southeast Asia borders what countries? A. Cambodia, B. China, C. Vietnam, D. Both A & C, or E. Both B & C. Find the answer by checking the References tab>Regional and World Maps>Southeast Asia map(s).

The Baltic Sea, an extension of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Europe, is bordered by nine countries. Can you name them? Consult the References tab>Regional and World Maps>Europe to identify them.

South America only has two landlocked countries. Can you name them? Check the References tab>Regional and World Maps>South America to come up with the answer.

Africa has the most countries (54) of any continent; 16 of these countries (30%) are landlocked. Can you name them? Refer to the References tab>Regional and World Maps>Africa to see if you can find them all.

There is an amazing diversity of “fascinating facts at your fingertips” available in The World Factbook, here are some examples. The height of a horse is measured in hands. How wide is a hand - in either centimeters or inches? Find the answer in Appendix G: Weights and Measures. Which country produces more electricity, India or Russia? Locate the answer under the References tab>Guide to Country Comparisons>Energy>Electricity Production. Where are the next Summer Olympics to be held? See Appendix B: International Organizations and Groups>International Olympic Committee.

The Arabian Peninsula is composed of seven countries entirely and parts of two others; it occupies about 3.2 million square kilometers and is often cited as the world's largest peninsula. Can you name its seven constituent parts? (Note that one of the seven countries is an offshore archipelago linked to the peninsula by a causeway.) The Middle East maps – under the References tab>Regional and World Maps – will provide the answer.

The Southern Cross constellation (also known as Crux) is a group of four bright stars in the southern sky; it is distinctly displayed on the national flags of five Southern Hemisphere countries. In the flag of Brazil, it appears centered within a spray of stars and can be overlooked. However, on the flags of the other four countries the constellation makes up a conspicuous part of the design. Can you name the four additional countries that carry the Southern Cross? Check the Flags of the World page under the References tab to find the answers. Hint: The countries all fall within, or border on, the South Pacific Ocean.

Expansion of the "Constitution" entry under the 'Government' category continues with the inclusion of a summary description of the procedure for amending a country's constitution. Expanded entries are now available for countries in East Asia and the Pacific region as well as the previously completed entries for African, European, Middle Eastern, and South and Central Asian countries. In coming weeks, amending procedures will be added for Western Hemisphere countries.

If the temperature in the West African city of Dakar is 98 degrees Fahrenheit, what is this in degrees Celsius? See Appendix G: Weights and Measures to find out how to convert from degrees Fahrenheit to degrees Celsius or vice versa. Then check out one of the Africa maps (under the References tab>Regional and World Maps) to find out what country Dakar is the capital of.

In the economy and energy categories, all of the data have been updated through 2017, or through the most recent year for which data are available

This landlocked country – one of two in South America – holds the record for the most official languages. According to its 2009 constitution, it has 37 official languages (Spanish plus 36 indigenous languages). Check the appropriate "Language" entries to determine the name of the country.

Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake and the world's second-largest freshwater lake, after North America's Lake Superior. It is also one of the sources of the Nile River. The lake is divided among three countries. Can you name them? Check any of the Africa maps under the References tab to come up with the answer.

No less than five African countries have at least two national capitals (usually one serves as an administrative capital while the other seats the legislature). The countries are: Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, South Africa, Swaziland, and Tanzania. Check the "Capital" entry (under Government) for each of these countries to learn the names of the dual (and in one case triple) capital cities.

This country - the world's only grand duchy - was the smallest of six European states that in 1957 signed the Treaty of Rome creating the European Economic Community (EEC), the forerunner to the current European Union (EU). Can you name it? Check the European Union entry to determine the answer

In the Transportation section, the "Merchant marine" entries have been revamped and are current through 2017. The entries for each country now list the total number of ships and the major types: bulk carrier, container, general cargo, oil tanker, and other.

A new and final set of "Population distribution" fields - describing the dispersion of the populace within a country - has been included for all of the countries of the Pacific Realm under both the 'Geography' and 'People & Society' categories.

Kolonia is the former capital of what country? Find the answer by going to the References > Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names and clicking on "K".

In the People and Society section, the following health and development fields were recently updated: "Children under the age of 5 years underweight", "Contraceptive prevalence rate", "Obesity – adult prevalence rate", and "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24".

Only two countries have as many as six main colors in their flags (red, white, black, yellow, green, and blue). Can you name them? Check the flag images under References>Flags of the World. Hint – they are both African countries.

In the Economy category, data for GDP, inflation, unemployment, and current account balance were updated with the most recent data available.

The island state of Dominica in the eastern Caribbean lies in the middle of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles. Sixteen volcanoes make up this arc and five are located on Dominica alone, more than any other island in the Caribbean. The volcanic features of Dominica include the geo-thermally active areas of the Valley of Desolation and Boiling Lake that are popular tourist destinations. The fertile volcanic soils of Dominica support the most extensive tropical rainforests in the Caribbean and an abundant agricultural sector. In September 2017, Hurricane Maria passed over Dominica and the high winds and rain severely damaged vegetation and crops. For more information on volcanism in the Lesser Antilles, see the "Natural hazards" entry for Dominica and the other islands of the Lesser Antilles including: Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada.

The South Atlantic island of Saint Helena - a British Overseas Territory - is one of the most remote populated places in the world and had always previously been resupplied by a ship arriving every three weeks. Regularly scheduled commercial flights to the historic and scenic island began on 14 October 2017. Find out more about this island - the site of Napoleon's exile - in The World Factbook's Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and Tristan da Cunha entry.

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season has proven to be more active and destructive than in recent years, particularly to many of the Caribbean islands and the southern US. Summaries of some of the damage inflicted may be found in the Background statements of the following Caribbean islands: British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Dominica, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos, and the Virgin Islands.

Updated information on piracy - reflecting reporting from 2016 and the first half of 2017 - may now be found in a new "Maritime threats" field in the Military and Security category. (Formerly this information was included in a note in the Transportation category.) Reported incidents of piracy and robbery against ships continued to decline in 2016, decreasing 22% over reports for 2015 and dropping to levels not seen in nearly two decades. The overall threat from maritime piracy is addressed in the World "Maritime threats" entry. Separate detailed "Maritime threats" entries may be found for many of the countries bordering the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden; the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa; the Straits of Malacca and the South China and Sulu Seas in Southeast Asia; and some of the waters off South Asia and western South America.

The world's longest rivers are listed in the 'World' entry under Transportation>Waterways. Two of the Top Ten rivers - the Nile and the Congo - are in Africa, but it is the latter that is the world's deepest. Find out more details by checking the "Geography - note" under the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Monday 18 September 2017 marks the 70th anniversary of the CIA. The Factbook was created as an annual summary and update to previous classified collections of world facts. The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962 and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the public and the 1981 edition was renamed The World Factbook. More details about the evolution of The World Factbook may be found on the History page under the About tab.

A new set of "Population distribution" fields - describing the dispersion of the populace within a country - has been included for all of the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa under both the 'Geography' and 'People & Society' categories. The countries of the Western Hemisphere, Europe, North Africa, and Asia were previously introduced; additional areas of the world will be added in coming weeks.

According to the latest figures, both China and the United States have three of the world's 10 busiest passenger airports. The US also has three of the world's 10 largest air cargo hubs. See which airports are the leaders by passengers and by cargo in the 'World' entry under Transportation>Airports.

This island – the sixth largest in the world – is also the largest island that is entirely in Indonesia. Can you name it? Find the answer by checking the World entry and clicking on Geography>Area - comparative>ten largest islands. Or, just check the map in the Indonesia entry and determine which island is the largest that is not shared with any other country.

There are 195 countries listed in The World Factbook. How many of them are members of the United Nations? Locate the answer in Appendix B: International Organizations and Groups.

The "Military expenditures" (as a percent of GDP) entry has been updated to include 2016 data for most countries of the world.

This western Pacific island, a territory of the United States, lies about two thirds of the way from Hawaii to the east and the Northern Mariana Islands to the west. The island is administered by the US Air Force, which uses it as a mid-Pacific refueling stop and as an emergency landing area. Can you name this important US possession? Consult the political or physical Oceania maps (under the References tab>Regional and World Maps) to determine the answer.

If it's 3pm in the US capital of Washington, DC, what time is it in Japan's principal city of Tokyo? The answer can be found in two different ways. First, by going to the Government section of the Japan entry and checking out the "Capital" entry. One of the subfields lists the 'time difference' between the capitals. The other way of finding the answer is to consult the Standard Time Zones of the World map under the References tab>Regional and World Maps.

The present-day cities of Chennai and Mumbai are located in a country that was once considered the "Jewel in the Crown" of the British Empire. Can you name the country and the former names of the two cities? Find the answers in Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names.

This island was once inhabited by pirates and has gone by various names over the centuries including: Isla de Cotorras (Isle of Parrots), Isla de Tesoros (Treasure Island), Isla de Pinos (Isle of Pines), and since 1978 Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth). Can you name the country that owns the island and where it is located? Consult Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names (under the letter 'J') to come up with the answers.

Expansion of the "Constitution" entry under the 'Government' category continues with the inclusion of a summary description of the procedure for amending a country's constitution. Expanded entries are now available for the African countries as well as the previously completed entries for the European, Middle Eastern, and South and Central Asian countries. In coming weeks, amending procedures will be added for the remaining regions of the world.

The Red Sea, which forms the western shore of the Arabian Peninsula, is one of the world's saltiest bodies of water due to high rates of evaporation. Can you name the eight countries that border the Red Sea? Locate the answers by consulting the political map of the Middle East under the References tab>Regional and World Maps. (Note that the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba are both part of the Red Sea.)

All of the Economy data and Economic Overview discussions covering the period through yearend 2016 have been updated for all countries with the most recent information available.

The "Military expenditures" (as a percent of GDP) entry was recently updated and now includes data at least up to 2015 for as many countries as possible.

A new set of "Population distribution" fields - describing the dispersion of the populace within a country - has been included for all of the countries of South and Southeast Asia under both the 'Geography' and 'People & Society' categories. The countries of the Western Hemisphere, Europe, North Africa, Central Asia, and Southwest Asia were previously introduced; additional areas of the world will be added in coming weeks.

The World Factbook continues to expand the "Constitution" entry under the 'Government' category, with the addition of a summary description of the procedure for amending a country's constitution. This expanded entry is now available for the Middle Eastern and the South and Central Asian countries, and for the previously completed European countries. In coming weeks, amending procedures will be added for the remaining regions of the world.

About 90% of the population is located in the middle third of this South American country around its capital of Santiago (the northern third is mostly desert, while the southern third is mountainous and breaks up into a series of archipelagos). Can you name the country? Check the physical map of South America under the References tab>Regional and World Maps if you need help.

This country is considered to be the smallest on the continent of Asia. Its distinctive flag depicts a cedar tree, a national symbol dating back to Biblical times. Can you name the country?

The world's highest navigable lake lies in the central portion of the Andes mountain chain of South America and is divided between two countries. Can you name the lake - South America's largest - and the two countries that share it? Locate the answers by consulting the physical map of South America under the References tab>Regional and World Maps.

The island of Borneo - the third-largest island in the world - lies in the far western part of the Pacific Ocean and is politically divided among three countries. Can you name them? Find the answer by consulting any one of a number of maps under the References tab, including maps of Asia, Southeast Asia, or the World. Or, you can visit the World entry, Geography category, 'Area - comparative' field and find the listing of the Top Ten Largest Islands. This field also lists the countries that govern these islands, as well as the islands' size in square kilometers.

The islands that make up this Caribbean country refer to themselves as the "Gems of the Antilles." Can you name them? Hint: the distinctive tricolor flag of the country displays three diamonds (representing gems).

What country has the world's highest life expectancy at birth? Find out the surprising answer by checking the Guide to Country Comparisons page under the References tab, then clicking on People and Society>Life expectancy at birth.

An exclave is a distinct territorial unit that is politically part of a larger country but not physically attached to it because of surrounding foreign territory. Angola has an exclave that is surrounded by both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. Can you name this distinctive northern Angolan province? Locate the answer on the map of Africa (References tab>Regional and World Maps>Political Africa PDF).

The Laccadive Sea is part of what ocean? Find the answer in Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names. Then go to the References tab>Regional and World Maps to locate a map showing the exact location of the sea.

The World Factbook's "World" entry contains a wealth of fascinating and useful information - including many Top Tens - not found in a typical country entry. For example, the world's ten highest mountains (measured from sea level) are all in Asia but are located in just four countries. Find out what these countries are, as well as the names of the highest mountains, by going to World>Geography>Elevation. Be sure to check out the accompanying "note" to find out how these ten mountains are dwarfed by an even greater colossus.

There are no less than 21 independent countries that have coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea. Can you name them all? Consulting the 'Africa,' 'Europe,' and 'Middle East' maps under the Regional and World Maps section of the References tab will allow you to come up with the listing. Hint: Don't forget island countries.

This South Asian island country has gone by many names in its past including Serendib and Ceylon. Do you know its present designation? Check the Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names (Appendix F) if you need help.

This archipelago in the Indian Ocean - consisting of 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls - is the smallest independent country in Asia by both land and population. (Spread over 90,000 sq km of ocean, its land area is only 298 sq km.) Can you name this country? Hint: Checking the Guide to Country Comparisons>Geography>Area will lead you to the answer.

Most of the world's countries (some 97%) belong to a little-known but very important organization known as the UPU. Do you know what the initials stand for? Find the answer under Appendix B, International Organizations and Groups.

The Kingdom of Denmark, one of the smallest countries on the European continent, is also composed of two overseas island components. Can you name them? Consult the regional map of Europe (References tab>Regional and World Maps>Political Europe) to determine the answer.

The fields in both the Economy and Energy categories for all countries were recently updated with the latest available data.

One might expect Indonesia - with its 13,466 islands - to be the country with the world's longest coastline, but it actually comes in a distant second to another country far to its north with more (and in many cases far larger) islands. Can you name this country? Consult the Political World map under the References tab to determine the answer.

The World Factbook is pleased to present the expansion of the "Constitution" entry under the Government category, with the addition of a summary description of the procedure for amending a country's constitution. This entry, now available for the European countries, includes two subentries: history, which includes information on the previous and current constitution; and amendments, which describes the constitution-amending procedure, and the dates of the previous and latest amendments. In coming weeks, amending procedures will be added for other regions of the world.

The simplest flag types are those that consist of two horizontal bands of color - and nothing else. Four countries have such banners. Can you name them? Consult the Flags of the World under the references tab to help you determine the answer.

Do you know what the initials FAO stand for? Look under the References tab, Appendix A: Abbreviations to find out. Then go to Appendix B: International Organizations and Groups to get more information about this agency.

Not many people realize it, but nine of the world's 25 largest countries by land area are in Africa; they are (in alphabetical order) Algeria, Angola, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Mali, Niger, South Africa, and Sudan. Can you sort these countries by decreasing size? Using the Africa map (under the References tab>Regional and World Maps) and the Guide to Country Comparisons (also under the References tab) will allow you to come up with the correct order.

A new set of "Population distribution" fields - describing the dispersion of the populace within a country - has been included for all of the countries of North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia under both the 'Geography' and 'People & Society' categories. The countries of the Western Hemisphere and the continent of Europe were previously introduced; additional areas of the world will be added in coming weeks.

GDP statistics and other economic indicators have been revised to reflect the best estimates currently available.

The data for the various Energy fields have been revised to reflect the best estimates currently available.

The Transportation section now includes two new fields related to a country's air transport program. The lead-off entry "National air transport system" has subdivisions on the number of air carriers registered in a country and the number of aircraft they operate, as well as the number of passengers and the amount of freight they carry in a given year. The other new field, "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix," describes the codes displayed on civil aircraft to identify nationality.

A "Population distribution" field - describing the dispersion of the populace within a country - has been introduced for all of the countries of Europe under both the 'Geography' and 'People & Society' categories. The countries of the Western Hemisphere were previously introduced; other areas of the world will be added in coming weeks.

The statistics for the "Market value of publicly traded shares" have been updated to reflect new information through 2015. Most of the macro economic data have been updated as well.

In the People and Society section, a "Demographic profile" field has been added to all 56 countries making up the African continent and its surrounding islands. This entry provides a snapshot of the demographic features and trends within a country and how they vary among regional, ethnic, and socioeconomic sub-populations. Some of the topics addressed are population age structure, fertility, health, mortality, poverty, education, and migration. Countries previously introduced were those of Central and South America. Future profiles will include other regions of the world.

There are dozens of monarchies around the world, but only one located in Polynesia in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Can you name this archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited) east of Fiji?

All of the "Judicial branch" entries were recently reviewed and many were updated to reflect new information including the establishment of new courts, the expansion of existing courts, and changes to court system administration and policy.

The World Factbook is delighted to present a new "Electricity access" field summarizing the extent of access to electricity for a country's population as a whole, as well as for urban and rural populations. The new entry may be found leading off the Energy section.

Various health and education fields in the People and Society section were recently updated, including data for HIV/AIDS, "Health expenditures," "Hospital bed density," "Children under 5 underweight," "Education expenditures," and "School life expectancy."

The World Factbook is pleased to announce a new "Population distribution" entry describing the dispersion of the populace within a country. This new field will appear in both the Geography section (after "Irrigated land") and in the People and Society section (after "Net migration rate"). This week's installment includes all of the countries of the Western Hemisphere. Additional areas of the world will be added in the coming weeks.

The Tuamotu islands are found in what ocean? Check Appendix F, Cross Reference List of Geographic Names, under the Appendices tab, to help you determine the answer.

In May of this year Venezuela moved its clocks forward by 30 minutes to help save on energy consumption. The World Factbook recently updated its time zone entries - found in the Government category under "Capital" - to reflect all time zone changes throughout the world.

The Mona Passage is a body of water between what two major Caribbean political entities? Find the answer on the Central America and the Caribbean map under the References tab.

Brazil, which is hosting the Summer Olympic Games for the next two weeks, is one of three South American countries that straddles the Equator. Can you name the other two?

In the Communications category, the "Telephones - fixed lines," "Telephones - mobile cellular," and "Internet users" entries were all recently updated with the latest available estimates.

A country modifying its name does not occur very often but it did happen recently. Following UN and US State Department notification, the Czech Republic officially changed its English short-form name to Czechia as of 1 July 2016. Where appropriate, this change has been entered into The World Factbook database.

Panama is a long, winding country at the southern end of North America that is bisected by the Panama Canal linking the Caribbean Sea, to the country's north, with the Pacific Ocean, to its south. A recently completed nine-year expansion effort more than doubled the Canal's capacity. Can you name the North American country that borders Panama on its west, and the South American country that lies to its east?

The Danube, Europe's second longest river, flows through four national capitals. Can you name them? Consulting the regional map of Europe under the References tab will provide the answer.

In the Economy category, the statistics for "GDP," "GDP per capita," "Gross national saving," "Inflation rate," and "Current account balance" were recently updated to reflect the best information available.

This month's concluding ocean-related question. The capital city of Malabo lies on the island of Bioko in what ocean? Check Appendix F, Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names under the Appendices tab to help determine the answer.

Another ocean-related quiz question. The Line Islands are found in what ocean? Check Appendix F, Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names under the Appendices tab to determine the answer.

Continuing this month's theme of ocean-related questions. The Andaman Sea is part of what ocean? Check Appendix F, Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names under the Appendices tab to determine the answer.

The Arctic Ocean - the world's smallest ocean - is bordered by only six countries. Can you name them? Check the Arctic Ocean entry and/or the Arctic Region map (under the References tab) to determine the answer.

Did you know that The World Factbook is a primary reference used in the National Geographic Society's Geography Bee? This year's final, featuring the 54 US state and territory champions - culled from about 2.5 million US students aged 10 to 14, was held this past week in Washington, DC.

Composed of 155 islands, this is Africa's smallest country. By far the largest island is Mahe, home to about 90% of the population and the site of its capital city of Victoria. Can you identify the country on the Africa map (under the References tab)?

Did you know that three of the world's Top Ten Largest Islands are in Canada and three are in Indonesia? To see the complete list of the ten largest islands go to the Geography section of the World listing and scroll to the "Area - comparative" entry. You will also find lots of other Top Tens scattered throughout the World description.

The US Board on Geographic Names (BGN) standardizes the spelling and usage of geographic names - foreign and domestic - throughout the US Government. (The World Factbook closely adheres to the BGN's naming conventions.) The BGN's geographers refer to a country's first order (largest) administrative units as ADM1s. For the US, these would be the 50 states and 1 district. In Canada, the ADM1s are the 10 provinces and 3 territories. There is one Central European country, however, that according to the BGN has 212 ADM1s - referred to as municipalities. This total is easily the largest for any nation in the world. You can determine what country this is by checking out the "Administrative divisions" entry (under Government) for the various countries of Central Europe.

The Kalahari Desert covers a considerable part of this southern African country formerly known as Bechuanaland. Can you name the country? The physical map of Africa under the References tab shows the location of the Kalahari Desert; looking up Bechuanaland under Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names will reveal the country's current name.

Did you know that the name of Canada derives from the Iroquoian word "kanata" meaning village or settlement, while Mexico's name derives from the Mexica, the largest and most powerful branch of the Aztecs? The World Factbook has added country name etymologies (historical origins); these descriptions appear in the "Country name" entry under the Government section.

Milwaukee Deep, the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean (-8,605 meters; -28,230 feet), lies due north of a major Caribbean island. Can you name it? Check the References tab>Regional and World Maps>Central America and the Caribbean map to find the island.

The four white, five-pointed stars on this Pacific island nation's flag represent its four island groups of Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap. All the islands used to be referred to as the Caroline Islands. Can you come up with the country's current name? The answer may be found by either referencing the regional map of Oceania under the References tab or by locating Caroline Islands under Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names.

Only one country's flag depicts an actual existing building. Can you name it? Check the References tab>Flags of the World to find the answer. Hint: The country lies in Southeast Asia.

Can you name the country that is currently thought to hold the largest proved reserves of crude oil in the world? (The answer may surprise you.) To find out, go to the References tab>Guide to Country Comparisons> Energy>Crude oil - proved reserves.

Do you know what country is the least populous on earth? Check the "Population" field under World entry to find out. Hint: It is also the world's smallest country by size.

In the Geography section for all countries, the "Elevation" entry has been expanded to now include subfields for 'mean elevation' and 'elevation extremes' (including 'lowest point' and 'highest point').

The fields in the Energy category for all countries have been rolled forward one year to include data through 2015.

The fields in the Economy section for all countries have been rolled forward one year to include numerical and textual information through 2015.

Do you know where the Norman Isles are? Check Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names to find the more common name for the isles, the names of the two main islands, as well as their latitude and longitude.

The WHO is a specialized UN agency. Do you know what the initials stand for? When the agency was formed? And what its present membership is? Find the answers in Appendix B.

The most common symbols appearing on flags around the world are stars and stripes (horizontal or vertical). Crosses, crescent moons, and triangles are also fairly common. There are only two countries, however, that display the shape of a diamond (also called a rhombus; with all four sides having the same length) on their flag. Can you name these Western Hemisphere countries? Check the References tab>Flags of the World to help you determine the answer.

A new "Citizenship" field has been added to the Government section of all countries describing policies related to the acquisition of citizenship and recognition of dual citizenship. The definition for this field (under the References tab>Definitions and Notes) provides additional information regarding the ways citizenship is acquired. Note that for most countries of the world, citizenship is acquired through descent, known as the principal of Jus sanguinis, where parents must be citizens of a country for their children to acquire citizenship in that country.

How many countries have laid claim to portions of Antarctica? The answer may be found in the Antarctica entry (under Government>Government type). The regional map of Antarctica (under the References tab>Regional and World Maps>Political Antarctic Region) shows the extent of these claims, which are not recognized by the US and many other countries.

Can you name the African country that is more than 96% desert yet supports a population of over 88 million people - the second highest total on the continent? The answer may be ascertained by going to the References tab, clicking on Guide to Country Comparisons>People and Society>Population.

In the People and Society section, the "Unemployment - youth ages 15-24" entry has been updated.

How many fathoms make up a cable (length)? Check Appendix G: Weights and Measures for the answer!

Where applicable, all of the "Constitution" entries were recently updated throughout the Factbook.

Under the Transnational Issues > "Refugees and internally displaced persons" field for Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia, estimates have been added for the total number of recently arrived refugees and migrants. While it is impossible to specify how many of these people are refugees or what their country of origins are, these numbers at least present a rough estimate. People will, naturally, continue to keep moving around within Europe and new numbers will arrive, so the totals will be constantly changing. We will update our estimates on at least a monthly basis.

All of the entries in the Energy section were recently updated with the latest available data.

A link to a special Middle East and North Africa Religious Affiliation chart has been set up in the "Religions" entry for 20 countries ranging from Algeria to Yemen. Check it out.

Maritime piracy continues to be a concern in certain areas of the world. While successful pirate attacks have decreased off the East African coast, they have become more widespread off West Africa. Attacks in the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea also persist. Further details addressing piracy may be found in the "Transportation note" under the World entry, as well as under various countries bordering the Indian Ocean, and entries for Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

Can you name the Polynesian island nation that owns the Internet top level domain extension of ".tv"? Consult Appendix D: Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes and check under the "T" countries for the answer.

The Standard Time Zones of the World map was recently updated. Check it out by going to the Regional and World Maps page and scrolling down, or click here to pull up a PDF (3534KB) version.

