Abbreviations

This information is included in the Abbreviations reference guide, which includes all abbreviations and acronyms used in the Factbook, with their expansions.

Administrative divisions

This entry gives the numbers, designatory terms, and first-order administrative divisions as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Changes that have been reported but not yet acted on by the BGN are noted. Geographic names conform to spellings approved by the BGN with the exception of the omission of diacritical marks and special characters.
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Age structure

This entry provides the distribution of the population according to age. Information is included by sex and age group as follows: 0-14 years (children), 15-64 years (working age), and 65 years and over (elderly). 
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Agricultural products

This entry provides a list of a country's most important agricultural products, listed by annual tonnage.
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Airports

This entry gives the total number of active airports or airfields and includes both civilian and military facilities. The runway(s) may be paved (concrete or asphalt surfaces) or unpaved (grass, earth, sand, or gravel surfaces). Airports or airfields that are closed are not included. Note that not all airports have accommodations for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control.
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Alcohol consumption per capita

This entry provides information on alcohol consumption per capita (APC), which is the recorded amount of alcohol consumed per capita by persons aged 15 years and over in a calendar year, measured in liters of pure alcohol. APC is broken down further into beer, wine, spirits, and other subfields. Beer includes malt beers, wine includes wine made from grapes, spirits include all distilled beverages, and other includes one or several other alcoholic beverages, such as fermented beverages made from sorghum, maize, millet, rice, or cider, fruit wine, and fortified wine. APC only takes into account the consumption that is recorded from production, import, export, and sales data, primarily derived from taxation.

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Area

This entry includes three subfields. Total area is the sum of all land and water areas delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines. Land area is the aggregate of all surfaces delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines, excluding inland water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers). Water area is the sum of the surfaces of all inland water bodies, such as lakes, reservoirs, or rivers, as delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines.
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Area - comparative

This entry provides an area comparison based on total area equivalents. Most entities are compared with the entire US or one of the 50 states based on area measurements (1990 revised) provided by the US Bureau of the Census. The smaller entities are compared with Washington, DC (178 sq km, 69 sq mi) or The Mall in Washington, DC (0.59 sq km, 0.23 sq mi, 146 acres).
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Area - rankings

This entry, which appears only in the World Geography category, provides rankings for the earth's largest (or smallest) continents, countries, oceans, islands, mountain ranges, or other physical features.
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Average household expenditures

This entry refers to the average consumer expenditures on food, alcohol, and tobacco for the country specified in a given year. The data is presented as a percentage of all goods and services consumed in private settings for personal or household uses.
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Background

This entry provides a brief introduction to each country, highlighting information like geographic details, early inhabitants, key leaders, and major historical events.
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Bathymetry

Bathymetry is the study of the depth and floors of bodies of water. This field describes the major bathymetric features found on the ocean floor. Specific bathymetric features associated with each of the following categories are listed for each ocean.

The continental shelf is a rather flat area of the sea floor adjacent to the coast that gradually slopes down from the shore to water depths of about 200 m (660 ft). It is narrow or nearly nonexistent in some places; in others, it extends for hundreds of miles.

The continental slope is where the bottom drops off more rapidly until it meets the deep-sea floor (abyssal plain) at about 3,200 m (10,500 ft) water depth. The continental slope can be indented by submarine canyons, often associated with the outflow of major rivers. Another feature of the continental slope are alluvial fans or cones of sediments carried downstream to the ocean by major rivers and deposited down the slope.

The abyssal plains, at depths of over 3,000 m (10,000 ft) and covering 70% of the ocean floor, are the largest habitat on earth. Despite their name, these “plains” are not uniformly flat and are interrupted by features like hills, valleys, and seamounts.

The mid-ocean ridge, rising up from the abyssal plain, is a continuous range of undersea volcanic mountains that encircles the globe almost entirely underwater. It is the longest mountain range on Earth at over 64,000 km (40,000 mi) long, rising to an average depth of 2,400 m (8,000 ft). Mid-ocean ridges form at divergent plate boundaries where two tectonic plates are moving apart and magma creates new crust.

Seamounts are submarine mountains at least 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high, formed from individual volcanoes on the ocean floor. They are distinct from the plate-boundary volcanic system of the mid-ocean ridges, because seamounts tend to be circular or conical. Flat-topped seamounts are known as "guyots."

Ocean trenches are the deepest parts of the ocean floor and are created by the process of subduction, when tectonic plates move toward each other and one plate sinks (is subducted) under another.

Atolls are the remains of dormant volcanic islands. In warm tropical oceans, coral colonies establish themselves on the margins of the island. Over time, the high elevation of the island collapses and erodes away to sea level, leaving behind an outline of the island in the form of the coral reef. The resulting island typically has a low elevation of sand and coral with an interior shallow lagoon.

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Birth rate

This entry gives the average annual births during a year per 1,000 persons in the population at midyear, which is also known as "crude birth rate." The birth rate is usually the dominant factor in determining the rate of population growth.
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Broadband - fixed subscriptions

This entry gives the total number of fixed-broadband subscriptions, as well as the number of subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. Fixed broadband is a physical wired connection to the Internet (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber) at speeds equal to or greater than 256 kilobits/second (256 kbit/s).
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Broadcast media

This entry provides information on the approximate number of public and private TV and radio stations in a country, as well as basic information on the availability of satellite and cable TV services.
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Budget

This entry includes revenues and expenditures. Revenues include central government receipts from taxes, social contributions, fees, and other income excluding grants. Expenditures are payments for operating activities of the central government, including wages for government employees, interest payments, subsidies, social benefits, and other outlays. Figures reported in local currency units have been converted to current US dollars using an average official exchange rate for the year indicated.
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Capital

This entry gives the name of the seat of government, its geographic coordinates, the time difference relative to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and the time observed in Washington, DC, and, if applicable, information on daylight saving time (DST). Where appropriate, a special time zone note has been added to highlight those countries that have multiple time zones. Finally, etymology explains how the capital acquired its name.
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Carbon dioxide emissions

This field refers to the amount of carbon dioxide released in a country by burning coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Data are reported in metric tonnes of CO2.
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Child marriage

This entry provides data on the prevalence of child marriage in a country. Data includes the percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before age 15, and before age 18; and men aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before age 18.

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Children under the age of 5 years underweight

This entry gives the percentage of children under five considered to be underweight, meaning that their weight-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the median weight-for-age of the reference population. This statistic is an indicator of the nutritional status of a community.

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Citizenship

This entry provides information related to the acquisition and exercise of citizenship; it includes four subfields:

citizenship by birth describes the acquisition of citizenship based on place of birth, known as Jus soli, regardless of the citizenship of parents.

citizenship by descent only describes the acquisition of citizenship based on the principle of Jus sanguinis, or by descent, where at least one parent is a citizen of the state and being born within the territorial limits of the state is not required. The majority of countries adhere to this practice. In some cases, citizenship is conferred through the father or mother exclusively.

dual citizenship recognized indicates whether a state permits a citizen to simultaneously hold citizenship in another state. Many states do not permit dual citizenship, and the voluntary acquisition of citizenship in another country is grounds for revocation of citizenship. Holding dual citizenship makes an individual legally obligated to more than one state and can negate the normal consular protections afforded to citizens outside their original country of citizenship.

residency requirement for naturalization lists the length of time an applicant is required to live in a country before applying for naturalization. In most countries, citizenship can be acquired through the legal process of naturalization. The requirements for naturalization vary but generally include no criminal record, good health, economic wherewithal, and a period of authorized residency.
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Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

This entry provides the one- or two-character alphanumeric code indicating the nationality of civil aircraft. An aircraft registration number consists of two parts: this alphanumeric code and a registration suffix of one-to-five characters for the specific aircraft. The prefix codes are based on radio call-signs allocated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to each country. Since 1947, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has managed code standards and their allocation.
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Climate

This entry includes a brief description of typical weather regimes throughout the year; in the World entry only, it includes four subfields that describe climate extremes:

ten driest places on earth (average annual precipitation) describes the annual average precipitation measured in both millimeters and inches for selected countries with climate extremes.

ten wettest places on earth (average annual precipitation) describes the annual average precipitation measured in both millimeters and inches for selected countries with climate extremes.

ten coldest places on earth (lowest average monthly temperature) describes temperature measured in both degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit, as well as the month of the year for selected countries with climate extremes.

ten hottest places on earth (highest average monthly temperature) describes the temperature measured both in degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit, as well the month of the year for selected countries with climate extremes.
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Coal

This field refers to a country's coal and metallurgical coke production, consumption, exports, imports, and proven reserves. These energy sources include anthracite, metallurgical, bituminous, subbituminous, lignite coal, and metallurgical coke. Proven reserves are the quantities of coal that have been assessed as commercially recoverable in the future based on known reservoirs and assuming current economic conditions. Data are reported in metric tons, and one metric ton is 1,000 kilograms.
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Coastline

This entry gives the total length of the boundary between the land area (including islands) and the sea.
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Communications

This category deals with the means of exchanging information and includes entries on telephones (fixed and mobile), telecommunication systems, broadcast media, internet users, and broadband subscriptions.
Communications - note
This entry includes miscellaneous communications information not included elsewhere.
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Constitution

This entry provides information on a country’s constitution and includes two subfields, history and amendment process.

history - the dates of previous constitutions and the main steps and dates in formulating and implementing the latest constitution. For countries with one to three previous constitutions, the years are listed; for those with four to nine previous, the entry is listed as "several previous", and for those with 10 or more, the entry is "many previous."

amendment process - summarizes the process of amending a country's constitution from proposal through passage. Where appropriate, summaries are composed from English-language translations of non-English constitutions, which derive from official or non-official translations or machine translators.

