collective generic terms have to be used. For example, the word
Country in the Country name entry refers to a wide variety of
dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, uninhabited islands, and
other entities in addition to the traditional countries or
independent states. Military is also used as an umbrella term for
various civil defense, security, and defense activities in many
entries. The Independence entry includes the usual colonial
independence dates and former ruling states as well as other
significant nationhood dates such as the traditional founding date
or the date of unification, federation, confederation,
establishment, or state succession that are not strictly
independence dates. Dependent areas have the nature of their
dependency status noted in this same entry.
Terrain
This entry contains a brief description of the topography.
Time difference
This entry is expressed in The World Factbook in two ways. First, it
is stated as the difference in hours between the capital of an
entity and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) during Standard Time.
Additionally, the difference in time between the capital of an
entity and that observed in Washington, D.C. is also provided. Note
that the time difference assumes both locations are simultaneously
observing Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time.
Time zones
Ten countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Kazakhstan,
Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, and the United States) and the
island of Greenland observe more than one official time depending on
the number of designated time zones within their boundaries. An
illustration of time zones throughout the world and within countries
can be seen in the Standard Time Zones of the World map included in
the Reference Maps section of The World Factbook.
Total fertility rate
This entry gives a figure for the average number of children that
would be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their
childbearing years and bore children according to a given fertility
rate at each age. The total fertility rate (TFR) is a more direct
measure of the level of fertility than the crude birth rate, since
it refers to births per woman. This indicator shows the potential
for population change in the country. A rate of two children per
woman is considered the replacement rate for a population, resulting
in relative stability in terms of total numbers. Rates above two
children indicate populations growing in size and whose median age
is declining. Higher rates may also indicate difficulties for
families, in some situations, to feed and educate their children and
for women to enter the labor force. Rates below two children
indicate populations decreasing in size and growing older. Global
fertility rates are in general decline and this trend is most
pronounced in industrialized countries, especially Western Europe,
where populations are projected to decline dramatically over the
next 50 years.
Total renewable water resources
This entry provides the long-term average water availability for a
country in cubic kilometers of precipitation, recharged ground
water, and surface inflows from surrounding countries. The values
have been adjusted to account for overlap resulting from surface
flow recharge of groundwater sources. Total renewable water
resources provides the water total available to a country but does
not include water resource totals that have been reserved for
upstream or downstream countries through international agreements.
Note that these values are averages and do not accurately reflect
the total available in any given year. Annual available resources
can vary greatly due to short-term and long-term climatic and
weather variations.
Trafficking in persons
Trafficking in persons is modern-day slavery, involving victims who
are forced, defrauded, or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation.
The International Labor Organization (ILO), the UN agency charged
with addressing labor standards, employment, and social protection
issues, estimates that 12.3 million people worldwide are enslaved in
forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, sexual servitude,
and involuntary servitude at any given time. Human trafficking is a
multi-dimensional threat, depriving people of their human rights and
freedoms, risking global health, promoting social breakdown,
inhibiting development by depriving countries of their human
capital, and helping fuel the growth of organized crime. In 2000,
the US Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act
(TVPA), reauthorized in 2003 and 2005, which provides tools for the
US to combat trafficking in persons, both domestically and abroad.
One of the law's key components is the creation of the US Department
of State's annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which assesses the
government response (i.e., the current situation) in some 150
countries with a significant number of victims trafficked across
their borders who are recruited, harbored, transported, provided, or
obtained for forced labor or sexual exploitation. Countries in the
annual report are rated in three tiers, based on government efforts
to combat trafficking. The countries identified in this entry are
those listed in the 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report as Tier 2
Watch List or Tier 3 based on the following tier rating definitions:
Tier 2 Watch List countries do not fully comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking but are making
significant efforts to do so, and meet one of the following criteria:
1. they display high or significantly increasing number of victims,
2. they have failed to provide evidence of increasing efforts to
combat trafficking in persons, or,
3. they have committed to take action over the next year.
Tier 3 countries neither satisfy the minimum standards for the
elimination of trafficking nor demonstrate a significant effort to
do so. Countries in this tier are subject to potential
non-humanitarian and non-trade sanctions.
Transnational issues
This category includes four entries - Disputes - international,
Refugees and internally displaced persons, Trafficking in persons,
and Illicit drugs - that deal with current issues going beyond
national boundaries.
Transportation
This category includes the entries dealing with the means for
movement of people and goods.