There is a unique large body of water in northern South America that is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela (Golfo de Venezuela) and ultimately the Caribbean Sea by the 5.5 km- (3.4 mi-) wide Tablazo Strait. Although its water is brackish and it is often thought of as a bay, this feature is frequently referred to as a lake. If so considered, it becomes South America's largest lake (or lago in Spanish). Can you name it? The "lake" can easily be spotted on The World Factbook's Central America and the Caribbean regional reference map.

Area comparison maps are now available for about half of the countries in The World Factbook! To see the relative size of a country shown superimposed over part of the US, go to the Geography section and check under "Area - comparative" (the fifth geography entry). Eventually, all country descriptions will include these useful and popular maps.

This month marks the 125th anniversary of the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN), an interagency body that standardizes and approves geographic names of domestic, foreign, Antarctic, and undersea features for Federal Government use. The place name spellings used throughout The World Factbook are those approved by the BGN.

In the People and Society category, the fields for "HIV/AIDS," "Drinking water source," and "Sanitation facility access" were recently updated with the latest available data.

The "Executive branch" entries for all countries were recently expanded. The subentry 'elections' has been replaced with 'elections/appointments,' and now includes more detailed information on the selection process for the 'chief of state' and 'head of government' subentries. The subentry 'election results' now includes the name or abbreviation of each candidate's political party affiliation.

On 15 August 2015, North Korea changed its time zone by half an hour to the same time as it used over a century ago. To find out how the change relates to South Korean time, go to the Government section for each of the countries and check the "Capital" entry. Here you can find the time difference in the capital cities compared to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

In the Transportation category, the "Railways" entry has been updated where possible with the latest available figures from 2014. In addition to the total lengths for trackways, lengths for the different types of rail gauges (broad, standard, and narrow) are also presented.

In the People and Society section, the fields for "Urbanization" and "Major urban areas - population" were recently updated with data for 2015.

In the Communications category, the entries for "Telephones - mobile cellular", "Telephones - fixed lines", and "Internet users" have been updated with the latest available estimates.

The US dollar is the official currency not only for the United States, but for several other countries around the world including three Pacific Island nations. Can you name them? Hint: all three were part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under US administration after World War II and attained independence between 1986 and 1994.

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a group of four countries that form a common market but which do not belong to the 28-nation European Union (EU). Nonetheless, all four members operate closely with the EU and participate in its single market. Can you name the four member states? The answer may be found in Appendix B: International Organizations and Groups.

Several important demographic indicators, including "Total population," "Population growth rate," "Life expectancy," "Total fertility rate," "Birth rate," "Death rate," and "Net migration rate," have been updated with 2015 estimates.

How many emirates make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE)? Find the answer in the United Arab Emirates entry under Government>Administrative divisions.

What is the northernmost country in the world: Denmark, Canada, Russia, or Norway? Check the Regional and World Maps page > Political Arctic Region map to see which of these four countries comes closest to the North Pole.

Can you name the seven Western Hemisphere countries - collectively referred to as Central America - that fall between Mexico to the north and Colombia to the south? Check your answer by going to the Regional and World Maps page > Political Central America map. Note that five of these countries border both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

In the People and Society category, several health- and education-related fields have recently been updated, including "Health expenditures," "Obesity," "Literacy," and "School life expectancy."

Under the Geography category, the "Land use" field has been expanded to include agricultural land, forest land, and 'other' land uses. The revised entry also breaks agricultural land into its constituent parts of arable land, land under permanent crops, and land that is in permanent pastures and meadows. The 'other' land use grouping includes urban areas, wetlands, and barren land where the climate and soils do not support vegetation.

There are dozens of countries whose flags consist of only two colors. Three countries beginning with a 'T' have flags with a red-white color combination. Can you name them?

Many of the fields in the Economy and Energy categories have been updated with the latest available data. In 2014, based on a comparison of GDP measured at Purchasing Power Parity conversion rates, the US economy, having stood as the largest in the world for more than a century, slipped into second place behind China. China's growth rate has more than tripled that of the US for each year of the past four decades.

In the Government category, the entry for "National symbol(s)" has been expanded to include information on national colors. In most cases these are colors found on the national flag, but this is not always the case. Exceptions include the national colors of Australia, Ireland, Netherlands, and New Zealand.

The World Factbook's "Refugees and internally displaced persons" field has been substantially updated, including the latest developments from Syria and Ukraine. Stay tuned for data, as it becomes available, on displacement stemming from Nepal's recent earthquake.

In the Government category, the first part of the "Legislative branch" field was thoroughly revised, expanded, and updated for all countries under a new "description" heading. This subentry includes the legislative structure, the formal name(s), the number of legislative seats, the types of voting constituencies and voting systems, and the member term of office. A vastly expanded "Legislative branch" description may be found on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

Last week's World Factbook's relaunch included the new World Factbook logo in the announcement. The logo features prominently on the 2014-2015 World Factbook cover, which may be viewed under the References tab > Gallery of Covers. The artwork incorporates an eagle - echoing the Agency's seal - but one with a monocle to provide a scholarly appearance, as well as a stylized globe.

The World Factbook has been updated with several new entries and sections reflecting the latest information gathered over the past several months. Some of these additions will be described below and in What's New statements in the coming weeks. In the Geography section, the "Land boundaries" entry was revised for all countries, including the total country border length as well as the border lengths for all neighboring countries. Lengths were calculated from the digital international boundary depictions currently used for all detailed United States Government (USG) products. These digital lines, constructed from 1999 to the present, have been reviewed and edited by the US Department of State's Office of the Geographer and were constructed by either that office or the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's Political Geography Division's boundary team. This international boundary dataset is believed to be the most accurate worldwide international boundary vector line file available. The lines reflect USG policy and thus not necessarily de facto control. The boundary delineations are based on modern imagery, elevation data, relevant maps, treaties, international arbitration and court rulings, data from national mapping agencies and boundary commissions if available, and other sources. In a few instances, official boundary length numbers supplied by national governments have been substituted for digital line dataset numbers.

What country has the highest life expectancy in the world? Under the References tab go to the Guide to Country Comparisons and click on the People and Society category and find the "Life expectancy at birth" entry. One more click will give you the answer.

Can you name the largest country in Central America - which also contains the largest freshwater lake in Central America? Check the Regional and World Maps under the References tab to find the answer.

There are dozens of monarchies scattered about the globe, but only one of them falls in the Pacific region (Oceania). Can you name this archipelagic country? Hint: It lies in western Polynesia and was formerly referred to as the Friendly Islands. Its capital is Nuku'alofa, which translates as "the abode of love."

Many people don't realize it, but the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has been around for more than nine decades (founded 1923). How many countries are members? Check Appendix B - International Organizations and Groups to find out.

Did you know that the South African national anthem employs the lyrics of five different languages? Check out the "National anthem" entry under South Africa's Government category to find out more details.

In the People and Society section, the "Urbanization," "Major urban areas - population," and "Mother's mean age at first birth" fields were recently updated.

In the People and Society section, the "Dependency ratios" entries - including the youth dependency ratio, the elderly dependency ratio, and the total dependency ratio - have been updated with 2014 estimated data for all countries.

Did you know that there are freshwater lakes in the Sahara? Check out the "Geography - note" in the Chad entry to get more info.

Ceylon, Dahomey, and French Somaliland are former names for what countries? Answers may be found in Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names, under the Appendices tab.

Do you know what country is the largest electricity producer in the world? Click on the References tab, Guide to Country Comparisons - then go to Energy> "Electricity - production" to find out.

Can you name the world's largest country composed solely of islands? Hint: 17,508 islands make up this Asian archipelago; some 6,000 are inhabited.

The equator passes through seven African countries, can you name them? Hint: check the various World Factbook maps that show Africa to come up with the answer.

Dozens of new photos have been uploaded for various Central American and Caribbean nations, most notably Anguilla, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico.

In the Ukraine and Russia entries the following statement has been added to the Government section, "Administrative divisions" field: The United States does not recognize Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the municipality of Sevastopol, nor their redesignation as the Republic of Crimea and the Federal City of Sevastopol.

Much of the People and Society section has been updated with the latest data from the US Census Bureau, including the Demography fields of "Population," "Age structure," "Median age," "Population growth rate," "Birth rate," "Death rate," "Net migration rate," "Sex ratio," "Infant mortality rate," "Life expectancy at birth," and "Total fertility rate."

The Black Sea is one of the largest seas in Europe. Can you name the six countries that border it? Additionally, can you name the peninsula that extends almost halfway into it and is the site of the strategic naval base of Sevastopol? Refer to any of The World Factbook's maps showing eastern Europe to find the answers.