Terms commonly used to describe constitutional changes are "amended", "revised", or "reformed." Sources can differ as to whether changes are stated as new constitutions or are amendments/revisions to existing ones.

A few countries, including Canada, Israel, and the UK, have no single constitution document but have various written and unwritten acts, statutes, common laws, and practices that, when taken together, establish a body of fundamental principles or precedents for governance. Some countries, including Oman and Saudi Arabia, use the term "basic law" instead of constitution.
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Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)

UTC is the international atomic time scale that serves as the basis of timekeeping for most of the world. The hours, minutes, and seconds represent the time of day at the Prime Meridian (0º longitude) located near Greenwich, England, UK, as reckoned from midnight. UTC is calculated by the Bureau International des Poids et Measures (BIPM) in Sevres, France. UTC is the basis for all civil time, with the world divided into time zones expressed as positive or negative differences from UTC. UTC is also referred to as "Zulu time." See the Standard Time Zones of the World map included with the Reference Maps.

Country data codes

See Data codes.

Country map

Maps have been produced from the best information available at the time of preparation. Names and/or boundaries may have subsequently changed.

Country name

This entry includes all forms of a country's name approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (Italy is used as an example): conventional long form (Italian Republic), conventional short form (Italy), local long form (Repubblica Italiana), local short form (Italia), former (Kingdom of Italy), as well as the abbreviation (if applicable). Additionally, an etymology entry explains how the country acquired its name. See also Terminology.
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Current account balance

This entry records a country's net trade in goods and services, plus net earnings from rents, interest, profits, and dividends and net transfer payments (such as pension funds and worker remittances) to and from the rest of the world during the period specified. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
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Currently married women (ages 15-49)

This field provides the percentage of married or in-union women among women of reproductive age (15-49).
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Data codes

This information is presented in Country Data Codes and Hydrographic Data Codes.

Daylight Saving Time (DST)

This entry is included for those entities that have adopted a policy of adjusting the official local time forward, usually one hour, from Standard Time during summer months. Such policies are most common in mid-latitude regions.

Death rate

This entry gives the average annual number of deaths during a year per 1,000 persons at midyear, which is also known as "crude death rate." The death rate, while only a rough indicator of the mortality situation in a country, accurately indicates the current mortality impact on population growth. This indicator is significantly affected by age distribution, and most countries will eventually show a rise in the overall death rate, in spite of continued decline in mortality at all ages, as declining fertility and increased lifespans result in an aging population.
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Debt - external

This entry gives the total public and private debt owed to nonresidents, repayable in internationally accepted currencies, goods, or services. Where indicated, these figures represent the present value of external debt – the sum of short-term debt and discounted outstanding service payments for long-term debt over the lifetime of the loans. Data are in current US dollars for the year indicated.
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Dependency ratios

Dependency ratios are a measure of the age structure of a population. They calculate the number of individuals that are likely to be economically dependent on the support of others by contrasting the ratio of youths (ages 0-14) and the elderly (ages 65+) to the number of those in the working-age group (ages 15-64). As fertility levels decline, the dependency ratio initially falls because the proportion of youths decreases while the proportion of the population of working age increases. The dependency ratio then increases because the proportion of the population of working age starts to decline as the proportion of elderly persons continues to increase.

total dependency ratio - the ratio of combined youth population (ages 0-14) and elderly population (ages 65+) per 100 people of working age (ages 15-64). A high total dependency ratio indicates that the working-age population and the overall economy face a greater burden to support and provide social services for youth and elderly persons.

youth dependency ratio - the ratio of the youth population (ages 0-14) per 100 people of working age (ages 15-64). A high youth dependency ratio indicates that a country will be spending more on schooling and other services for children.

elderly dependency ratio - the ratio of the elderly population (ages 65+) per 100 people of working age (ages 15-64). Increases in the elderly dependency ratio require more government funding for pensions and healthcare.

potential support ratio - the number of working-age people (ages 15-64) per one elderly person (ages 65+). As a population ages, the potential support ratio tends to fall, meaning there are fewer potential workers to support the elderly.
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Dependency status

This entry describes the formal relationship between a particular nonindependent entity and an independent state.
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Dependent areas

This entry contains an alphabetical listing of all nonindependent entities associated in some way with a particular independent state.
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Diplomatic representation

The US Government has diplomatic relations with approximately 190 independent states, including nearly all of the 193 UN members (excluded UN members are Bhutan, Iran, North Korea, and the US itself). In addition, the US has diplomatic relations with two independent states that are not in the UN -- the Holy See and Kosovo -- as well as with the EU. The US also recognizes 64 dependencies and other sovereign areas.
Diplomatic representation from the US
This entry includes the chief of mission, embassy address, mailing address, telephone number, FAX number, email and website addresses, branch office locations, consulate general locations, and consulate locations. The use of the annotated title Ambassador-designate refers to a new ambassador who has presented a copy of his/her credentials to the minister of foreign affairs but not the chief of state. Such ambassadors fulfill all diplomatic functions except meeting with or appearing at functions attended by the chief of state until such time as they formally present their credentials to the chief of state (as noted in the entry).
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Diplomatic representation in the US

This entry includes the chief of mission, chancery address, telephone, FAX, email and website addresses, consulate general locations, and consulate locations. The use of the annotated title Ambassador-designate refers to a new ambassador who has presented his/her credentials to the secretary of state but not the US president. Such ambassadors fulfill all diplomatic functions except meeting with or appearing at functions attended by the president until such time as they formally present their credentials at a White House ceremony (as noted in the entry).
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Drinking water source

This entry provides the percentages of a country’s population with access to improved or unimproved drinking water.

improved: water that is free from fecal and chemical contamination and is available in under 30 minutes of travel

unimproved: water collected directly from a river, dam, lake, stream, irrigation canal, unprotected well, or unprotected spring; also includes access to improved water sources available in over 30 minutes of travel

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Economic overview

This entry summarizes the overall economic status for each country and can include information on domestic markets, public finance, trade, and key partners.
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Economy

This category includes the entries dealing with the size, development, and management of productive resources such as land, labor, and capital.
Education expenditure
This entry is presented both as a percentage of GDP and as a percentage of national budget of current and capital education expenditures.
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Electricity

This field refers to a country's installed generating capacities, consumption, exports, imports, and transmission/distribution losses.

installed generating capacity - the total capacity of a country's currently operational electric power generation, expressed in kilowatts (kW). A kilowatt produces one hour of continuously run electricity, commonly referred to as a kilowatt hour (kWh)

consumption - a country's total electricity generated annually plus any imports and minus exports, expressed in kWh

exports - a country's total exported electricity in kWh

imports - a country's total imported electricity in kWh

transmission/distribution losses - the combined difference between the amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported
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Electricity access

This entry provides information on access to electricity. Due to differences in definitions and methodology from different sources, data quality may vary from country to country. The data is collected from industry reports, national surveys, and international sources, and it consists of three subfields:

electrification – total population is the percentage of a country’s total population with access to electricity

electrification – urban areas is the percentage of a country’s urban population with access to electricity

electrification – rural areas is the percentage of a country’s rural population with access to electricity
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Electricity generation sources

This field refers a country's energy portfolio of fossil fuels, nuclear, solar, wind, hydroelectricity, tide and wave, geothermal, and biomass and waste. Portfolios are expressed as a percentage share of a country's total generating capacity.
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Elevation

This entry includes the mean elevation and the elevation extremes, or lowest point and highest point.
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Energy

This category includes entries dealing with the production, consumption, import, and export of various forms of energy, including electricity, crude oil, refined petroleum products, and natural gas.

Energy consumption per capita

This entry refers to a country's total energy consumption per capita, including the consumption of petroleum, dry natural gas, coal, net nuclear, hydroelectric, and non-hydroelectric renewable electricity. Data are reported in British thermal units per person (Btu/person).
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Entities

For this website, "independent state" refers to a people politically organized into a sovereign state with a definite territory. "Dependencies" and "areas of special sovereignty" refer to a broad category of political entities that are associated in some way with an independent state. Country names used in the table of contents or for page headings are usually the short-form names as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names and may include independent states, dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, or other geographic entities. Some of the entities included in this website are not officially recognized by the US Government.

The entities may be categorized as follows:

INDEPENDENT STATES
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

OTHER
Taiwan, European Union

DEPENDENCIES AND AREAS OF SPECIAL SOVEREIGNTY
Australia - Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island
China - Hong Kong, Macau
Denmark - Faroe Islands, Greenland
France - Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna
Netherlands - Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten
New Zealand - Tokelau
Norway - Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard
UK - Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
US - American Samoa, Baker Island*, Guam, Howland Island*, Jarvis Island*, Johnston Atoll*, Kingman Reef*, Midway Islands*, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll*, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island (* consolidated in United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges entry)
Antarctica
Gaza Strip
Paracel Islands
Spratly Islands
West Bank

OTHER ENTITIES
Oceans - Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Southern Ocean
World

Environmental agreements

This information is presented in Selected International Environmental Agreements, which includes the name, abbreviation, date opened for signature, date entered into force, objective, and parties by category.