Transportation - note
This entry includes miscellaneous transportation information of
significance not included elsewhere.
U
Unemployment rate
This entry contains the percent of the labor force that is without
jobs. Substantial underemployment might be noted.
Urbanization
This entry provides two measures of the degree of urbanization of a
population. The first, urban population, describes the percentage of
the total population living in urban areas, as defined by the
country. The second, rate of urbanization, describes the projected
average rate of change of the size of the urban population over the
given period of time. Additionally, the World entry includes a list
of the ten largest urban agglomerations. An urban agglomeration is
defined as comprising the city or town proper and also the suburban
fringe or thickly settled territory lying outside of, but adjacent
to, the boundaries of the city.
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time)
See entry for Coordinated Universal Time.
W
Waterways
This entry gives the total length of navigable rivers, canals, and
other inland bodies of water.
Weights and Measures
This information is presented in This information is presented in <a
href = "../appendix/appendix-g.html"Appendix G: Weights and Measures
and includes mathematical notations (mathematical powers and names),
metric interrelationships (prefix; symbol; length, weight, or
capacity; area; volume), and standard conversion factors.
Y
Years
All year references are for the calendar year (CY) unless indicated
as fiscal year (FY). The calendar year is an accounting period of 12
months from 1 January to 31 December. The fiscal year is an
accounting period of 12 months other than 1 January to 31 December.
Note: Information for the US and US dependencies was complied from
material in the public domain and does not represent Intelligence
Community estimates.
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About :: History
A Brief History of Basic Intelligence and The World Factbook
The Intelligence Cycle is the process by which information is
acquired, converted into intelligence, and made available to
policymakers. Information is raw data from any source, data that may
be fragmentary, contradictory, unreliable, ambiguous, deceptive, or
wrong. Intelligence is information that has been collected,
integrated, evaluated, analyzed, and interpreted. Finished
intelligence is the final product of the Intelligence Cycle ready to
be delivered to the policymaker.
The three types of finished intelligence are: basic, current, and
estimative. Basic intelligence provides the fundamental and factual
reference material on a country or issue. Current intelligence
reports on new developments. Estimative intelligence judges probable
outcomes. The three are mutually supportive: basic intelligence is
the foundation on which the other two are constructed; current
intelligence continually updates the inventory of knowledge; and
estimative intelligence revises overall interpretations of country
and issue prospects for guidance of basic and current intelligence.
The World Factbook, The President's Daily Brief, and the National
Intelligence Estimates are examples of the three types of finished
intelligence.
The United States has carried on foreign intelligence activities
since the days of George Washington but only since World War II have
they been coordinated on a government-wide basis. Three programs
have highlighted the development of coordinated basic intelligence
since that time: (1) the Joint Army Navy Intelligence Studies
(JANIS), (2) the National Intelligence Survey (NIS), and (3)The
World Factbook .
During World War II, intelligence consumers realized that the
production of basic intelligence by different components of the US
Government resulted in a great duplication of effort and conflicting
information. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 brought
home to leaders in Congress and the executive branch the need for
integrating departmental reports to national policymakers. Detailed
and coordinated information was needed not only on such major powers
as Germany and Japan, but also on places of little previous
interest. In the Pacific Theater, for example, the Navy and Marines
had to launch amphibious operations against many islands about which
information was unconfirmed or nonexistent. Intelligence authorities
resolved that the United States should never again be caught
unprepared.
In 1943, Gen. George B. Strong (G-2), Adm. H. C. Train (Office of
Naval Intelligence - ONI), and Gen. William J. Donovan (Director of
the Office of Strategic Services - OSS) decided that a joint effort
should be initiated. A steering committee was appointed on 27 April
1943 that recommended the formation of a Joint Intelligence Study
Publishing Board to assemble, edit, coordinate, and publish the
Joint Army Navy Intelligence Studies (JANIS). JANIS was the first
interdepartmental basic intelligence program to fulfill the needs of
the US Government for an authoritative and coordinated appraisal of
strategic basic intelligence. Between April 1943 and July 1947, the
board published 34 JANIS studies. JANIS performed well in the war
effort, and numerous letters of commendation were received,
including a statement from Adm. Forrest Sherman, Chief of Staff,
Pacific Ocean Areas, which said, "JANIS has become the indispensable
reference work for the shore-based planners."