In both the Economy and Energy categories, all of the fields have been updated to include information through 2013.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) announced in early January that their office would no longer provide death toll estimates for the nearly three-year-old civil war in Syria because of a lack of verifiable statistics from human rights organizations and OHCHR's lack of access within Syria. Their last estimate of mid-2013 was approximately 100,000. Estimates by various media sources by the end of January ranged from 96,000 to over 140,000 deaths. As of February, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimated there were 6.5 million displaced persons and almost 2.5 million Syrian refugees that had fled to Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. Check the Syria "Refugees and internally displaced persons" entry in the Transnational Issues section regularly to keep updated on this human tragedy.

The Population Pyramids found in the People and Society section, "Age structure" field have been updated with 2014 estimated data for all countries.

Of the following six Caribbean islands - Aruba, Barbados, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad - which is the northernmost, the easternmost, and the southernmost? Check the Regional and World Maps under the References tab to find the answer.

The fighting and near civil war that broke out in South Sudan in mid-December 2013 was brought to a halt by a 23 January 2014 cease fire. To a great degree, the hostilities took place between the country's two largest ethnic groups. Can you name them? Check under South Sudan>People and Society>Ethnic groups to find the answer.

The expansion of the "Ports and terminals" entry was recently completed in the Transportation section for all countries. Where applicable, the following types are now identified: major seaports, river and lake ports, oil/gas terminals, dry bulk cargo ports, container ports, and cruise/ferry ports. Check "Ports and terminals" under the Definitions and Notes page (References tab) for further details.

The United Kingdom's famous Union Jack flag is an amalgamation of three simpler flags featuring crosses: the red Cross of Saint George, the diagonal red Cross (saltire) of Saint Patrick, and the diagonal white Cross of Saint Andrew. There is, however, a national flag that features FIVE crosses. Can you name it? Check the Flags of the World page under the References tab to find the answer - and to get complete flag descriptions.

In the Government category, the "Constitution" entry was recently thoroughly revised, expanded, and updated for all countries and now includes dates of previous constitutions, dates of constitution development and enactment, and amendment dates.

The World Factbook has changed the country name Cape Verde to Cabo Verde throughout its the database following a request from the Government of Cape Verde to change the name of the country to Cabo Verde and agreement by the US Department of State.

In the Economy sections of most countries the macroeconomic numbers have been updated with the most recent data available.

Only one country straddles all four of the world's hemispheres (the northern and southern, and the eastern and western). Can you name it? Hint: it lies in the Pacific Ocean and can be found on several of The World Factbook's maps including those of the World, Oceans, and Oceania.

Brazil is bordered by ten countries, the most of any nation in the Southern Hemisphere. Can you name Brazil's ten neighbors? Check the Brazil > Geography > Land boundaries entry or view one of the many World Factbook maps on which Brazil appears.

Spain is divided into 17 administrative units referred to as autonomous communities. However, it also includes two autonomous cities and three small islands that are NOT in Europe. Can you name them? See the "Administrative divisions" entry under Spain > Government to check your answer.

Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, and the United States are all roughly the same size in area. Can you rank them from largest to smallest? Hint: check the Country Comparison feature and go to Geography and then Area.

Spanish is generally thought to be the predominant language of Latin America, but on the South American continent four countries use other languages as their primary language. Can you name them? Check the "Languages" entry under People and Society for the various South American countries to determine the answer.

The tallest mountain in the former Soviet Union was named Communism Peak (7,495 m; 24,590 ft). It is now called Qullai Ismoili Somoni. Can you identify in which of the five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, or Uzbekistan) it is located? Hint: check the "Elevation extremes" entry in the Geography sections of these countries to find out.

In the Transnational Issues section, the "Refugees and internally displaced persons" entry has a new 'stateless persons' subfield. Statelessness is the condition whereby an individual is not considered a national by any country. Stateless people are denied many basic rights such as access to employment, housing, education, healthcare, and pensions. The UN estimates there may be 12 million stateless people worldwide. See the Definitions and Notes section - under the References tab - for a complete description of this new subfield.

In the People and Society category, several important new demographic fields have been included: "Mother's mean age at first birth," "Contraceptive prevalence rate," and "Child labor - children ages 5-2014." "Dependency ratios" - which are a measure of the age structure of a population and which relate the number of individuals that are likely to be economically "dependent" on the support of others - have also been added - after the "Age structure" entry.

The Economy category has two new fields. "GDP - composition, by end use" shows who does the spending in an economy: consumers, businesses, government, and foreigners. "Gross national saving" shows how much an economy saves on its own, and how much it could invest, in the absence of any foreign investment. Please see the Definitions and Notes section for a full explanation of each of these new fields.

New photos from various Southeast Asian locales - including Cambodia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam - were recently added.

In the Transnational Issues category, the "Trafficking in persons" entry was recently updated with information gleaned from the US State Department's annual trafficking report.

In the Transportation category, several fields have been updated with the latest available data including "Airports," "Airports - with paved runways," "Airports - with unpaved runways," "Heliports," and "Pipelines."

In the Government category, the "Judicial branch" entry was recently thoroughly revised, expanded, and updated for all countries and now includes three subfields: "highest court(s)," "judge selection and term of office," and "subordinate courts." Under the References tab, Definitions and Notes, the "Judicial branch" entry has also been updated.

In the People and Society category, the "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)" entry was recently updated for all countries.

In the Economy section, the fields for "GDP," "GDP - real growth rate," "GDP - per capita (PPP)," "Taxes and other revenues," "Budget surplus or deficit," "Debt - external," "Exports - partners," and "Imports - partners" have recently been updated.

The "Military service age and obligation" entry was recently updated for all countries.

Refugee numbers - listed in the Transnational Issues section - were recently updated for many of the world's hot spot countries.

The data on government expenditures, revenues, and money supply that appears in the spreadsheet Fiscal and Monetary Data, 2008-2012 has been updated. The spreadsheet collates information from past issues of The World Factbook and may be accessed by a link from the World "Economy - overview" entry.

Although eagles are a common symbol depicted on national flags, a few countries depict other birds. Can you name the Central American nation whose banner carries an image of the distinctive, long-tailed quetzal? Check the Flags of the World page under the References tab to locate the answer.

The name Benelux refers to a geographic, economic, and cultural grouping of three European countries. Can you name them? The answer may be found in Appendix B.

Appendix D provides a cross-listing of data codes used to identify countries. This list now includes the new Geopolitical Entities and Codes (GEC) document, which is the US Government's implementation of ISO 3166 and is designated as the replacement standard for FIPS PUB 10-4. The GEC document provides a list of the basic geopolitical entities in the world, together with the principal divisions that comprise each entity. The names of the political entities are derived from official meeting records of the Foreign Names Committee of the US Board on Geographic Names (US BGN).

Population Pyramids have been updated with 2013 estimated data in the People and Society section, "Age structure" field for all countries.

The "Transportation - note" has been updated for various West African, East African, South Asian, and Southeast Asian countries to reflect 2012 information on piracy incidents. The new information reflects a general decrease in the number of pirate attacks worldwide, especially in the waters off East Africa. The decrease in successful pirate attacks is due, in part, to more aggressive anti-piracy operations by international naval forces as well as the increased use of armed security teams aboard merchant ships. The only exception to this trend was in the Gulf of Guinea, in West Africa, where attacks increased over a wider area in 2012.

Several Military fields have been updated including "Military branches," "Military service age and obligation," and "Military expenditures."

Can you name the five nations that make up the BRICS countries? Find the answer under Appendix B: International Organizations and Groups.

What are polar mesospheric clouds (also known as noctilucent or "night shining" clouds)? Check out the photos in the World entry to find out.

Various health fields in the People and Society section - including "Hospital bed density," "Physician density," "Health expenditures," "Drinking water source," "Sanitation facility access," and "Children under 5 underweight" - have recently been updated for all countries.

In 2012, fiscal and monetary policies shifted towards greater austerity for many countries. In the World entry, the "Economy - Overview" highlights these changes and their impact on global economic performance. The "Overview" now contains a link to a spreadsheet detailing changes in the level of government expenditures, revenues, and national money supplies (M1) for about 200 countries for the period 2008-2012.

What Asian nation uses the mythical merlion (a half lion-half fish creature) as one of its major emblems? The answer may be found in a country's "National symbols" entry, under the Government category.

Space-based photographs have recently been uploaded for a number of island entries in The World Factbook including the Cook Islands, the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Micronesia, Saint Helena, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

Can you name the country that has Dutch and French as its major official languages? Note, it is in Europe but it is not the Netherlands.

The World Factbook's new 2013-2014 cover - unveiled in the Gallery of Covers under the References tab - features a retro Art Deco style. Some Art Deco elements may also be found in a previous Factbook cover from 1996. Enjoy exploring and comparing the many Factbook cover designs that have appeared over the decades.

The "Refugees and internally displaced persons" field (in the Transnational Issues category) has been revised to reflect the latest available figures for each country. Please note that numbers may increase rapidly for countries currently experiencing crises, such as Syria and Mali.

In the Economy and Energy categories, the information and data for most of the fields have been updated through year 2012.

A new "Demographic profile" field is being introduced incrementally to The World Factbook; the entry provides a snapshot of the demographic features and trends within a country and how they vary among regional, ethnic, and socioeconomic sub-populations. Some of the topics addressed are population age structure, fertility, health, mortality, poverty, education, and migration. Countries introduced this week are those of Central and South America.

Can you name the Southeast Asian nation that is linguistically the most diverse country on earth with some 836 languages spoken (roughly 12% of the world's total)? Hint: it lies north of Australia.

Several small nations and dependencies - including Gibraltar, the Holy See (Vatican), Hong Kong, Monaco, and Singapore - do not include agriculture as a component of their economies (i.e., all their food has to be imported). Which is the largest of these entities and thus bearer of the title "Largest Country With No Farms"? Hint: use the "Country Comparison" feature to find out.

Did you know that Canada has more lakes than all the other countries of the world combined? Check out the "Geography - note" in the Canada entry to get more info.

As part of its 50th Anniversary celebrations, The World Factbook is proud to unveil a new online graphic capability. In the People and Society section, the "Age structure" field now includes a "population pyramid" feature. Clicking on a population pyramid icon reveals a graphic illustrating a country's 2012 age and sex structure. The population pyramids are constructed from US Census Bureau data and will be updated annually. Population pyramids can yield valuable insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The shape of a country's population pyramid changes over time as a result of fertility, mortality, and international migration trends, progressing from a youthful distribution to a transitional distribution to a mature distribution.

Bechuanaland, East Pakistan, and Kampuchea are former names for what countries? Answers may be found in Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names, under the Appendices tab.

The Horn of Africa on the continent's eastern coast contains the highest and lowest points in Africa - 5,895 meters (19,341 ft) above sea level (Kilimanjaro) and 155 meters (509 ft) below sea level (Lac Assal), respectively. Can you name the countries in which these two features are found?

The well-known Alps in Europe extend across seven countries from France in the west to Austria and Slovenia in the east. Can you name the other four Alpine countries? Find the answer by consulting the Europe physical map.

The newest estimates for adherents to the world's major religions - as of 2010 - may be found in the World entry under the People and Society category, "Religions" field.

In the Economy category, the data for all of the fields have been revised and/or updated.

Recent election results from Curacao, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Somalia, Ukraine, and Venezuela have been entered in the Government sections of those countries.

The International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior has created a list of 16 volcanoes - termed Decade Volcanoes - worthy of special study because of their great potential for destructive eruptions and proximity to populated areas. Three countries, one of which is the United States, contain two such volcanoes. Check the "Natural hazards" field under the World entry to learn what the other two countries are and to see the entire list of these dangerous volcanoes.

New photos for Bermuda, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom have recently been added.

For the first time since 1997, The World Factbook (WFB) is adding a major new category. In light of the importance of the energy sector to the world's economy, the WFB has created a new Energy category. Some of the fields are based on the same entries used previously in the Economy category, but several contain entirely new data and definitions that have not previously appeared in the WFB. The fields for Electricity Flows (production, consumption, exports, and imports) remain the same as before, but there are now five new stock measures for Installed Electricity Generating Capacity, including total installed capacity (measured in kilowatts) and a percentage breakdown of the four main sources of that capacity: fossil fuel plants, nuclear plants, hydroelectric plants, and renewable fuel sources, such as solar and wind. In the oil sector, former fields have been disaggregated to show separate numbers for crude oil (production, exports, imports, and proven reserves) and refined petroleum products (production, consumption, exports, and imports). The definitions for each of the five natural gas fields are identical to what had previously appeared in the Economy category. Finally, a new field for "Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy" measures the total output of carbon dioxide from the consumption of all fuels. In total, the new category consists of 23 energy-related fields. The WFB now has 10 broad categories for each of its country entries: Introduction, Geography, People and Society, Government, Economy, Energy, Communications, Transportation, Military, and Transnational Issues.

The People's Republic of China has two Special Administrative Regions, created in 1997 and 1999. Can you name them? Hint: they have separate entries in The World Factbook.

Covering more than 70% of the Earth's surface, the oceans of the world are the largest single feature on the planet and serve as the highway connecting the continental landmasses. The World Factbook proudly announces a new and distinctive Map of the World Oceans that depicts the relationships among states across the great oceanic basins of the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern, and Arctic Oceans. The map also depicts the maritime claims of the littoral states - represented by the buffer line of the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zones. Finally, recognizing that around 90% of world trade moves by sea, the map shows a generalization of global shipping lanes and the major cargo and container ports that constitute this vital trading network. In addition to the World Oceans map, The World Factbook recently added 10 new regional political maps to its reference repertoire. To view or use any of the above-described maps, click on the Regional and World Maps link on the Factbook homepage or go to the References tab on the Factbook site and click on Regional and World Maps.

In the Transnational Issues category, the entry for "Refugees and Internally displaced persons" has recently been updated.

The Economy section includes updated data for "Population below poverty line," "Household income or consumption by percentage share," "Commercial bank prime lending rate," "Stock of narrow money," "Stock of broad money," and "Exchange rates."

What does FAO stand for? Find out in Appendix A: Abbreviations. Then go to Appendix B: International Organizations and Groups to get details.

An update on international maritime piracy appears in the World entry, under "Transportation - note."

The Economy section includes updated data through 2011 for the "Market Value of Publicly Traded Shares."

The World Factbook is celebrating its Golden Anniversary! Exactly 50 years ago - in August of 1962 - the Agency came up with the contracted name Factbook to describe its annual National Intelligence Survey summary. The first unclassified version came out nine years later (June 1971), and it acquired its present name of The World Factbook with the 1981 edition. Annual printing of the Factbook continues, albeit in far smaller quantities than originally; its online presence - begun June 1997 - continues to grow with some 3 million visitors monthly.

In the People and Society section, the "Languages" entry has been updated for dozens of countries.

New photos have recently been added for Australia, Iceland, and Kyrgyzstan.

Data have been updated with the latest estimates for several fields in the Economy section, including "GDP (purchasing power parity)," "GDP (official exchange rate)," "GDP - real growth rate," "GDP - per capita (PPP)," "Taxes and other revenues," "Budget surplus or deficit," "Exports - partners," and "Imports - partners."

What European country has the largest number of first order administrative units (i.e., country subdivisions such as provinces, states, or municipalities) of any nation on earth (211 of them)? Hint: its name begins with an 'S'.

Starting with Sri Lanka and ending at Indonesia, there are seven countries that border the Bay of Bengal. Can you name the middle five countries? Hint: check out the Asia regional map.

In the Transportation category, the "Airports," "Airports - with paved runways," "Airports - with unpaved runways," and "Heliports" fields have all been updated with the latest available data.

The tune of God Save the Queen is used as the national anthem for a number of countries that comprise the Commonwealth of Nations. In addition to the United Kingdom, what other European country uses this tune in its national anthem? Note: a country's "National anthem" entry and its audio file may be found in its Government category.

Name the archipelagic country in the Indian Ocean composed of some 1,200 coral islands, only 200 of which are inhabited, and about 80 of which contain tourist facilities. Check out the Asia regional map, under the References tab, for the answer.

Can you name the Pacific island country that in the 1970s had the world's highest GDP per capita - supported by exports of its rich phosphate deposits - and that currently is the world's smallest independent republic?

To help you quickly find the information you need, the Factbook now offers a helpful Users Guide. This feature may be accessed through the Users Guide button on the left or through the References tab.

What two Caribbean islands are shared by two countries? Find the answer under the References tab, Regional Maps heading, Central America and the Caribbean map. Hint: one island is the second largest in the Caribbean, the other is one of the tiniest.

The "Fiscal year" entry has been reintroduced in the Economy category.

The "Military branches" and "Military service age and obligation" fields have been updated for all countries.

An update on international maritime piracy may be found in the "Transportation - note" under the World entry.

Recent election results from Belize, The Gambia, Germany, Moldova, Russia, Senegal, and Slovakia have been entered in the Government sections of those countries.

The new 2012-13 World Factbook cover - prominently featuring some of the photos from the Factbook's website - has been unveiled in the Gallery of Covers under the References tab. While you are there, find out what year The World Factbook first featured photography in its cover design.

How many inches in a micron? Check Appendix G: Weights and Measures to find out!