Environmental issues

The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:

acidification - the lowering of soil and water pH due to acid precipitation and deposition usually through precipitation; this process disrupts ecosystem nutrient flows and may kill freshwater fish and plants dependent on more neutral or alkaline conditions (see acid rain)
acid rain - characterized as containing harmful levels of sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxide; acid rain is damaging and potentially deadly to the earth's fragile ecosystems; acidity is measured using the pH scale where 7 is neutral, values greater than 7 are considered alkaline, and values below 5.6 are considered acid precipitation; note - a pH of 2.4 (the acidity of vinegar) has been measured in rainfall in New England
biodiversity - also biological diversity; the relative number of species, diverse in form and function, at the genetic, organism, community, and ecosystem level; loss of biodiversity reduces an ecosystem's ability to recover from natural or man-induced disruption
catchments - assemblages used to capture and retain rainwater and runoff; an important water management technique in areas with limited freshwater resources, such as Gibraltar
DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane) - a colorless, odorless insecticide that has toxic effects on most animals; the use of DDT was banned in the US in 1972
defoliants - chemicals which cause plants to lose their leaves artificially; often used in agricultural practices for weed control and may have detrimental impacts on human and ecosystem health
deforestation - the destruction of vast areas of forest (e.g., unsustainable forestry practices, agricultural and range land clearing, and the over exploitation of wood products for use as fuel) without planting new growth
desertification - the spread of desert-like conditions in arid or semi-arid areas, due to overgrazing, loss of agriculturally productive soils, or climate change
dredging - the practice of deepening an existing waterway; also, a technique used for collecting bottom-dwelling marine organisms (e.g., shellfish) or harvesting coral, often causing significant destruction of reef and ocean-floor ecosystems
ecosystems - ecological units composed of complex communities of organisms and their specific environments
effluents - waste materials, such as smoke or sewage, that are released into the environment
endangered species - a species that is threatened with extinction through hunting or habitat destruction
freshwater - water with very low soluble mineral content; sources include lakes, streams, rivers, glaciers, and underground aquifers
greenhouse gas - a gas that "traps" infrared radiation in the lower atmosphere causing surface warming; water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, hydrofluorocarbons, and ozone are the primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere
groundwater - water sources found below the surface of the earth, often in naturally occurring reservoirs in permeable rock strata; the source for wells and natural springs
metallurgical plants - industries which specialize in the science, technology, and processing of metals; these plants produce highly concentrated and toxic wastes which can contribute to pollution of ground water and air when not properly disposed
overgrazing - permanent plant loss due to too many animals grazing limited range land
ozone shield - a layer of the atmosphere composed of ozone gas (O3) that resides approximately 25 miles above the Earth's surface and absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation that can be harmful to living organisms
poaching - the illegal killing of animals or fish
pollution - the contamination of an environment by man-made waste
potable water - water that is safe to be consumed
salination - the process through which fresh (drinkable) water becomes salt (undrinkable) water; also involves the accumulation of salts in topsoil caused by evaporation of excessive irrigation water, a process that can eventually render soil incapable of supporting crops
siltation - occurs when water channels and reservoirs become clotted with silt and mud, a side effect of deforestation and soil erosion
slash-and-burn agriculture - a rotating cultivation technique in which trees are cut down and burned in order to clear land for temporary agriculture; the land is used until its productivity declines at which point a new plot is selected and the process repeats
soil degradation - damage to the land's productive capacity because of poor agricultural practices such as the excessive use of pesticides or fertilizers, soil compaction from heavy equipment, or erosion of topsoil, eventually resulting in reduced ability to produce agricultural products
soil erosion - the removal of soil by the action of water or wind, compounded by poor agricultural practices, deforestation, overgrazing, and desertification
ultraviolet (UV) radiation - a portion of the electromagnetic energy emitted by the sun and naturally filtered in the upper atmosphere by the ozone layer
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Ethnic groups

This entry provides an ordered listing of ethnic groups, starting with the largest, and normally includes the percentage of the total population.
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Exchange rates

This entry provides the average annual price of a country's monetary unit for the time period specified, expressed in units of local currency per US dollar, as determined by international market forces or by official fiat. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 4217 alphabetic currency code for the national medium of exchange is presented in parenthesis. Closing daily exchange rates are not presented in The World Factbook but are used to convert stock values -- e.g., the market value of publicly traded shares -- to US dollars as of the specified date.
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Executive branch

This entry includes seven subentries (when the information is available):

chief of state includes the name, title, and beginning date in office of the leader who represents the state at official and ceremonial functions, but who may not be involved with the day-to-day activities of the government

head of government includes the name and title of the person designated to manage the executive branch, as well as the beginning date in office

cabinet includes the official name and the method of member selection

election/appointment process includes the process for accession to office

most recent election date also notes whether multiple rounds were required

election results includes each candidate's political affiliation and percentage of direct popular vote or indirect legislative/parliamentary vote

expected date of next election notes the year and sometimes the month and day of the next election, which can be subject to change

Most of the world's countries have separate chiefs of state and heads of government; for the remainder, the chief of state is also the head of government. In dependencies, territories, and collectivities of sovereign countries -- except those of the United States -- representatives are appointed to serve as chiefs of state.
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Exports

This entry provides the total US dollar amount of merchandise exports on an f.o.b. (free on board) basis. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
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Exports - commodities

This entry provides a listing of the highest-valued exported commodities.
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Exports - partners

This entry provides a rank ordering of trading partners starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the percentage of total dollar value.
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Flag

This entry provides a written flag description. The flags of independent states are used by their dependencies unless there is an officially recognized local flag. Some disputed entities and other areas do not have flags.
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Flag graphic

Most country profiles include an image of the country's flag. The flags of independent states are used by their dependencies unless there is an officially recognized local flag. Some disputed entities and other areas do not have flags.

GDP - composition, by end use

This entry shows who does the spending in an economy: consumers, businesses, government, and foreigners. Figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection. The percentage contribution to total GDP is shown in the following sub-entries:

household consumption consists of expenditures by resident households -- and nonprofit institutions that serve households -- on goods and services that individuals consume, including both domestically produced and foreign goods and services

government consumption consists of government expenditures on goods and services and excludes government transfer payments, such as interest on debt, unemployment, and social security

investment in fixed capital consists of total business spending on fixed assets, such as factories, machinery, equipment, dwellings, and raw materials, which provide the basis for future production

investment in inventories consists of net changes to the stock of outputs that are still held by the units that produce them, such as automobiles sitting on a dealer’s lot or groceries on the store shelves; the figure may be positive or negative

exports of goods and services consist of sales, barter, gifts, or grants of goods and services from residents to nonresidents

imports of goods and services consist of purchases, barter, or receipts of gifts, or grants of goods and services to residents from nonresidents; imports are treated as a negative to offset the fact that the expenditure figures for consumption, investment, government, and exports also include expenditures on imports; because of this negative offset, the sum of the other five items, excluding imports, will always total more than 100 percent of GDP
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GDP - composition, by sector of origin

This entry shows where production takes place in an economy. The distribution gives the percentage value-added contribution of agriculture, industry, and services to total GDP after adding outputs and subtracting intermediate inputs. Agriculture includes farming, fishing, hunting, and forestry. Industry includes mining, manufacturing, energy production, and construction. Services cover government activities, communications, transportation, finance, and all other private economic activities that do not produce material goods. Figures may not total 100 percent due to non-allocated consumption, including financial intermediary services indirectly measured (FISIM) not allocated by industry, and taxes less subsidies on products.
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GDP (official exchange rate)

This entry gives the gross domestic product (GDP) or value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. A nation's GDP at official exchange rates (OER) is the home-currency-denominated annual GDP figure divided by the bilateral average US exchange rate with that country in that year. 
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GDP methodology

In the Economy category, GDP dollar estimates for countries are reported both on a purchasing power parity (PPP) and an official exchange rate (OER) basis.

The PPP method uses standardized international dollar price weights, which are applied to the quantities of final goods and services produced in a given economy. This method probably provides the best starting point for comparisons of economic strength between countries.

The OER method involves a variety of international and domestic financial forces that may not capture the value of domestic output. PPP estimates for OECD countries are reliable, but PPP estimates for developing countries are often rough approximations.

GDP derived using the OER method should be used to calculate the share of items such as exports, imports, military expenditures, external debt, or the current account balance, because the dollar values presented in the Factbook for these items have been converted at official exchange rates, not at PPP. Comparison of OER GDP with PPP GDP may also indicate whether a currency is over- or under-valued.

note: The numbers for GDP and other economic data should not be chained together from successive versions of the Factbook because of changes in the US dollar measurement, revisions of data from statistical agencies, use of new or different sources of information, and changes in national statistical methods and practices.

Geographic coordinates

This entry includes rounded latitude and longitude figures for the center point of a country, expressed in degrees and minutes. It is based on the locations provided in the Geographic Names Server (GNS), maintained by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on behalf of the US Board on Geographic Names.
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Geographic names

This information is presented in list form in Geographic Names. It includes alternate, former, local, and regional names for one or more related Factbook entries. Spellings are usually those approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Alternate names and additional information are included in parentheses.

Geographic overview

This entry, which appears only in the Geography category under the World entry, provides basic geographic information about the earth's oceans and continents. The entry also lists all of the countries that compose each continent.
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Geography

This category includes the entries dealing with the natural environment and the effects of human activity on it.

Geography - note

This entry includes miscellaneous geographic information of significance that is not included elsewhere.
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Geoparks

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Global Geoparks are geographic areas with sites and landscapes of international geological significance. Global Geoparks use their geological heritage, in connection with all other aspects of the area’s natural and cultural heritage, to enhance awareness and understanding of key environmental issues facing society.
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Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

This entry measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country. The index is calculated from the Lorenz curve, in which cumulative family income is plotted against the number of families arranged from the poorest to the richest. The index is the ratio of (a) the area between a country's Lorenz curve and the 45-degree helping line to (b) the entire triangular area under the 45-degree line. The more nearly equal a country's income distribution, the closer its Lorenz curve to the 45-degree line and the lower its Gini index, e.g., a Scandinavian country with an index of 25. The more unequal a country's income distribution, the farther its Lorenz curve from the 45-degree line and the higher its Gini index, e.g., a Sub-Saharan country with an index of 50.
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GNP

Gross national product (GNP) is the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year, plus income earned by its citizens abroad, minus income earned by foreigners from domestic production. The Factbook, following current practice, uses GDP rather than GNP to measure national production. In certain countries, however, net remittances from citizens working abroad may be a significant component of the national economy.

