The Project Gutenberg EBook of The 2010 CIA World Factbook, by United States. Central Intelligence Agency.

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: The 2010 CIA World Factbook

Author: United States. Central Intelligence Agency.

Release Date: April 11, 2011 [EBook #35830]

Language: English

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE 2010 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK ***

Produced by Al Haines

THE CIA WORLD FACTBOOK 2010

CONTENTS

What's New?

Did You Know?

Guide to Country Profiles

Countries and Locations

Field Listings

Rank Orders

Appendixes

Notes and Definitions

History of the CIA Factbook

Contributors and Copyright Information

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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THE WORLD FACTBOOK :: WHAT'S NEW

January 31, 2011

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.

January 25, 2011

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.

January 14, 2011

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.

January 07, 2011

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

December 30, 2010

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.

December 23, 2010

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.

December 17, 2010

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).

December 10, 2010

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.

November 30, 2010

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.

November 19, 2010

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

November 11, 2010

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.

November 05, 2010

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.

October 29, 2010

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.

October 22, 2010

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.

October 13, 2010

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.

October 08, 2010

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

October 01, 2010

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.

September 24, 2010

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."

September 17, 2010

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.

September 13, 2010

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.

September 03, 2010

In addition to various population,