There are 25 World Factbook entities that border the Mediterranean Sea, can you name them all? Consult some of the maps under the References tab if you get stuck.

Abyssinia is the former name for what African country? To find out, check Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names, under the Appendices tab.

Researching the demographics of a country? Check out the updated information in the People and Society category.

The Atacama Desert is generally agreed to be the driest desert in the world. In what South American country is it? Check the Regional Maps under the References tab to find out.

The World Factbook is pleased to present a new audio function on our website. In conjunction with the United States Navy Band, the Factbook now allows users to listen to most of the world's national anthems. Go to the Government category for any country and in the "National anthems" field click play to listen.

In order to align their time zones more closely with their main trading partners, the Pacific island nations of Samoa and Tokelau late last year moved from east to west of the International Date Line. Their new time status may be found in the Government section under the "Capital" entry.

What countries extend into the Arctic Circle? Check out "Regional maps" to find out. The next website update will be in January.

The most common symbols found on flags are crosses, heavenly bodies (the sun, stars, or crescent moon), or birds (mostly eagles). One country's flag, however, prominently displays hands. Can you identify this Asian country?

Results of recent legislative elections have been entered in the Government sections for Croatia, Guyana, Morocco, New Zealand, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, and St. Lucia.

What is Animism? Check out the newly expanded "Religions" definition in the Definitions and Notes (under the References tab).

New photos have recently been added for Anguilla, Ireland, Peru, and Ecuador. The images from the latter country provide a virtual tour of the Galapagos Islands.

In the Economy section, various macroeconomic and finance fields have been updated with the latest available data.

The field "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24" has been moved from the Economy section into the People and Society section.

The United Nations estimates the world population will reach 7 billion on 31 October 2011. The US Census Bureau, which supplies the population numbers in The World Factbook, estimates the planet's population will pass 7 billion in March 2012. While the true world total population is impossible to know, the Census Bureau and the UN independently estimate the world population through similar means. Estimate differences between the two organizations are due in part to differences in the frequency and timing of demographic updates for each country. Nonetheless, the world population estimates of the Census Bureau and the UN show that we are rapidly approaching the 7 billion mark.

Many people know that Canada's national symbol is the maple leaf, but did you realize that Ukraine's is the trident or that India's is the Bengal tiger? Most countries' major national representation(s) may now be be found in the new "National symbol(s)" field in the Government category.

In the Economy category, information for "Exports - partners" and "Imports - partners" has been updated to show data for 2010.

Have you ever wanted to explore Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas? Check out the new photos in the Peru entry (Nos. 8-41) to get a virtual tour!

The World Factbook is expanding! The People category is now People and Society and includes eight new fields: Health expenditures (as percent of GDP), Physicians density (per 10,000 people), Hospital bed density (per 1,000 people), Maternal mortality rate (deaths per 100,000 live births), Drinking water source, Sanitation facility access, Children under the age of five underweight (%), and Obesity - adult prevalence rate. Additionally, there is a new field in the Economy category, Unemployment, youth ages 15-24. The new datasets focus on the health and welfare of a country's population, and provide information relevant to a country's internal stability.

In the Economy category, the energy fields have been updated with the most recent data available.

How many furlongs make up a mile? Check out the Weights and Measures appendix for the answer!

Canada recently renamed the three major components of its armed forces. These and other changes for Botswana, Cape Verde, the Gambia, Venezuela, and Yemen may be found under the "Military branches" entry.

Two new fields have been added in the Economy section, "Taxes and other revenues" and "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)".

Data for many of the Economy fields have been revised to reflect the latest estimates.

What time is it in the world's newest country, South Sudan? Take a look at the updated Time Zone map in the Regional maps section under the References tab.

What country has the highest "GDP - real growth rate"? Find out using the GDP data that has recently been revised to reflect the most recent estimates for 2008-2010.

Did you know that almost one-third of the world's countries are assigned annually to either a 'Tier 2 Watch List' or a 'Tier Three' status by the US State Department for their failure to adequately deal with their trafficking in persons problems? These countries are listed in the Transnational Issues category under the 'World' entry; detailed "Trafficking in persons" summaries - updated for 2011 - may be found under each of these countries' listings.

South Sudan became the world's 195th country following separation from Sudan on 9 July 2011. The new country entry may be accessed through the Africa regional flash map on the World map of the home page, or via the country listing under the drop down arrow.

On 9 July 2011, South Sudan is scheduled to become the world's newest country. The World Factbook plans to include this new entity in its next update. In the Transportation category, the "Railways" field has been updated. New photos entered for Austria, Germany, and the United States.

New space-based images of volcanoes and current volcanic eruptions may be viewed in the photos pages of Chile, Eritrea, Iceland, Italy, and Russia.

During Soviet times, Kazakhs made up less than 50% of the population in Kazakhstan. What is the current ethnic breakdown in that country? Find out by visiting the "Ethnic groups" field under People. A number of the entries in the People category - religions, ethnicity, languages, and literacy - have recently been updated for many countries.

The piracy plague continues unabated. The "Transportation note" entry addressing piracy has been updated for various countries bordering the Indian Ocean, as well as for Nigeria and Brazil.

A new entry "International law organization participation," has been added to the Government category; it addresses jurisdiction of the International Court of justice (ICJ) and of the International Criminal Court (ICCt). Note that the information on ICJ jurisdiction, formerly included in the "Legal system" description, has been moved to this new entry. GDP data have been revised to reflect the most recent estimates for 2008-2010.

Under the Government category, in the "Capital" field, 'daylight saving time' has been updated for 2011.

How many grams in a scruple? Check out the Weights and Measures appendix for the answer!

Which country has the highest number of airports? Check the Country Comparison page to find out!

Significant updates have been made to the "Pipelines" field in the Transportation category.

Did you know that there are more member "countries" of the International Olympic Committee than there are member countries of the UN? (The former includes a number of autonomous or semi-autonomous territories, dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty.) To find out just what countries compose each of these organizations, visit Appendix B.

The Indian Ocean island entity of Mayotte became an overseas department of France on 31 March. The change in status makes it an integral part of France and so its description is now included in the France country profile.

What country was formerly named Upper Volta? Find out by checking Appendix F (Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names).

Japan's strongest-ever earthquake, and an accompanying tsunami, recently devastated northeast Japan, killing thousands and damaging several nuclear power plants. The "Economic overview" for Japan presents a preliminary survey of the calamitous situation.

What country has the longest system of waterways - navigable rivers and canals - in the world? Go to the References tab/ Country Comparison/ Waterways to find out. In the Transportation section, both the "Waterways" and "Roadways" entries have been updated. New photos introduced for Egypt.

What country has three megacites with populations of greater than 15 million? (No, it's not China.) Now you can find out the size of a country's four largest cities, as well as its capital, in the new "Major cities - population" field, in the People section of a country entry. See the Definitions and Notes, under the References tab, to get the exact breakdown on what is included in this new field.

Did you know that the developing world increased its estimated share of worldwide mobile-cellular subscriptions from roughly 35% at the beginning of the decade to nearly 75% in 2010? All of the telephone-related fields, as well as all of the population entries, have been updated with the latest data.

The 2011 Factbook cover has been unveiled in the Gallery of Covers under the References tab! While you are there, find out what year The World Factbook first featured a color cover.

What do the initials ESA stand for? Check out 'Appendix A: Abbreviations' to find out. New space-based photos have been uploaded for Australia, China, Namibia, Mexico, and the US.

What country enjoyed the lowest unemployment rate in 2010? Find out by checking "Unemployment rate" under the Country Comparison feature (in the References tab). The entire Economy category has been updated to reflect data for years 2010 and earlier.

Did you know that the highest elevation in the Netherlands is not in Europe? Where is it? Find out by checking the "Elevation extremes" field in the Geography section. New space-based photos have been added for Iran and Russia.

What country flag is only one color? To find out visit the Flags of the World page.

What airport handles the most passengers annually? Find out by going to the World entry, Transportation category, "Airports" field, and locating the top ten airports by passengers and by cargo.

If it's noon in Washington, DC, what time is it in Nairobi, Kenya? The answer may be found in the Government section, under "Capital," where the time difference is specified. New photos from Kenya have been uploaded.

How many rare earth elements (REEs) are there? Find the answer in the "Definitions and Notes" (below the References tab). These critical elements, necessary in so many of today's high-tech industries, are now listed in the "Natural resources" field, under Geography, for countries that are producing REEs or initializing mining operations (including Australia, China, Russia, South Africa, and the US).

Quick! What's the national anthem of Australia? Now you can find the name, lyricist, composer, and additional basic anthem info for every country in the world by visiting the new "National anthems" field in the Government section of the Factbook.