Government

This category includes the entries dealing with the system for the adoption and administration of public policy.

Government - note

This entry includes miscellaneous government information of significance not included elsewhere.
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Government type

This entry lists the basic form of government for each country. Definitions of the governmental terms are as follows (note that for some countries more than one definition applies):

absolute monarchy - a form of government where the monarch rules unhindered by laws, constitution, or legally organized opposition
authoritarian - a form of government in which state authority is imposed onto many aspects of citizens' lives
commonwealth - a nation, state, or other political entity founded on law and united by a compact of the people for the common good
communist - a system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single -- often authoritarian -- party holds power; the state imposes controls and eliminates private ownership of property or capital, while claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which people equally share all goods in a classless society
constitutional - a government operating under an authoritative document (constitution) that sets forth the system of fundamental laws and principles that determine the nature, functions, and limits of that government
constitutional democracy - a form of government in which the sovereign power of the people is spelled out in a governing constitution
constitutional monarchy - a system of government in which a monarch is guided by a constitution whereby his/her rights, duties, and responsibilities are spelled out in written law or by custom
democracy - a form of government in which the supreme power is retained by the people, but which is usually exercised indirectly through a system of representation and delegated authority periodically renewed
democratic republic - a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them
dictatorship - a form of government in which a ruler or small clique wield absolute power (not restricted by a constitution or laws)
ecclesiastical - a government administrated by a church
emirate - similar to a monarchy or sultanate, but a government in which the supreme power is in the hands of an emir (the ruler of a Muslim state); the emir may be an absolute overlord or a sovereign with constitutionally limited authority
federal (federation) - a form of government in which sovereign power is formally divided -- usually by means of a constitution -- between a central authority and a number of constituent regions (states, colonies, or provinces), so that each region retains some management of its internal affairs; differs from a confederacy in that the central government exerts influence directly on both individuals and the regional units
federal republic - a state in which the powers of the central government are restricted and in which the component parts (states, colonies, or provinces) retain a degree of self-government; ultimate sovereign power rests with the voters who chose their governmental representatives
monarchy - a government in which the supreme power is in the hands of a monarch who reigns over a state or territory, usually for life and by hereditary right; the monarch may be either a sole absolute ruler or a sovereign -- such as a king, queen, or prince -- with constitutionally limited authority
oligarchy - a government in which a small group of individuals exercises control
parliamentary democracy - a political system in which the party with the most votes in the legislature (parliament) selects the government -- a prime minister, premier, or chancellor and the cabinet ministers; by this system, the government has a responsibility to the people as well as to the parliament
parliamentary government (cabinet-parliamentary government) - a government in which a legislature or parliament nominates members of an executive branch (the cabinet and its leader -- a prime minister, premier, or chancellor); this type of government can be dissolved at will by the parliament (legislature) through a no-confidence vote, or the leader of the cabinet may dissolve the parliament if it can no longer function
parliamentary monarchy - a state headed by a monarch who is not actively involved in policy formation or implementation and may have only a ceremonial capacity; governmental leadership is carried out by a cabinet and its head -- a prime minister, premier, or chancellor -- who are drawn from a legislature (parliament)
presidential - a system of government where the executive branch exists separately from a legislature (to which it is generally not accountable)
republic - a representative democracy in which the people's elected deputies (representatives), not the people themselves, vote on legislation
sultanate - similar to a monarchy, but a government in which the supreme power is in the hands of a sultan (the head of a Muslim state); the sultan may be an absolute ruler or a sovereign with constitutionally limited authority
theocracy - a form of government in which a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, but ecclesiastical authorities interpret (bishops, mullahs, etc.) the deity's laws; a government subject to religious authority
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Gross domestic product

See GDP

Gross national product

See GNP

Gross reproduction rate

This entry presents the average number of daughters born alive that a group of women would have in their lifetime if the age-specific fertility rate were to apply to them in a given period, usually a calendar year. It is a measure of replacement fertility that indicates whether the current generation of daughters will replace the preceding generation of women. 
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Gross world product

See GWP

GWP

This entry gives the gross world product (GWP) or aggregate value of all final goods and services produced worldwide in a given year.
Health expenditure
This entry is presented both as a percentage of GDP and as a percentage of national budget. The expenditures are broadly defined as activities performed either by institutions or individuals through the application of medical, paramedical, and/or nursing knowledge and technology, the primary purpose of which is to promote, restore, or maintain health.
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Heliports

This entry gives the total number of heliports with helicopter pads and no runways available for fixed-wing aircraft. 
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Hospital bed density

This entry provides the number of hospital beds per 1,000 people; it serves as a general measure of inpatient service availability. Hospital beds include inpatient beds available in public, private, general, and specialized hospitals and rehabilitation centers. In most cases, beds for both acute and chronic care are included. The calculation is based on population numbers reported for the year of information.
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Household income or consumption by percentage share

Data on household income or consumption come from household surveys, with the results adjusted for household size. Nations use different standards and procedures in collecting and adjusting the data. Surveys based on income will normally show a more unequal distribution than surveys based on consumption. 
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Hydrographic data codes

See Data codes

Illicit drugs

This entry identifies countries that are on at least one of two lists provided in the US State Department’s annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, which is prepared for the US Congress: 1.) major illicit drug-producing and/or major drug-transit countries and 2.) countries that are major sources of precursor chemicals used in the production of illicit drugs. The report draws on data from the year prior to the publication date.

major illicit drug-producing country - cultivates or harvests 1,000 hectares or more of illicit opium poppy per year; cultivates or harvests 1,000 hectares or more of illicit coca per year; or cultivates or harvests 5,000 hectares or more of illicit cannabis per year (unless the US President determines that such cannabis production does not significantly affect the United States)

major drug-transit country - a significant direct source of illicit narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances significantly affecting the United States, or through which are transported such drugs or substances

major precursor-chemical producer - a significant source of the chemicals required to produce illicit drugs; these chemicals usually have legitimate uses as well

A country’s presence on one or both of the lists is not necessarily a reflection of its government’s counterdrug efforts or level of cooperation with the United States. The lists are not a sanction or penalty.

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Imports

This entry provides the total US dollar amount of merchandise imports on a c.i.f. (cost, insurance, and freight) or f.o.b. (free on board) basis. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
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Imports - commodities

This entry provides a listing of the highest-valued imported commodities.
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Imports - partners

This entry provides a rank ordering of trading partners starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the percentage of total dollar value.
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Independence

For most countries, this entry gives the date that sovereignty was achieved and from which nation, empire, or trusteeship. For the other countries, the date given may not represent "independence" in the strict sense, but rather a significant nationhood event such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, fundamental change in the form of government, or state succession. For a number of countries, the establishment of statehood was a lengthy process occurring over decades or even centuries; in such cases, several significant dates are cited. Dependent areas include the notation "none," followed by the nature of their dependency status. See also Terminology.
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Industrial production growth rate

This entry gives the annual percentage increase in industrial production (includes manufacturing, mining, and construction).
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Industries

This entry provides a rank ordering of industries starting with the largest by value of annual output.
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Infant mortality rate

This entry gives the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year. Data is provided for the total per 1,000 live births, as well as the number of male and female per 1,000 live births. 
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)

This entry provides the annual inflation rate, as calculated by the percentage change in current consumer prices from the previous year's consumer prices.
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International disputes

see Disputes - international

International environmental agreements

This entry separates country participation in international environmental agreements into two levels: party to and signed, but not ratified. Agreements are listed in alphabetical order by the abbreviated form of the full name.
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International law organization participation

This entry includes information on a country's acceptance of jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and of the International Criminal Court (ICCt). The reference page on International Organizations and Groups explains the differing mandates of the ICJ and ICCt.
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International organization participation

This entry lists in alphabetical order by abbreviation the international organizations in which a country is a member or participates in some other way.
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Internet country code

This entry includes the two-letter codes maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the ISO 3166 Alpha-2 list and used by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to establish country-coded top-level domains (ccTLDs).
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Internet users

This entry gives the percentage of population with Internet access. Statistics may include users who access the Internet at least several times a week and those who access it only once within a period of several months.
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Introduction

This category includes one entry, Background.

Irrigated land

This entry gives the number of square kilometers of land area that is artificially supplied with water.
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Judicial branch

This entry includes three subfields. The highest court(s) subfield includes the name(s) of a country's highest court(s), the number and titles of the judges, and the types of cases the court hears. A number of countries have separate constitutional courts. The judge selection and term of office subfield includes the organizations and associated officials responsible for nominating and appointing judges, and a brief description of the process. Also included are judges' tenures, which can range from a few years to lifelong appointments. The subordinate courts subfield lists the lower courts in a country's court system hierarchy. A few countries with federal-style governments also have separate state- or province-level court systems, though generally the systems all interact.
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Key space-program milestones

This entry lists key events and advances made in each country's space program since it was founded.
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Labor force

This entry contains the total labor force figure.
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Land boundaries

This entry contains the total length of all land boundaries and the individual lengths for each of the contiguous border countries. When available, official lengths published by national statistical agencies are used. Because surveying methods differ, contiguous countries may report different country border lengths.
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Land use

This entry lists three different types of land use for a country's total land area: agricultural land, forest, and other.

