The World Factbook staff thanks you for your comments, suggestions, updates, kudos, and corrections over the past years. The willingness of readers from around the world to share their observations and specialized knowledge is very helpful as we try to produce the best possible publications. Please feel free to continue to write and e-mail e-mail us. When submitting corrections or updates to the Factbook, please include your source(s) of information. At least two Factbook staffers review every submitted item. The sheer volume of correspondence precludes detailed personal replies, but we sincerely appreciate your time and interest in the Factbook. If you include your e-mail address we will at least acknowledge your note. Thank you again.
Answers
to many frequently asked questions (FAQs) are explained in
the Notes
and Definitions section in The World Factbook.
Please review this section to see if your question is already
answered there. In addition, we have compiled the following
list of FAQs to answer other common questions. Select from
the following categories to narrow your search:
General
Geography
Spelling and Pronunciation
Policies and Procedures
Technical
Can
you provide additional information for a specific country?
The staff cannot provide data beyond what appears
in The World Factbook. The format and information
in the Factbook are tailored to the specific requirements
of US Government officials and content is focused on their
current and anticipated needs. The staff welcomes suggestions
for new entries.
How
often is The World Factbook updated?
Formerly our Web site (and the published Factbook)
were only updated annually. Beginning in November 2001 we instituted
a new system of more frequent online updates. The World Factbook is currently updated every two weeks.
The
annual printed version of the Factbook is usually
released about midyear. US
Government officials may obtain information about Factbook availability
from their own organizations or through liaison channels
to the CIA. Other users may obtain sales information through
the following channels:
Superintendent
of Documents
P. O. Box 371954 Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954
Telephone: [1] (202) 512-1800
FAX: [1] (202) 512-2250
http://bookstore.gpo.gov
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Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: [1] (800) 553-6847 (only in the US);
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http://www.ntis.gov
Can
I use some or all of The World Factbook for my
Web site (book, research project, homework, etc.)?
The World Factbook is in the public domain
and may be used freely by anyone at anytime without seeking
permission. However, US Code prohibits use of the CIA seal
in a manner which implies that the CIA approved, endorsed,
or authorized such use. If you have any questions about your
intended use, you should consult with legal counsel. Further
information on The World Factbook's use is described
on the Contributors
and Copyright Information page. As a courtesy, please cite The
World Factbook when used.
Why
doesn't The World Factbook include information on states, departments,
provinces, etc., in the country format?
The World Factbook provides national-level information on countries,
territories, and dependencies, but not subnational administrative units
within a country. A good encyclopedia should provide state/province-level
information.
Is
it possible to access older editions of The World Factbook to
do comparative research and trend analysis?
Previous versions of the Factbook, beginning with the 2000 edition, are available for downloading - but not browsing - on the CIA Web site. Hardcopy editions for earlier years are available from libraries.
Would
it be possible to set up a partnership or collaboration
between the producers of The World Factbook and
other organizations or individuals?
The World Factbook does not partner with
other organizations or individuals, but we do welcome comments
and suggestions that such groups or persons choose to provide.
I
can’t find a geographic name for a particular country.
Why not?
The World Factbook is not a gazetteer (a dictionary
or index of places, usually with descriptive or statistical
information) and cannot provide more than the names of the
administrative divisions (in the Government category) and major
cities/towns (on the country maps). Our expanded Cross-Reference
List of Geographic Names, however, includes many of the world’s
major geographic features as well as historic (former) names
of countries and cities mentioned in The World Factbook.
Why
are Taiwan and the European Union listed out of alphabetical order at the end of
the Factbook entries?
Taiwan is listed after the regular entries because even though
the mainland People's Republic of China claims Taiwan, elected
Taiwanese authorities de facto administer the island
and reject mainland sovereignty claims. With the establishment
of diplomatic relations with China on January 1, 1979, the
US Government recognized the People's Republic of China as
the sole legal government of China, acknowledging the Chinese
position that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part
of China.
The European Union (EU) is not a country, but it has taken on many nation-like attributes and these are likely to be expanded in the future. A more complete explanation on the inclusion of the EU into the Factbook may be found in the Preliminary statement.
Since
we have an ambassador who represents the US at the Vatican,
why is this entity not listed in the Factbook?
Vatican City is found under Holy
See. The term "Holy See" refers to the authority,
jurisdiction, and sovereignty vested in the Pope and his advisors
to direct the worldwide Catholic Church. The Holy See has a
legal personality that allows it to enter into treaties as
the juridical equal of a state and to send and receive diplomatic
representatives. Vatican City, created in 1929 to administer
properties belonging to the Holy See in Rome, is recognized
under international law as a sovereign state, but it does not
send or receive diplomatic representatives. Consequently, Holy
See is included as a Factbook entry, with Vatican
City cross-referenced in the Geographic Names appendix.