The need for more comprehensive basic intelligence in the postwar
world was well expressed in 1946 by George S. Pettee, a noted author
on national security. He wrote in The Future of American Secret
Intelligence (Infantry Journal Press, 1946, page 46) that world
leadership in peace requires even more elaborate intelligence than
in war. "The conduct of peace involves all countries, all human
activities - not just the enemy and his war production."
The Central Intelligence Agency was established on 26 July 1947 and
officially began operating on 18 September 1947. Effective 1 October
1947, the Director of Central Intelligence assumed operational
responsibility for JANIS. On 13 January 1948, the National Security
Council issued Intelligence Directive (NSCID) No. 3, which
authorized the National Intelligence Survey (NIS) program as a
peacetime replacement for the wartime JANIS program. Before adequate
NIS country sections could be produced, government agencies had to
develop more comprehensive gazetteers and better maps. The US Board
on Geographic Names (BGN) compiled the names; the Department of the
Interior produced the gazetteers; and CIA produced the maps.
The Hoover Commission's Clark Committee, set up in 1954 to study the
structure and administration of the CIA, reported to Congress in
1955 that: "The National Intelligence Survey is an invaluable
publication which provides the essential elements of basic
intelligence on all areas of the world. There will always be a
continuing requirement for keeping the Survey up-to-date." The
Factbook was created as an annual summary and update to the
encyclopedic NIS studies. The first classified Factbook was
published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was
published in June 1971. The NIS program was terminated in 1973
except for the Factbook, map, and gazetteer components. The 1975
Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales
through the US Government Printing Office (GPO). The Factbook was
first made available on the Internet in June 1997. The year 2010
marks the 63rd anniversary of the establishment of the Central
Intelligence Agency and the 67th year of continuous basic
intelligence support to the US Government by The World Factbook and
its two predecessor programs.
The Evolution of The World Factbook
National Basic Intelligence Factbook produced semiannually until
1980. Country entries include sections on Land, Water, People,
Government, Economy, Communications, and Defense Forces.
1981
Publication becomes an annual product and is renamed The World
Factbook. A total of 165 nations are covered on 225 pages.
1983
Appendices (Conversion Factors, International Organizations) first
introduced.
1984
Appendices expanded; now include: A. The United Nations, B. Selected
United Nations Organizations, C. Selected International
Organizations, D. Country Membership in Selected Organizations, E.
Conversion Factors.
1987
A new Geography section replaces the former separate Land and Water
sections. UN Organizations and Selected International Organizations
appendices merged into a new International Organizations appendix.
First multi-color-cover Factbook.
1988
More than 40 new geographic entities added to provide complete world
coverage without overlap or omission. Among the new entities are
Antarctica, oceans (Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific), and the
World. The front-of-the-book explanatory introduction expanded and
retitled to Notes, Definitions, and Abbreviations. Two new
Appendices added: Weights and Measures (in place of Conversion
Factors) and a Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names. Factbook
size reaches 300 pages.
1989
Economy section completely revised and now includes an Overview
briefly describing a country's economy. New entries added under
People, Government, and Communications.
1990
The Government section revised and considerably expanded with new
entries.
1991
A new International Organizations and Groups appendix added.
Factbook size reaches 405 pages.
1992
Twenty new successor state entries replace those of the Soviet Union
and Yugoslavia. New countries are respectively: Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,
Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine,
Uzbekistan; and Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia
and Montenegro, Slovenia. Number of nations in the Factbook rises to
188.
1993
Czechoslovakia's split necessitates new Czech Republic and Slovakia
entries. New Eritrea entry added after it secedes from Ethiopia.
Substantial enhancements made to Geography section.
1994
Two new appendices address Selected International Environmental
Agreements. The gross domestic product (GDP) of most developing
countries changed to a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis rather
than an exchange rate basis. Factbook size up to 512 pages.
1995
The GDP of all countries now presented on a PPP basis. New appendix
lists estimates of GDP on an exchange rate basis. Communications
category split; Railroads, Highways, Inland waterways, Pipelines,
Merchant marine, and Airports entries now make up a new
Transportation category. The World Factbook is first produced on
CD-ROM.
1996
Maps accompanying each entry now present more detail. Flags also
introduced for nearly all entities. Various new entries appear under
Geography and Communications. Factbook abbreviations consolidated
into a new Appendix A. Two new appendices present a Cross-Reference
List of Country Data Codes and a Cross-Reference List of
Hydrogeographic Data Codes. Geographic coordinates added to Appendix
H, Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names. Factbook size expands
by 95 pages in one year to reach 652.
1997
The World Factbook introduced onto the Internet. A special printed
edition prepared for the CIA's 50th anniversary. A schema or Guide
to Country Profiles introduced. New color maps and flags now
accompany each country profile. Category headings distinguished by
shaded backgrounds. Number of categories expanded to nine - the
current number - with the addition of an Introduction (for only a
few countries) and Transnational Issues (which includes
Disputes-international and Illicit drugs).
1998
The Introduction category with two entries, Current issues and
Historical perspective, expanded to more countries. Last year for
the production of CD-ROM versions of the Factbook.
1999
Historical perspective and Current issues entries in the
Introduction category combined into a new Background statement.
Several new Economy entries introduced. A new physical map of the
world added to the back-of-the-book reference maps.
2000
A new "country profile" added on the Southern Ocean. The Background
statements dramatically expanded to over 200 countries and
possessions. A number of new Communications entries added.
2001
Background entries completed for all 267 entities in the Factbook.
Several new HIV/AIDS entries introduced under the People category.
Revision begun on individual country maps to include elevation
extremes and a partial geographic grid. Weights and Measures
appendix deleted.
2002
New entry on Distribution of Family income - Gini index added.
Revision of individual country maps continued (process still
ongoing).
2003
In the Economy category, petroleum entries added for oil production,
consumption, exports, imports, and proved reserves, as well as
natural gas proved reserves.
2004
Bi-weekly updates launched on The World Factbook Web site.
Additional petroleum entries included for natural gas production,
consumption, exports, and imports. In the Transportation category,
under Merchant marine, subfields added for foreign-owned vessels and
those registered in other countries. Descriptions of the many forms
of government mentioned in the Factbook incorporated into the
Definitions and Notes.
2005
In the People category, a Major infectious diseases field added for
countries deemed to pose a higher risk for travelers. In the Economy
category, entries included for Current account balance, Investment,
Public debt, and Reserves of foreign exchange and gold. The
Transnational issues category expanded to include Refugees and
internally displaced persons. Category headings receive distinctive
colored backgrounds. These distinguishing colors are used in both
the printed and online versions of the Factbook. Size of the printed
Factbook reaches 702 pages.
2006
In the Economy category, national GDP figures now presented at
Official Exchange Rates (OER) in addition to GDP at purchasing power
parity (PPP). Entries in the Transportation section reordered;
Highways changed to Roadways, and Ports and harbors to Ports and
terminals.
2007
In the Government category, the Capital entry significantly expanded
with up to four subfields, including new information having to do
with time. The subfields consist of the name of the capital itself,
its geographic coordinates, the time difference at the capital from
coordinated universal time (UTC), and, if applicable, information on
daylight saving time (DST). Where appropriate, a special note is
added to highlight those countries with multiple time zones. A
Trafficking in persons entry added to the Transnational issues
category. A new appendix, Weights and Measures, (re)introduced to
the online version of the Factbook.
2008
In the Geography category, two fields focus on the increasingly
vital resource of water: Total renewable water resources and
Freshwater withdrawal. In the Economy category, three fields added
for: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home, Stock of direct
foreign investment - abroad, and Market value of publicly traded
shares. Concise descriptions of all major religions included in the
Definitions and Notes. Responsibility for printing of The World
Factbook turned over to the Government Printing Office.
2009
The online Factbook site completely redesigned with many new
features. In the People category, two new fields provide information
on education in terms of opportunity and resources: School Life
Expectancy and Education expenditures. Additionally, the
Urbanization entry expanded to include all countries. In the Economy
category, five fields added: Central bank discount rate, Commercial
bank prime lending rate, Stock of money, Stock of quasi money, and
Stock of domestic credit.
2010
In order to facilitate comparisons over time, dozens of the entries
in the Economy category expanded to include two (and in some cases
three) years' worth of data. A variety of enhancements introduced on
the Factbook Web site.
2011
Weekly updates inaugurated on the The World Factbook Web site. The
dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles results in two new listings:
Curacao and Sint Maarten. A Broadcast media field replaces the
former Radio broadcast stations and TV broadcast stations entries.
Concise descriptions of all major Legal systems incorporated into
the Definitions and Notes. In the Geography section, under Natural
hazards, a Volcanism subfield added for countries with historically
active volcanoes. In the Government category, a new National anthems
field introduced.
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