Agricultural land is further divided into arable land (cultivated for crops that are replanted after each harvest), permanent crops (crops that are not replanted after each harvest, including land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines), and permanent pastures and meadows (used for at least five years to grow herbaceous forage, either cultivated or growing naturally). Forest is land spanning more than 0.5 hectare with trees higher than five meters and a canopy cover of more than 10%, including windbreaks, shelterbelts, and corridors of trees greater than 0.5 hectare and at least 20 m wide. Land classified as other includes built-up areas, roads and other transportation features, barren land, and wasteland.
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Languages

This entry provides a listing of languages spoken in each country and specifies any that are official national or regional languages. When data is available, the languages spoken in each country are broken down according to the percentage of the total population speaking each language as a first language, unless otherwise noted. For those countries without available data, languages are listed in rank order based on prevalence, starting with the most-spoken language.
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Legal system

This entry provides descriptions of countries' legal systems, modeled on elements of five main types: civil law (including French law, the Napoleonic Code, Roman law, Roman-Dutch law, and Spanish law); common law (including United States law); customary law; mixed or pluralistic law; and religious law (including Islamic law). International law, which governs nations' interactions, and a variant known as European Union law are also addressed below.

civil law - the most widespread type, also referred to as European continental law and applied in various forms in approximately 150 countries; derived mainly from the Roman Corpus Juris Civilus (Body of Civil Law), compiled under the East Roman (Byzantine) Emperor Justinian I between A.D. 528 and 565; major feature is organization into systematic written codes; legislation -- especially codifications in constitutions or government statutes -- is considered the primary authority, and secondarily custom
common law - often called "English common law;" England and Wales use the system in the UK; also in force in approximately 80 countries with ties to the former British Empire; has Biblical influences and remnants of early legal systems, including Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Norman; sometimes attributed to King Henry II (r.1154-1189); foundation is "legal precedent," often referred to as stare decisis ("to stand by things decided"), in which judges follow the precedent set by earlier court decisions
customary law - also referred to as primitive law, unwritten law, indigenous law, and folk law; based on the customs of a community; serves as the basis of or has influenced the laws in approximately 40 countries; earliest legal systems were customary and usually developed in small agrarian and hunter-gatherer communities to regulate social relations; seldom written down; if a law is broken, resolution tends to be reconciliatory rather than punitive
European Union (EU) law - also known as community law or supranational law; variant of international law unique to a subset of European countries; the rights of sovereign European nations are limited in relation to one another, with EU law operating in tandem with the member states' legal systems; the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has been largely responsible for its development; fundamental principles include subsidiarity (issues handled by the smallest, lowest, or least-centralized competent authority), proportionality (the EU may only act to the extent needed to achieve its objectives), conferral (EU members grant all its authorities), legal certainty (rules must be clear and precise), and precautionary principle (burden of proof falls on advocates of an action or policy, if it could cause severe or irreversible harm to the public or the environment)
French law - a type of codified civil law used in France that serves as the basis for or is mixed with other legal systems in approximately 50 countries; distinguishes between "public law," which relates to government, the French Constitution, public administration, and criminal law, and "private law," which covers issues between private citizens or corporations
international law - the body of customary and treaty rules accepted as legally binding for interactions among states; three separate disciplines: public international law, which governs the relationship between provinces and international entities and includes treaty law, law of the sea, international criminal law, and international humanitarian law; private international law, which addresses legal jurisdiction; and supranational law, a legal framework of regional agreements; sources are set out in Article 38-1 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice in the UN Charter
Islamic law - the most widespread type of religious law; used in over 30 countries, particularly in the Near East but also in Central and South Asia, Africa, and Indonesia; often operates in tandem with civil law; is embodied in the sharia, an Arabic word meaning "the right path;" sharia covers all aspects of public and private life and organizes them into five categories: obligatory, recommended, permitted, disliked, and forbidden; primary sources are the Qur'an and the Sunnah; traditional Sunni Muslims also recognize ijmas, the consensus of Muhammad's companions and Islamic jurists on certain issues, and qiyas, various forms of reasoning, including analogy by legal scholars; Shia Muslims reject ijmas and qiyas as legal sources
mixed law - also referred to as pluralistic law; consists of elements of some or all of the other main types of legal systems
Napoleonic Civil Code - also referred to as the Civil Code or Code Civil des Français; type of civil law that forms part of the French legal system and underpins the legal systems of Bolivia, Egypt, Lebanon, Poland, and the US state of Louisiana; established under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804; combined Teutonic civil law tradition of France's northern provinces with Roman law tradition of the south and east; has similarities with the Roman Body of Civil Law (see civil law above); it originally addressed personal status, property, and the acquisition of property, with later additions including civil procedures, commercial law, criminal law, and a penal code
religious law - stems from the sacred text of a religious tradition and in most cases professes to cover all aspects of life as part of devotional obligations; inalterability is implied, because the word of God cannot be amended or legislated, but human elaboration allows for a detailed legal system; main types of religious law are sharia in Islam, halakha in Judaism, and canon law in some Christian groups; sharia is the most widespread (see Islamic Law) and is the sole system for some countries; no country is fully governed by halakha, but Jewish people may decide to settle disputes through Jewish courts; canon law is considered human law inspired by God and regulates the internal ordering of the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion
Roman law - served as the basis for legal systems developed in a number of continental European countries; developed in ancient Rome and practiced from the time of the city's founding (traditionally 753 B.C.) until the 5th century A.D.; remained the legal system of the Byzantine (Eastern) Empire until 1453; preserved fragments of the first legal text, known as the Law of the Twelve Tables, date from the 5th century B.C. and contain specific provisions designed to change prevailing customary law; basis was the idea that the exact form -- not the intention -- of words or of actions produced legal consequences
Roman-Dutch law - a type of civil law based on Roman law, as applied in the Netherlands. Roman-Dutch law is the foundation for legal systems in seven African countries, as well as Guyana, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. It originated in the province of Holland and expanded throughout the Netherlands and was instituted in a number of sub-Saharan African countries during the Dutch colonial period. The Dutch jurist/philosopher Hugo Grotius was the first to attempt to reduce Roman-Dutch civil law into a system in his Jurisprudence of Holland (1620-21), and the Dutch historian/lawyer Simon van Leeuwen coined the term "Roman-Dutch law" in 1652. It replaced by the French Civil Code in 1809.
Spanish law - often referred to as the Spanish Civil Code; a type of civil law that is the present legal system of Spain and the basis of legal systems in 12 countries, mostly in Central and South America; mix of customary, Roman, Napoleonic, local, and modern codified law; enacted in 1889 as the Spanish Civil Code, which separates public law (constitutional law, administrative law, criminal law, process law, financial and tax law, and international public law) from private law (civil law, commercial law, labor law, and international private law)
United States law - has several layers, due in part to the division between federal and state law; draws from constitutional law (based on the US Constitution, serves as the supreme federal law, with state constitutions governing state law), statutory law (federal legislation enacted by the US Congress and codified in the United States Code, or state statutes), administrative regulation (the authority delegated to federal and state executive agencies), and case law or common law (covers areas where constitutional or statutory law is lacking); case law was originally developed in England and is a collection of judicial decisions, customs, and general principles
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Legislative branch

This entry is the first of three fields that explain the legislative data for each country, broken down into subfields. The data is now updated monthly, and most election results will be posted after governments certify the vote counts.

The legislature name subfield gives the English-language name or translation, with the untranslated name in parentheses. The legislative structure explains whether the body is unicameral (one chamber) or bicameral (two chambers). Of the approximately 240 countries or dependencies with legislative bodies, about two-thirds are unicameral and the rest bicameral.

If a legislature is unicameral, the following additional information can be found in this field:

Number of seats - the total number of seats in the chamber as established in the country’s laws

Electoral system – the method used to elect candidates, whether plurality/majority, proportional representation, mixed system, or other systems; plurality/majority and proportional representation are the two predominant direct voting systems, but many countries use a combination of electoral methods

Scope of elections – whether an election will include all or only some of the seats in the chamber, described as “full renewal” or “partial renewal”

Term of office – length of the legislative term in years

Most recent election date – date or dates of the last election; a date range indicates an election with more than one round of voting on different dates

Parties elected and seats per party – political parties that won seats in the most recent election, with the number of seats each party won in parentheses; only parties with more than 5 percent of the vote are named

Percentage of women in chamber – the proportion of women holding seats in the chamber as of the most recent election

Expected date of next election - the month and year of the next expected election; governments may change the dates at short notice

Countries with bicameral legislatures have the subfields for each chamber listed separately under “Legislative branch – lower chamber” and “Legislative branch – upper chamber.”

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Legislative branch - lower chamber

This entry is the second of three fields that explain the legislative data for each country, broken down into subfields. Of the approximately 240 countries or dependencies with legislative bodies, about two-thirds are unicameral (one chamber) and the rest bicameral (two chambers).

Many countries with bicameral legislatures use different voting systems for each of the two chambers.

Number of seats - the total number of seats in the chamber as established in the country’s laws

Electoral system – the method used to elect candidates, whether plurality/majority, proportional representation, mixed system, or other systems; plurality/majority and proportional representation are the two predominant direct voting systems, but many countries use a combination of electoral methods

Scope of elections – whether an election will include all or only some of the seats in the chamber, described as “full renewal” or “partial renewal”

Term of office – length of the legislative term in years

Most recent election date – date or dates of the last election; a date range indicates an election with more than one round of voting on different dates

Parties elected and seats per party – political parties that won seats in the most recent election, with the number of seats each party won in parentheses; only parties with more than 5 percent of the vote are named

Percentage of women in chamber – the proportion of women holding seats in the chamber as of the most recent election

Expected date of next election - the month and year of the next expected election; governments may change the dates at short notice

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Legislative branch - upper chamber

This entry is the third of three fields that explain the legislative data for each country, broken down into subfields. Of the approximately 240 countries or dependencies with legislative bodies, about two-thirds are unicameral (one chamber) and the rest bicameral (two chambers).

Many countries with bicameral legislatures use different voting systems for each of the two chambers.

Number of seats - the total number of seats in the chamber as established in the country’s laws

Electoral system – the method used to elect candidates, whether plurality/majority, proportional representation, mixed system, or other systems; plurality/majority and proportional representation are the two predominant direct voting systems, but many countries use a combination of electoral methods

Scope of elections – whether an election will include all or only some of the seats in the chamber, described as “full renewal” or “partial renewal”

Term of office – length of the legislative term in years

Most recent election date – date or dates of the last election; a date range indicates an election with more than one round of voting on different dates

Parties elected and seats per party – political parties that won seats in the most recent election, with the number of seats each party won in parentheses; only parties with more than 5 percent of the vote are named

Percentage of women in chamber – the proportion of women holding seats in the chamber as of the most recent election

Expected date of next election - the month and year of the next expected election; governments may change the dates at short notice

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Life expectancy at birth

This entry contains the average number of years a group of people born in the same year will live, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. 
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Literacy

This entry gives the percentage estimates for populations aged 15 years and over who can read and write, including total population, males, and females. There are no universal definitions and standards for literacy, but most national censuses and surveys collect data on basic proficiency.
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Location

This entry identifies the country's regional location, neighboring countries, and adjacent bodies of water.
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Major aquifers

This entry lists the major (mega) aquifer system(s) that underlie a country; many of these mega aquifers are so large that they extend under multiple countries. More than 30% of fresh water is held in underground aquifers.
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Major lakes (area sq km)

This entry describes one of the two major surface hydrological features of a country (the other is rivers). The entry contains a list of major natural lakes, defined as having an area of 500 sq km or greater. Lakes and rivers are the primary sources of surface freshwater.
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Major ocean currents

This field describes the major ocean currents, or the movement of water from one location to another. Currents are measured in meters per second or in knots (1 knot = 1.85 km per hour or 1.15 mph), and they affect the Earth's climate by driving warm water from the equator and cold water from the poles. Oceanic currents are driven by three main factors:

tides - can create ocean currents that are strongest near the shore but also extend into bays and estuaries along the coast and are called "tidal currents;" change in a very regular pattern and can be predicted; in some locations, strong tidal currents can travel at eight knots or more

winds - drive currents that are at or near the ocean's surface; near coastal areas, tend to drive currents on a localized scale and can result in phenomena like coastal upwelling; on a global scale, can drive currents that circulate water for thousands of miles

thermohaline circulation - a process created by density differences in water due to temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline) variations; these currents can occur at at any ocean depth and move much more slowly than tidal or surface currents

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Major rivers (by length in km)

This entry describes one of the two major surface hydrological features of a country (the other feature is lakes). The entry includes a list of major rivers, defined as having a length of 1,000 km or greater. These rivers constitute major drainage basins or watersheds that capture the flow of the majority of surface water flow. Rivers and lakes are the primary sources of surface freshwater.

In instances where a river flows through more than one country, a note has been added to the field to indicate the country where the river starts and the country where it ends. An "[s]" after the country name indicates river source; an "[m]" after the country name indicates river mouth.
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Major urban areas - population

This entry provides the population of the capital and up to six major cities defined as urban agglomerations with populations of at least 750,000 people. 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. For smaller countries lacking urban centers of 750,000 or more, only the population of the capital is presented.
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Major watersheds (area sq km)

This entry lists the major watersheds or catchment areas of major rivers in a country. Most have an area of at least 500,000 sq km, although some smaller but significant watersheds are also included. They are listed by the ocean into which they drain. When they drain into a named body of water other than the ocean, italics are used to identify the constituent part of an ocean (e.g., Black Sea). Some watersheds, known as endorheic basins, drain internally with no external flow to the ocean. The largest watersheds are frequently located in more than one country.
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Map references

This entry includes the name of the Factbook reference map where a country can be found. Note that boundary representations on these maps are not necessarily authoritative. The entry on Geographic coordinates may be helpful in finding some smaller countries.
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Marine fisheries

This entry describes the major fisheries in the world's oceans in terms of the area covered, their ranking in global catch, the main producing countries, and the principal species caught. 
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Maritime claims

This entry includes the following claims, excerpted from the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which alone contains the full and definitive descriptions:

territorial sea - the belt of sea adjacent to a coastal state and covered by that state's sovereignty; sovereignty extends to the air space over the territorial sea, as well as its underlying seabed and subsoil; every state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit of 12 nautical miles; where the coasts of two states are opposite or adjacent to each other, neither state is entitled to extend its territorial sea beyond the median line

contiguous zone - the zone along a coastal state's territorial sea, where a country may prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration, or sanitary laws and punish infringement of these laws; may not extend beyond 24 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured; where the coasts of two states are opposite or adjacent to each other, neither state is entitled to extend its contiguous zone beyond the median line

exclusive economic zone (EEZ) - a zone beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea, in which a coastal state has sovereign rights to natural resources and to economic exploitation and exploration; countries have jurisdiction over the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations, and structures, as well as marine scientific research and the protection and preservation of the marine environment; outer limit of the EEZ cannot exceed 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured

continental shelf - includes the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond a country's territorial sea to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured; includes the submerged prolongation of the landmass of the coastal state and consists of the seabed and subsoil of the shelf, the slope, and the rise; if the continental margin extends beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline, coastal states may extend their claim to a distance of 350 nautical miles or 100 nautical miles from the 2,500-meter isobath

exclusive fishing zone - term is not used in the UNCLOS, but refers to the areas where some states have chosen to claim jurisdiction over the living resources off their coast instead of an EEZ; the breadth of this zone is normally the same as the EEZ, or 200 nautical miles
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Maternal mortality ratio

The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is the annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births, from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes). The MMR includes deaths during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, for a specified year.
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Median age

This entry is the age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups; that is, half the people are younger than this age and half are older.
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Member states

This entry, which appears only in the European Union entry under the Government category, provides a listing of all of the European Union member countries, as well as their associated overseas countries and territories.
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Merchant marine

This entry provides the total and the number of each type of privately or publicly owned commercial ship for each country; military ships are not included. There are five types of merchant marine ships:

bulk carrier - for cargo such as coal, grain, cement, ores, and gravel
container ship - for loads in truck-size containers (a transportation system called containerization)
general cargo - also referred to as break-bulk containers, for a wide variety of packaged merchandise
oil tanker - for crude oil and petroleum products
other - includes chemical carriers, dredgers, liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, refrigerated cargo ships called reefers, tugboats, passenger vessels (cruise and ferry), and offshore supply ships
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Methane emissions

This entry provides the annual quantity of methane emissions for a country, as measured in megatons. Methane is emitted during the breakdown of organic material from human-influenced and natural processes. Human-influenced sources include the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil; the decay of organic waste in landfills; agricultural activities; stationary and mobile combustion; waste-water treatment; and certain industrial processes.
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Military

This category includes the entries dealing with a country's military structure, manpower, and expenditures.

Military - note

This entry includes miscellaneous military information of significance not included elsewhere.
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Military and security forces

This entry lists the military and security forces subordinate to defense ministries or the equivalent (typically ground, naval, air, and marine forces), as well as those belonging to interior ministries or the equivalent (typically gendarmeries, border/coast guards, paramilitary police, and other internal security forces).
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Military and security service personnel strengths

This entry provides estimates of military and security service personnel strengths. The numbers are based on a wide range of publicly available information. Unless otherwise noted, military estimates focus on the major services (army, navy, air force, and where applicable, gendarmeries) and do not account for activated reservists or delineate military service members assigned to joint staffs or defense ministries.

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Military deployments

This entry lists military forces deployed to other countries or territories abroad. The World Factbook defines "deployed" as a permanently stationed force or a temporary deployment of greater than six months. Paramilitaries, police, contractors, mercenaries, proxy forces, and deployments smaller than 100 personnel are not included. Numbers provided are estimates only and should be considered paper strengths, not necessarily the current number of troops on the ground. In addition, some estimates, such as those from the US military, are significantly influenced by deployment policies, contingencies, or world events and may change suddenly. Where available, the organization or mission under which at least some of the forces are deployed is listed. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:

AMISOM - Africa Union (AU) Mission in Somalia; UN-supported, AU-operated peacekeeping mission

BATUS - British Army Training Unit Suffield, Canada

BATUK - British Army Training Unit, Kenya

CSTO - Collective Security Treaty Organization

ECOMIG - ECOWUS Mission in The Gambia; Africa Union-European Union peacekeeping, stabilization, and training mission in Gambia

EUTM - European Union Training Mission

EUFOR - European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina (also known as Operation Althea)

EuroCorps - European multi-national corps headquartered in Strasbourg, France, consisting of troops from Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and Spain; Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania and Turkey are Associated Nations of EuroCorps

G5 Joint Force - G5 Sahel Cross-Border Joint Force composed of troops from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger

KFOR - the Kosovo Force; a NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo

MFO - Multinational Force & Observers Sinai, headquartered in Rome

MINUSCA - United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic

MINUSMA - United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali

MNJTF - Multinational Joint Task Force Against Boko Haram, composed of troops from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria with the mission of fighting Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin

MONUSCO - United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

NATO - North American Treaty Organization, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium

Operation Barkhane - French-led counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism mission in the Sahel alongside the G5 Joint Force; headquartered in N’Djamena, Chad, and supported by Canada, Denmark, Estonia, the European Union, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the US

Operation Inherent Resolve - US-led coalition to counter the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and provide assistance and training to Iraqi security forces

UNAFIL - United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon

UNAMID - African Union - United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, Sudan

UNDOF - United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, Golan (Israel-Syria border)

UNFICYP - United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus

UNISFA - United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (Sudan-South Sudan border)

UNMISS - United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan

UNSOM - United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia

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Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