Why is Palestine not listed in The World Factbook?
The areas that could potentially form a future Palestinian state -- the
West Bank and Gaza Strip -- do appear in the Factbook. These areas are
presently Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the
Israeli-Palestinian 1995 Interim Agreement; their permanent status is to
be determined through further negotiation.
Why
are the Golan Heights not shown as part of Israel or Northern
Cyprus with Turkey?
Territorial occupations/annexations not recognized by the United
States Government are not shown on US Government maps.
Why
don’t you include information on entities such as
Tibet, Kashmir, or Kosovo?
The World Factbook provides information on the administrative
divisions of a country as recommended by the United States
Board on Geographic Names (BGN). The BGN is a component of
the US Government that develops policies, principles, and procedures
governing the spelling, use, and application of geographic
names—domestic, foreign, Antarctic, and undersea. Its
decisions enable all departments and agencies of the US Government
to have access to uniform names of geographic features.
Also
included in the Factbook are entries on parts of
the world whose status has not yet been resolved (e.g., West
Bank, Spratly Islands). Specific regions within a country
or areas in dispute among countries are not covered.
What do you mean when you say that a country is "doubly landlocked"?
A doubly landlocked country is one that is separated from an ocean or an ocean-accessible sea by two intervening countries. Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein are the only countries that fit this definition.
Why is the area of the United States described as “slightly larger than China” in the Factbook , while other sources list China as larger in area than the United States?
It all depends on whether one is looking at total area (land and water) when making the comparison (which is the criterion used by the Factbook) or just land area (which excludes inland water features such as rivers or lakes).
Total area (combining land and water)
United States = 9,631,418 sq km
China = 9,596,960 sq km
Land only (without any water features)
United States = 9,161,923 sq km
China = 9,326,410 sq km
Why has The World Factbook dropped the four French departments of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion, and French Guiana?
The reason the four entities are no longer in The World Factbook is because their status has changed. While they are overseas departments of France, they are also now recognized as French regions, having equal status to the 22 metropolitan regions that make up European France. In other words, they are now recognized as being part of France proper. Their status is somewhat analogous to Alaska and Hawaii vis-a-vis the contiguous United States. Although separated from the larger geographic entity, they are still considered to be an integral part of it.
Why
is the spelling of proper names such as rulers, presidents,
and prime ministers in The World Factbook different
than their spelling in my country?
The Factbook staff applies the names and spellings
from the Chiefs of State link on the CIA Web site. The
World Factbook is prepared using the standard American
English computer keyboard and does not use any special characters,
symbols, or most diacritical markings in its spellings. Surnames
are always spelled with capital letters; they may appear first
in some cultures.
The
spelling of geographic names, features, cities, administrative
divisions, etc. in the Factbook differs from those
used in my country. Why is this?
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) recommends
and approves names and spellings. The BGN is the component
of the United States Government that develops policies, principles,
and procedures governing the spelling, use, and application
of geographic names—domestic, foreign, Antarctic, and
undersea. Its decisions enable all departments and agencies
of the US Government to use uniform names of geographic features.
(A note is usually included where changes may have
occurred but have not yet been approved by the BGN). The
World Factbook is prepared using the standard American
English computer keyboard and does not use any special characters,
symbols, or most diacritical markings in its spellings.
Why
doesn’t The World Factbook include pronunciations
of country or leader names?
There are too many variations in pronunciation among English-speaking
countries, not to mention English renditions of non-English
names, for pronunciations to be included. American English
pronunciations are included for some countries like
Qatar and Kiribati.
Why
is the name of the Labour party misspelled?
When American and British spellings of common English words
differ, The World Factbook always uses the American
spelling, even when these common words form part of a proper
name in British English.
What
is The World Factbook’s source for a specific
subject field?
The Factbook staff uses many different sources to
publish what we judge are the most reliable and consistent
data for any particular category. Space considerations preclude
a listing of these various sources.
The
names of some geographic features provided in the Factbook differ
from those used in other publications. For example, in
Asia the Factbook has Burma as the country name,
but in other publications Myanmar is used; also, the Factbook uses
Sea of Japan whereas other publications label it East Sea.
What is your policy on naming geographic features?
The Factbook staff follows the guidance of the United
States Board on Geographic Names (BGN). The BGN is the component
of the United States Government that develops policies, principles,
and procedures governing the spelling, use, and application
of geographic names—domestic, foreign, Antarctic, and
undersea. Its decisions enable all departments and agencies
of the US Government to have access to uniform names of geographic
features. The position of the BGN is that the names Burma and
Sea of Japan be used in official US Government maps and publications.
Why
is most of the statistical information in the Factbook given
in metric units, rather than the units standard to US measure?
US Federal agencies are required by the Metric Conversion Act
of 1975 (Public Law 94-168) and by Executive Order 12770 of
July 1991 to use the International System of Units, commonly
referred to as the metric system or SI. In addition, the metric
system is used by over 95 percent of the world's population.
Why
don’t you include information on minimum and maximum
temperature extremes?
The Factbook staff judges that this information would
only be useful for some (generally smaller) countries. Larger
countries can have large temperature extremes that do not represent
the landmass as a whole. In the future, such a category may
be adopted listing the extremes, but also adding a normal temperature
range found throughout most of a country’s territory.
What
information sources are used for the country flags?
Flag designs used in The World Factbook are those
recognized by the protocol office of the US Department of State.
Why
do your GDP (Gross Domestic Product) statistics differ
from other sources?
We have two sets of GDP dollar estimates in The World Factbook , one derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) calculations and the other derived using official exchange rates (OER). Other sources probably use one of the two. See the Notes and Definitions section on GDP and GDP methodology for more information.
On
the CIA Web site, Chiefs of State is updated weekly,
but the last update for the Factbook was an earlier
date. Why the discrepancy?
Although Chiefs of State and The World
Factbook both appear on the CIA Web site, they are produced
and updated by separate staffs. Chiefs of State includes
fewer countries but more leaders, and is updated more frequently
than The World Factbook, which has a much larger database,
and includes all countries.
Some
percentage distributions do not add to 100. Why not?
Because of rounding, percentage distributions do not always
add precisely to 100%. Rounding of numbers always results in
a loss of precision—i.e., error. This error becomes apparent
when percentage data are totaled, as the following two examples
show:
| |
Original
Data
|
Rounded
to whole integer
|
| Example
1 |
43.2
|
43
|
| |
30.4
|
30
|
| |
26.4
|
26
|
| |
100.0
|
99
|
| |
|
|
| Example
2 |
42.8
|
43
|
| |
31.6
|
32
|
| |
25.6
|
26
|
| |
100.0
|
101
|
When
this occurs, we do not force the numbers to add exactly to
100, because doing so would introduce additional error into
the distribution.
What
rounding convention does The World Factbook use?
In deciding on the number of digits to present, the Factbook staff
assesses the accuracy of the original data and the needs of
US Government officials. All of the economic data are processed
by computer—either at the source or by the Factbook staff.
The economic data presented in The Factbook, therefore,
follow the rounding convention used by virtually all numerical
software applications, namely, any digit followed by a "5" is
rounded up to the next higher digit, no matter whether the
original digit is even or odd. Thus, for example, when rounded
to the nearest integer, 2.5 becomes 3, rather than 2, as occurred
in some pre-computer rounding systems.
Why do you list “Independence” dates for countries like France, Germany, and the United Kingdom?
For most countries, this entry presents the date that sovereignty was achieved and from which nation, empire, or trusteeship. For other countries, the date may be some other significant nationhood event such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, or state succession and so may not strictly be an “Independence” date. Dependent entities have the nature of their dependency status noted in this same entry.
Does The
World Factbook comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation
Act regarding accessibility of Web pages?
The World Factbook home page has a link entitled "Text/Low
Bandwidth Version." The country data in the text version
is fully accessible. We believe The World Factbook is
compliant with the Section 508 law in both fact and spirit.
If you are experiencing difficulty, please use our comment
form to provide us details of the specific problem you
are experiencing and the assistive software and/or hardware
that you are using so that we can work with our technical support
staff to find and implement a solution. We welcome visitors'
suggestions to improve accessibility of The World Factbook and
the CIA Web site.
I
am using the Factbook online and it is not working.
What is wrong?
Hundreds of “Factbook” look-alikes exist
on the Internet. The Factbook site at: www.cia.gov
is the only official site.
When
I attempt to download a PDF (Portable Document Format)
map file (or some other map) the file has no image. Can
you fix this?
Some of the files on The World Factbook Web site are
large and could take several minutes to download on a dial-up
connection. The screen might be blank during the download process.
When
I open a map on The World Factbook site, it is
fuzzy or granular, or too big or too small. Why?
Adjusting the resolution setting on your monitor should correct
this problem.
Is The
World Factbook country data available in machine-readable
format? All I can find is HTML, but I’m looking
for simple tabular data.
The Factbook Web site now features "Rank Order" pages
for selected Factbook entries. "Rank Order" pages
are available for those data fields identified with a small
bar chart icon located next to the title of the data entry.
In addition, all of the "Rank Order" pages can be
downloaded as tab-delimited data files that can be opened in
other applications such as spreadsheets and databases.
