avdp.
avoirdupois
c.i.f.
cost, insurance, and freight
CY
calendar year
DWT
deadweight ton
est.
estimate
Ex-Im
Export-Import Bank of the United States
f.o.b.
free on board
FRG
Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany); used for information dated before 3
October 1990 or CY91
FY
fiscal year
GDP
gross domestic product
GDR
German Democratic Republic (East Germany); used for information dated before 3
October 1990 or CY91
GNP
gross national product
GRT
gross register ton
GWP
gross world product
km
kilometer
km2
square kilometer
kW
kilowatt
kWh
kilowatt hour
m
meter
NA
not available
NEGL
negligible
nm
nautical mile
NZ
New Zealand
ODA
official development assistance
OOF
other official flows
PDRY
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]; used for
information dated before 22 May 1990 or CY91
UAE
United Arab Emirates
UK
United Kingdom
US
United States
USSR
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union); used for information dated
before 25 December 1991
YAR
Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen]; used
for information dated before 22 May 1990 or CY91
Administrative divisions: The numbers, designatory terms, and first-order
administrative divisions are generally those approved by the US Board on
Geographic Names (BGN). Changes that have been reported but not yet acted on by
BGN are noted.
Area: Total area is the sum of all land and water areas delimited by
international boundaries and/or coastlines. Land area is the aggregate of all
surfaces delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines, excluding
inland water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers). Comparative areas are based on
total area equivalents. Most entities are compared with the entire US or one of
the 50 states. The smaller entities are compared with Washington, DC (178 km2,
69 miles 2) or The Mall in Washington, DC (0.59 km2, 0.23 miles 2,146 acres).
Birth rate: The average annual number of births during a year per 1,000
population at midyear; also known as crude birth rate.
Dates of information: In general, information available as of 1 January 1993 was
used in the preparation of this edition. Population figures are estimates for 1
July 1993, with population growth rates estimated for calendar year 1993. Major
political events have been updated through June 1993.
Death rate: The average annual number of deaths during a year per l,000
population at midyear; also known as crude death rate.
Digraphs: The digraph is a two-letter "country code'' that precisely identifies
every entity without overlap, duplication, or omission. AF, for example, is the
digraph for Afghanistan. It is a standardized geopolitical data element
promulgated in the Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS)
10-3 by the National Bureau of Standards (US Department of Commerce) and
maintained by the Office of the Geographer (US Department of State). The digraph
is used to eliminate confusion and incompatibility in the collection,
processing, and dissemination of area-specific data and is particularly useful
for interchanging data between databases.
Diplomatic representation: The US Government has diplomatic relations with 180
nations. The US has diplomatic relations with 174 of the 182 UN members
(excluding the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia whose status in the UN
is unclear)--the exceptions are Angola, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Macedonia,
North Korea, and Vietnam. In addition, the US has diplomatic relations with 7
nations that are not in the UN-Andorra, Holy See, Kiribati, Nauru, Switzerland,
Tonga, and Tuvalu.
Economic aid: This entry refers to bilateral commitments of official development
assistance (ODA), which is defined as government grants that are administered
with the promotion of economic development and welfare of LDCs as their main
objective and are concessional in character and contain a grant element of at
least 25%, and other official flows (OOF) or transactions by the official sector
whose main objective is other than development motivated or whose grant element
is below the 25% threshold for ODA. OOF transactions include official export
credits (such as Ex-Im Bank credits), official equity and portfolio investment,
and debt reorganization by the official sector that does not meet concessional
terms. Aid is considered to have been committed when agreements are initialed by
the parties involved and constitute a formal declaration of intent.
Entities: Some of the nations, dependent areas, areas of special sovereignty,
and governments included in this publication are not independent, and others are
not officially recognized by the US Government. "Nation'' refers to a people
politically organized into a sovereign state with a definite territory.
"Dependent area" refers to a broad category of political entities that are
associated in some way with a nation. Names used for page headings are usually
the short-form names as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names. There are
266 entities in The World Factbook that may be categorized as follows: