Central Intelligence Agency

Mission

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an independent US Government agency responsible for providing national security intelligence to senior US policymakers.

To learn more, visit CIA Vision, Mission & Values.

The Work of a Nation. The Center of Intelligence

references :: the world factbook users guide

Buttons ::

The World Factbook's World entry.

The right side of each Factbook entry (termed a field) displays a Field Listing button, which takes users to a complete list of all the entries in that particular field. A Field Listing displays this information for all countries in alphabetical order.

Use this button to download the data you are viewing.

For countries with an available sound file, use the play button (far left) to hear the national anthem.

Regional and World Maps ::

The Regional and World Maps page contains a variety of JPG and PDF maps, by geographic region, covering the entire globe. Also available are World maps, a World Oceans map, and a Time Zone map.

Access through the Reference tab > Regional and World Maps OR the 'Regional and World Maps' button on the home page.

Flags of the World ::

The Flags of the World page houses color images of national flags. Clicking on the Flag button will display a larger image of the flag, in a new window, accompanied by a description. The country button links to the country entry.

	Access through the Reference tab > Flags of the World OR the 'Flags of the World' button on the home page.
Note that the same large flag file and description is accessible by clicking on the small flag image in a country entry.

Gallery of Covers ::

The Gallery of Covers page displays all the front and back cover designs of The World Factbook since 1981. Clicking on the image displays a larger version. The buttons underneath the large cover image allow users to scroll through the different covers.

	Access through the References tab > Gallery of covers.

Definitions and Notes ::

The Definitions and Notes page is an alphabetical listing of terms used in the Factbook and their definitions. Use the Alphabet in the top right corner to jump to a specific section based on the first letter of the term.

The right side of each Factbook entry (termed a field) displays a Field Listing button, which takes users to a complete list of all the entries in that particular field (see example below).

Access through the References tab > Definitions and Notes OR simply click on any hyperlinked field title in any country entry.

Guide to Country Profiles ::

The Guide to Country Profiles page is a listing of all of the fields that can possibly appear in a country entry. For most fields, if no information is available that field will NOT show up in the Country Profile. Clicking on the fields in the Guide to Country Profiles will bring you to the definition of that field OR an NA will appear. The right side of each Factbook entry (termed a field) displays a Field Listing button, which takes users to a complete list of all the entries in that particular field.

Access through the References tab > Guide to Country Profiles

Guide to Country Comparisons ::

The Guide to Country Comparisons lists all of the fields that contain rankings, comparing country to country. Clicking on the field name links to the rank order page. Clicking on a country name in the sorted list jumps to the country page.

Access through the References tab > Guide to Country Comparisons OR the button on the home page OR the underlined numbers included in select fields.

Not all Country Comparisons include the same number of entries because information for a particular field is not available for all countries. In addition, not all data fields are suitable for displaying as Country Comparisons, such as those containing textual information. Textual information is more readily viewed by clicking on the Field Listing button next to the Factbook entry title.

All of the Country Comparisons pages can be downloaded as tab-delimited data files and can be opened in other applications such as spreadsheets and databases. To save a Country Comparisons page in a spreadsheet, first click on the "Download Datafile" choice above the Country Comparisons page you selected; then, at the top of your browser window, click on "File" and "Save As." After saving the file, open the spreadsheet, find the saved file, and "Open" it.

Appendices ::

A: Abbreviations This handy appendix provides definitions for all the abbreviations found in the Factbook. Abbreviations may be acronyms or shortened titles and terms. Use the alphabet in the top right to navigate to the abbreviation you are looking for.


	Access through the Appendices tab > A: Abbreviations.

B: International Organizations and Groups Appendix B contains descriptions of International Organizations and groupings of countries. The text describes the purpose or the parameters of the group or organization, and provides a list of member states. Use the alphabet in the top right.


	Access through the Appendices tab > B: International Organizations and Groups.

C: Selected International Environmental Agreements This appendix outlines the objectives and parties involved in a select number of Environmental Agreements. Also listed are the important dates relating to signature and enactment. Use the alphabet in the top right to navigate.


	Access through the Appendices tab > C: Selected International Environmental Agreements.

D: Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes A one stop shop for the various codes used to identify countries; includes Geoploitical Entities and Codes (formerly FIPS PUB 10), ISO 3166, STANAG 1059, and Internet. The definitions for the different codes reside at the top of the page. Use the alphabet in the top right to navigate. The country names are hyperlinks that jump directly to a country's page.


	Access through the Appendices tab > D: Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes.

E: Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes This appendix is similar to Appendix D except the codes relate to the Oceans and Seas of the World.

Access through the Appendices tab > E: Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes.

F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names Appendix F is a compilation of the various names (current and former) used to refer to geographic areas, countries, regions, cities, etc. Also included are the coordinates of the listed geographic name. Use the alphabet in the top right to navigate.


	Access through the Appendices tab > F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names.

G: Weights and Measures Charts of unit conversions and mathematical notations may be found here.

Access through the Appendices tab > G: Weights and Measures.

The online Factbook is updated weekly. ISSN 1553-8133
For additional information on government leaders in selected foreign countries, go to World Leaders.