This entry provides basic information on each country’s military equipment inventories, as well as how they acquire their equipment; it is intended to show broad trends in major military equipment holdings, such as tanks and other armored vehicles, air defense systems, artillery, naval ships, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft. Arms acquisition information is an overview of major arms suppliers over a specific period of time, including second-hand arms delivered as aid, with a focus on major weapons systems. It is based on the type and number of weapon systems ordered and delivered and the financial value of the deal. For some countries, general information on domestic defense industry capabilities is provided.
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Military expenditures

This entry gives estimates for defense-related spending for the most recent year available as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP). For countries with no military forces, this figure may include expenditures on public security and police.
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Military service age and obligation

This entry gives the required ages for voluntary or conscript military service and the length of service obligation.
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Money figures

All money figures are expressed in contemporaneous US dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Mother's mean age at first birth

This entry provides the mean (average) age of mothers at the birth of their first child. 
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National anthem(s)

Patriotic musical compositions that evoke and eulogize the history, traditions, or struggles of a nation or its people. National anthems can be officially recognized in a country's constitution or law, or simply through tradition. Some countries have more than one, including local, royal, official, and/or unofficial anthems -- where applicable, the second (and in one case, third) anthem is included in the entry.
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National coat of arms

This field provides descriptive and historical information on each country's official coat of arms.
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National color(s)

This entry provides the specific colors associated with a country, which are sometimes chosen to represent history, culture, or founding principles. Some are officially designated, and others are widely accepted as the national colors through tradition or popular use.
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National heritage

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage Sites as part of its mission to encourage the identification, protection, and preservation of cultural, historic, scientific, and natural heritage sites around the world that are considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This entry includes two subfields: total World Heritage Sites and selected World Heritage Site locales. The former is a count of the natural sites (n), cultural sites (c), and mixed (m; natural and cultural) sites in a country; the latter gives a representative sample of the sites found within a country.
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National holiday

This entry gives the primary national day of celebration, usually an independence day.
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National symbol(s)

A national symbol is an emblem or object -- often flora or fauna -- that over time has come to be closely identified with a country or entity. Not all countries have national symbols; a few countries have more than one.
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Nationality

This entry provides the identifying terms for citizens, both noun and adjective.
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Natural gas

This field refers to a country's natural gas production, consumption, exports, imports, and proven reserves. Proven reserves are those quantities of natural gas that have been analyzed as commercially recoverable in the future, based on known reservoirs and assuming current economic conditions. All data reflect only dry natural gas and exclude non-hydrocarbon gases, as well as vented, flared, and reinjected natural gas. Data are reported using cubic meters.
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Natural hazards

This entry lists potential natural disasters. For countries where volcanic activity is common, a volcanism subfield highlights historically active volcanoes.
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Natural resources

This entry lists a country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other resources of commercial importance, such as rare earth elements (REEs). In general, products appear only if they make a significant contribution to the economy, or are likely to do so in the future.
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Net migration rate

This entry includes the figure for the difference between the number of persons entering and leaving a country during the year per 1,000 persons (based on midyear population). An excess of persons entering the country is referred to as net immigration (e.g., 3.56 migrants/1,000 population); an excess of persons leaving the country as net emigration (e.g., -9.26 migrants/1,000 population). The net migration rate indicates the contribution of migration to the overall level of population change. The net migration rate does not distinguish between economic migrants, refugees, and other types of migrants, nor does it distinguish between lawful migrants and undocumented migrants.
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Nuclear energy

This field describes nuclear energy used for production of electricity. The information covers all countries with operational nuclear reactors that are used to produce electricity; the information does not include research reactors. Subfields include the current number of operational nuclear reactors, the number of nuclear reactors under construction, the net capacity of operational nuclear reactors expressed in gigawatts (GW), the percentage of total electricity production from nuclear energy, the percentage of total energy produced from nuclear energy, and the number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down. Watts are a measure of power, describing the rate at which electricity is being used at a specific moment. A gigawatt is 1 billion watts.

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Obesity - adult prevalence rate

This entry gives the percentage of a country's population considered to be obese. Obesity is defined as an adult having a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30.0. BMI is calculated by taking a person's weight in kg and dividing it by the person's squared height in meters.
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Ocean volume

This entry provides the estimated volume of each of the oceans in millions of cubic kilometers and the percentage of the World Ocean total volume.
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Particulate matter emissions

This entry provides the modeled annual mean concentration of particulate matter of less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5), measured in micrograms per cubic meter of air. Particulate matter is defined as inhalable and respirable particles composed of sulphate, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, black carbon, mineral dust, and water.
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People - note

This entry includes miscellaneous demographic information of significance not included elsewhere.
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People and Society

This category includes entries dealing with national identity (including ethnicities, languages, and religions), demography (a variety of population statistics) and societal characteristics (health and education indicators).

Personal names - capitalization

The Factbook capitalizes the surname or family name of individuals for the convenience of our users, who are faced with a world of different cultures and naming conventions. The following examples illustrate the need for a surname indicator: MAO Zedong, Fidel CASTRO Ruz, George W. BUSH, and TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah. This capitalization includes the names of leaders with surnames that are not commonly used, such as King CHARLES III. For Vietnamese names, the given name is capitalized because it is used to refer to officials. For example, a former president of Vietnam was Nguyen Xuan PHUC. His surname was Nguyen, but he was referred to by his given name -- President PHUC.

Personal names - spelling

The transliteration of personal names in the Factbook normally follows the US Board on Geographic Names' system for spelling place names. At times, however, a foreign leader expressly indicates a preference for -- or the media or official documents regularly use -- a spelling that differs from the transliteration derived from the US Government standard. In such cases, the Factbook uses the alternative spelling.

Personal names - titles

The Factbook capitalizes any valid title (or short form of it) immediately preceding a person's name. A title standing alone is not capitalized.

Petroleum

This field refers a country's crude oil production, refined petroleum consumption, crude oil exports, crude oil imports, and crude oil proven reserves.

Crude oil data represent crude oil (including lease condensate), oil sands liquids, natural gas plant liquids, and other liquids. Other liquids include biodiesel, ethanol, liquids produced from coal, gas, and oil shale, Orimulsion, blending components, and other hydrocarbons. Refined petroleum data represent asphalt, petroleum coke, aviation gasoline, lubricants, ethane, naphtha, paraffin wax, petrochemical feedstocks, unfinished oils, white spirits, and direct use of crude oil.

Crude oil production, refined petroleum consumption, crude oil exports, and crude oil imports data are reported in barrels per day (bbl/day), and one barrel of crude oil roughly equates to 42 gallons (roughly 159 liters). Crude oil proven reserves data are reported in barrels (bbl) and are those quantities of crude oil that have been analyzed as commercially recoverable in the future based on known reservoirs and assuming current economic conditions.
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Petroleum products

See entries under Refined petroleum products.

Physician density

This entry gives the number of medical doctors (physicians), including generalist and specialist medical practitioners, per 1,000 of the population. Medical doctors are defined as doctors that study, diagnose, treat, and prevent illness, disease, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans through the application of modern medicine. They also plan, supervise, and evaluate care and treatment plans by other health care providers. 
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Piracy

Piracy is defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as any illegal act of violence, detention, or depredation directed against a ship, aircraft, persons, or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any state. Such criminal acts committed in the territorial waters of a littoral state are generally considered to be armed robbery against ships. 

Political parties

This entry includes a listing of significant political parties, coalitions, and electoral lists as of each country's last legislative election, unless otherwise noted. Parties that do not win a seat in national elections are usually not included.
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Population

This entry gives an estimate from the US Bureau of the Census based on statistics from population censuses, vital statistics registration systems, or sample surveys pertaining to the recent past and based on assumptions about future trends. This annual estimate does not reflect sudden population shifts due to conflicts, natural disasters, or other unexpected events. 
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Population below poverty line

National estimates of the percentage of the population falling below the poverty line are based on surveys of sub-groups, with the results weighted by the number of people in each group. Definitions of poverty vary considerably among nations. 
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Population distribution

This entry provides a summary description of the population dispersion within a country. While it may suggest population density, it does not provide density figures.
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Population growth rate

The average annual percentage change in the population, resulting from a surplus (or deficit) of births over deaths and the balance of migrants entering and leaving a country. The rate may be positive or negative.
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Population pyramid

A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country’s population. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into five-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.

Ports

This entry gives the number of ports in a country based on harbor size, a classification that is derived from factors such as area, facilities, and wharf space. Ports are usually multi-use, with activities that can include container shipping, military transport, and ferry or cruise ship transit. The total number of oil terminals located at these ports is noted but does not include standalone facilities that may be separate from ports. Liquified natural gas terminals are not listed because they are usually located at a distance from ports for safety reasons.
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Preliminary statement

This entry, which appears only in the European Union entry under the Introduction, provides an explanation and justification for the inclusion of a separate EU geographic entity.
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Principality

A sovereign state ruled by a monarch with the title of prince; principalities were common in the past, but today only three remain: Liechtenstein, Monaco, and the co-principality of Andorra.

Public debt

This entry records the cumulative total of all government borrowings less repayments that are denominated in a country's home currency. Public debt should not be confused with external debt, which reflects the foreign currency liabilities of both the private and public sector and must be financed out of foreign exchange earnings.
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Railways

This entry states the total route length of the railway network and of its component parts by gauge, which is the measure of the distance between the inner sides of the load-bearing rails. The four typical types of gauges are: broad, standard, narrow, and dual. Other gauges are listed in a note. Some 60% of the world's railways use the standard gauge of 1.4 m (4.7 ft). Gauges vary by country and sometimes within countries. The choice of gauge during initial construction was mainly in response to local conditions and the intent of the builder. Narrow-gauge railways were cheaper to build and could negotiate sharper curves, broad-gauge railways gave greater stability and permitted higher speeds. Standard-gauge railways were a compromise between narrow and broad gauges.
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Rare earth elements

Rare earth elements or REEs are 17 chemical elements that are critical in many of today's high-tech industries. They include lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium. 

