APPENDIX F :: CROSS-REFERENCE LIST OF GEOGRAPHIC NAMES
APPENDIX G :: WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
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