Since 2004, The World Factbook Web site has been updated on a bi-weekly schedule. Culminating a three-month trial effort, we are pleased to announce that the Factbook will now be updated on a weekly basis.

Significant updates entered under the People, Government, and Communications categories.

In the Geography category, a new subfield, "volcanism," has been added under the "Natural hazards" field for countries with historically active volcanoes. The Economy section has been updated to reflect the most recent data for 2009 and earlier years.

In the Economy category, the "Oil - exports," "Oil - imports," "Oil - proved reserves," and "Natural gas - proved reserves" fields have been updated with the most recent estimates available.

In the People category, significant updates have been made to the "School life expectancy" and "Education expenditures" fields. In the Economy category, the "Stock of domestic credit" field has been updated to include data for 2009. In addition, the definition has been expanded to include credit provided by all financial institutions, not just banks, as had been The World Factbook practice until now. For some countries this change significantly broadens the coverage.

The dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles has resulted in two new World Factbook entries: the autonomous entities of Curacao and Sint Maarten (the remaining three islands - Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius - have joined the Netherlands as special municipalities). The number of entities in The World Factbook now stands at 267.

In the Economy category, the "Stock of money" and "Stock of quasi money" fields have been updated and renamed as "Stock of narrow money" and "Stock of broad money" in keeping with the International Monetary Fund's new presentation of monetary data. This new format provides greater standardization of reporting and permits more consistent comparisons across countries. Please see "Definitions and Notes" (under the References tab) for descriptions of the new fields.

In the Communications category, the "Internet hosts" field has been updated with 2010 data; significant updates entered in the Geography, Government, and Military categories.

In the Transportation category, the "Merchant marine" field has been updated with the latest available data; substantial updates also entered in fields of the Government and Economy categories.

In the Economy category, new data have been added for 2009 in the fields for "Central bank discount rate" and "Commercial bank prime lending rate."

In the Transportation category, the "Roadways" field has been updated with the latest available data; significant updates also entered in fields of the Government and Military categories.

In the Government category, the amplification of flag descriptions - to include explanations of colors and symbols - has been completed for all of the country entries.

In addition to various population, governmental, and military updates, new photos have been added for Burma, Canada, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In the Communications category, the former "Radio broadcast stations" and "Television broadcast stations" entries have been replaced by a new "Broadcast media" field that provides information on the approximate number of public and private TV and radio stations in a country, as well as basic information on the availability of satellite and cable TV services. Malawi's recently unveiled new flag may be viewed either in the Flags of the World link or under the Malawi country entry. In the Economy category, GDP statistics have been updated and revised.

In the Transportation category, the "Airports," "Airports - with paved runways," "Airports - with unpaved runways," and "Heliports" fields have all been updated with the latest available data.

The "International Court of Justice (ICJ)" entry listed under International Organizations and Groups in Appendix B has been expanded considerably and now includes countries adherent to jurisdiction. Several fields in the Economy category covering trade as well as oil and natural gas have been updated with the latest available annual data.

Under the References tab, in the Definitions and Notes, the entry for "Legal system" has been significantly expanded; it now includes descriptions, origins, and features of the most common legal systems.

Many fields in the Economy category have been updated with the latest available annual data, including "Labor force," "Unemployment rate," "Budget - revenues and expenditures," "Public debt," "Inflation rate," "Current account balance," "Exports," "Imports," "Reserves of foreign exchange," and "Direct foreign investment."

The fields in the Economy category for "Stock of money," "Stock of quasi-money," "and "Market value of publicly traded shares" have been updated with the latest available data.

Significant updates entered under the Government, Economy, and Military categories. The Country Comparisons function now also appears in the World entry to allow users to quickly view how countries rank in 58 different Factbook fields.

Dozens of new photos uploaded for Central and Eastern European countries, most notably Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Latvia, Poland, and Russia.

Major updates made to fields in the People, Government, and Military categories. New photos appear under China, Romania, and Ukraine.

The World entry continues to accrue "top ten" rankings; recent additions in the Geography category include the world's ten highest mountains and largest islands. The Transportation category lists the top ten airports (both by passengers and cargo) and container ports, as well as the ten longest rivers.

The ongoing expansion of flag descriptions - to also include explanations of colors and symbols - is now complete for over two-thirds of the Factbook entries.

The fields in the Economy category have been updated with the latest available data. New photos introduced for the World, the Holy See (Vatican City), and the Philippines.

In the Government category, a link to the World Leaders website under the "Executive branch: cabinet" entry allows users to find a listing of a country's major officials.

Significant updates introduced in the Government, Communications, and Transportation categories. New photos appear under France and Germany.

In the Economy category, information has been updated and now covers the year 2009. New photos added for Egypt and Italy.

The introductory Background statements have been updated or revised for dozens of countries. New images introduced for Argentina, China, the Czech Republic, South Africa, Svalbard, and Turkey.

In addition to various governmental and military updates, new photos have been introduced for Germany, Greenland, Italy, Malaysia, Maldives, and the United Kingdom.

Recent elections and governmental changes recorded for Afghanistan, Aruba, Fiji, Germany, Haiti, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Tunisia, and Uruguay. In the Economy category, some 20 macro-economic fields have been updated with the latest data. New NASA space photos added for the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, as well as for Montserrat and the World; new ground photos added for Cambodia, France, and Luxembourg.

In the Economy category, all the energy-related fields have been updated with the latest data; new photos added for Norway and Poland.

In addition to regular informational updates, new photos have been added for Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Russia, and Sweden.

In the Transportation category, updates have been made to the "Airports" and "Heliports" fields; new photos added for Libya, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

NASA images taken from space have been introduced to enhance various country photo presentations. Significant numbers of high altitude photos appear under China, Egypt, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand, but can also be found scattered among other country entries. In the Economy category, statistics for "Distribution of family income - Gini index," "Public debt," and "Debt - external" now include two year's worth of data.

In the Economy category, statistics for "Current Account Balance," "Exports," "Imports," "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold," "Stock of direct foreign investment - at home," and "Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad" now include two year's worth of data; statistics for "Market value of publicly traded shares" now include three year's worth of data. New photos added for Austria, France, Monaco, Netherlands, and Netherlands Antilles.

Various rail gauge line lengths have been updated for all countries in the Railways entry; selected economic and political entries also updated.

In the Economy category, statistics for "Central bank discount rate," "Commercial bank prime lending rate," "Stock of money," "Stock of quasi money," and "Stock of domestic credit" now include two year's worth of data.

Latest updates include changes to the chief of state or head of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Lithuania, and Panama. New photographs have been added for Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, and South Africa.

With the launch of the new Web site, the former "Rank Order" function was renamed "Country Comparisons." The link to Country Comparisons may be found under the References tab. In addition, many of the regional reference maps now incorporate both elevation and vegetation on landmasses, and bathymetry for ocean areas. Statistics for "Unemployment rate" and "Inflation rate (consumer prices)" now include two year's worth of data.

Completely redesigned website - presenting a cleaner look, improved navigation, and a host of added features - launched on the World Wide Web. Among the major enhancements are downloadable and printable photos for nearly 100 countries, a "Did You Know?" section explaining the impact of the Factbook around the world, and built-in world rankings for many of the Factbook information fields. Government sections reflect the results of recent parliamentary elections in Kuwait - where women were elected for the first time - and India, as well as presidential elections in Lithuania, Mongolia, Panama, and South Africa.

Significant updates made to the People and Economy categories; statistics for "GDP - real growth rate" and "GDP - per capita" (at purchasing power parity) now include three year's worth of data, in 2008 dollars. The Urbanization entry under People expanded to include all countries.

In addition to regular country updates, statistics for "GDP (purchasing power parity)" now include three year's worth of data, in 2008 dollars.

Recent major leadership changes in Guinea-Bissau, Latvia, and Madagascar included in the Government sections of those countries.

Latest US Census Bureau figures - updating basic demographic data for all countries - entered into the database. Entries on religions, languages, ethnic groups, and literacy also updated.

Country information updated across all categories. Economic data now includes 2008 estimates where available.

In order to provide more information on the nature and global dimensions of the current financial crisis, five additional fields appended to the Economy category: "Central bank discount rate," "Commercial bank prime lending rate," "Stock of money," "Stock of quasi money," and "Stock of domestic credit."

In the People category, two new fields provide information on education in terms of opportunity and resources: "School Life Expectancy" and "Education expenditures."

In the Geography category, two new fields focus on the vital resource of water: "Total renewable water resources" and "Freshwater withdrawal."

Three new fields added to the Economy category: "Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad," "Stock of direct foreign investment - at home," "Market value of publicly traded shares."