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

This entry gives the gross domestic product (GDP) or value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. A nation's GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates is the sum value of all goods and services produced in the country valued at prices prevailing in the United States in the year noted. This is the measure most economists prefer when looking at per-capita welfare and when comparing living conditions or use of resources across countries. Many countries do not formally participate in the World Bank's PPP project that calculates these measures, so the resulting GDP estimates for these countries may lack precision. For many developing countries, PPP-based GDP measures are multiples of the official exchange rate (OER) measure. The differences between the OER- and PPP-denominated GDP values for most of the wealthy industrialized countries are generally much smaller.
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Real GDP growth rate

This entry gives a country's real GDP annual growth rate, adjusted for seasonal unemployment and inflation. A country's growth rate is year-over-year, and not compounded.
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Real GDP per capita

This entry shows real GDP, divided by population as of 1 July for the same year.
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Reference maps

This section includes world and regional maps.

Refugees and internally displaced persons

This entry includes the number of persons residing in the country as refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), or stateless persons.

The UN definition of a refugee is "a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution."

The term internally displaced person is not specifically covered in the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees; it is used to describe people who have fled their homes for reasons similar to refugees, but who remain within their own national territory and are subject to the laws of that state.

A stateless person is defined as someone who is not considered a national by any state, according to the 1954 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons.
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Religions

This entry is a listing of the religions practiced in a country, sometimes including the percentage of the total population.
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Remittances

This entry includes personal transfers and employee compensation. Personal transfers consist of all current transfers in cash or in kind made or received by resident households to or from nonresident households. Employee compensation refers to the income of border, seasonal, and other short-term workers who are employed in an economy where they are not resident and of residents employed by nonresident entities.
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

This entry gives the dollar value for the stock of all financial assets that are available to the central monetary authority for use in meeting a country's balance of payments needs as of the end-date of the period specified. This category includes not only foreign currency and gold, but also a country's holdings of Special Drawing Rights in the International Monetary Fund, and its reserve position in the Fund.
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Sanitation facility access

This entry provides the percentages of a country’s population with access to improved or unimproved sanitation facilities.

improved: facilities that are designed to hygienically separate excreta from human contact and are not shared with other households

unimproved: facilities that use pit latrines without a slab or platform; hanging latrines or bucket latrines; disposal of human waste in open spaces (i.e., bushes, open bodies of water, fields, etc.) or by mixing it with solid waste; open defecation; or shared use of improved facilities among households

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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

School life expectancy (SLE) is the total number of years of schooling (primary to tertiary) that a child can expect to receive, assuming that the probability of his or her being enrolled in school at any particular future age is equal to the current enrollment ratio at that age. Caution must be maintained when utilizing this indicator in international comparisons, because a year or grade completed in one country is not necessarily the same in terms of educational content or quality as a year or grade completed in another country. SLE represents the expected number of years of schooling that will be completed, including years spent repeating one or more grades.
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Sex ratio

This entry includes the number of males for each female in five age groups -- at birth, under 15 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over, and for the total population. 
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Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA)

This entry refers to the payment integration initiative and framework of the European Union (EU) that simplifies non-cash transfers, whether credit or debit, of the euro to both EU and non-EU member states. 

Space agency/agencies

This field provides the names of national civil space agencies.
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Space launch site(s)

This field provides the names and locations of identified commercial and government orbital/space launch sites.
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Space program overview

This field provides a general survey of a country’s space program, including areas of expertise and focus, national goals, international cooperation, and commercial space sector activities if applicable.
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Stateless person

A stateless individual is not considered a national by any country. Estimates of the number of stateless people are inherently imprecise because few countries have procedures to identify them; the UN assesses that there are at least 10 million stateless people worldwide. Stateless people are counted in a country’s overall population figure if they have lived there for a year.

Suffrage

This entry gives the age at enfranchisement and whether the right to vote is universal or restricted.
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Taxes and other revenues

This entry records total taxes and other revenues received by the national government during the time period indicated, expressed as a percentage of GDP. Taxes include personal and corporate income taxes, value added taxes, excise taxes, and tariffs. Other revenues include social contributions (such as payments for social security and hospital insurance), grants, and net revenues from public enterprises. Normalizing the data, by dividing total revenues by GDP, enables easy comparisons across countries and provides an average rate at which all income (GDP) is paid to the national-level government for the supply of public goods and services.
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Telephone numbers

All telephone numbers in The World Factbook consist of the country code in brackets, the city or area code (where required) in parentheses, and the local number. The international access code, which varies from country to country, is not included. 

Telephones - fixed lines

This entry gives the total number of fixed telephone lines in use, as well as the number of subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.
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Telephones - mobile cellular

This entry gives the total number of mobile cellular telephone subscribers, as well as the number of subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. Note that because of the ubiquity of mobile phone use in developed countries, the number of subscriptions per 100 inhabitants can exceed 100.
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Terminology

Due to the highly structured nature of the Factbook database, some 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. The Independence entry includes colonial independence dates and former ruling states, as well as other significant nationhood dates. These can include the date of founding, unification, federation, confederation, establishment, or state succession. The status of dependent areas is noted.

Terrain

This entry contains a brief description of the topography of a country.
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Terrorist group(s)

This entry lists the US State Department-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) that are assessed to maintain a presence in each country. This includes cases where sympathizers, supporters, or associates of designated FTOs have carried out attacks or been arrested for terrorist-type activities in the country. See Terrorist Organizations for details on each FTO.

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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 time difference between the capital of an entity and 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 world and country time zones can be seen in the Standard Time Zones of the World map included in the World and Regional Maps section of The World Factbook.

Tobacco use

This entry provides estimates derived from the most recent survey data on the prevalence of tobacco use, whether smoked or smokeless or both, among persons 15 years of age and older. Estimates are included for the total population in each country, as well as for male and female populations.

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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. 
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Total renewable water resources

This entry provides the long-term average water availability for a country measured in cubic meters per year of precipitation, recharged ground water, and surface inflows from surrounding countries. It 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, which can vary greatly due to short-term and long-term climatic and weather variations.

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Total water withdrawal

This entry provides the annual quantity of water in cubic meters withdrawn for municipal, industrial, and agricultural purposes. Municipal sector use refers to the annual quantity of water withdrawn primarily for direct use by the population through the public distribution network. Industrial sector use refers to the annual quantity of self-supplied water withdrawn for industrial purposes. Agricultural sector use refers to the annual quantity of self-supplied water withdrawn for irrigation, livestock, and aquaculture purposes.

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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, estimated in 2022 that 27.6 million people worldwide were victims of forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, sexual servitude, and involuntary servitude. 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 several times (the latest in 2022 became law in January 2023), 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 in some 185 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 four tiers, based on government efforts to combat trafficking. This entry does not include countries rated as "Tier 1" (countries whose governments fully meet the TVPA’s minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking) or "Tier 2" (countries whose governments do not fully meet the TVPA’s minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards).
The countries identified in this entry are those listed in the annual 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 meet the TVPA's minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but are making significant efforts to do so, and for which:
-- the estimated number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or is significantly increasing and the country is not taking proportional concrete actions; or,
-- there is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year, including increased investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of trafficking crimes, increased assistance to victims, and decreasing evidence of complicity in severe forms of trafficking by government officials

Tier 3 countries do not fully meet the TVPA's minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.
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Transnational issues

This category includes entries 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.
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Under-5 mortality rate

This entry indicates the probability a newborn would die before reaching exactly 5 years of age, expressed per 1,000 live births. Data is provided for the total number of children under 5 per 1,000 live births, as well as for the number of male and female children under 5 years of age per 1,000 live births.

Unemployment rate

This entry contains the percentage of the labor force that is without jobs. Substantial underemployment might be noted.
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Union name

This entry, which appears only in the European Union entry under the Government category, provides the full name and abbreviation for the European Union.
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Urbanization

This entry provides two measures of the degree of urbanization of a population. Urban population describes the percentage of the total population living in urban areas, as defined by the country. Rate of urbanization describes the projected average rate of change of the size of the urban population over the given period of time. It is possible for a country with a 100% urban population to still display a change in the rate of urbanization (up or down). For example, a population of 100,000 that is 100% urban can change in size to 110,000 or 90,000 but remain 100% urban.

Additionally, the World entry includes a list of the ten largest urban agglomerations. An urban agglomeration is defined as 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.
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UTC (Coordinated Universal Time)

See entry for Coordinated Universal Time.

Waste and recycling

This entry provides the amount of municipal solid waste a country produces annually and the amount of that waste that is recycled. Municipal solid waste consists of everyday items that are used and thrown away. Municipal solid waste -- often referred to as trash or garbage -- comes from homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses. Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products. This entry includes three subfields: annual amount of municipal solid waste generated (tons), annual amount of municipal solid waste recycled (tons), and percentage of municipal solid waste recycled.

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Weights and Measures

This information is presented in 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.

Wonders of the World

This entry provides an introduction to the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the New Seven Wonders of the World.
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World biomes

A biome is a biogeographical designation describing a biological community of plants and animals that has formed in response to a physical environment and a shared regional climate. Biomes can extend over more than one continent. Different classification systems define different numbers of biomes. The World Factbook recognizes the following seven biomes used by NASA: Tundra, Coniferous Forest, Temperate Deciduous Forest, Rainforest, Grassland, Shrubland, and Desert.

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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.

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

This entry gives the percentage of the total labor force aged 15-24 that is unemployed during a specified year.
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