The CIA World Factbook, also known simply as The World Factbook, is a reference resource produced by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides comprehensive almanac-style information about the countries of the world, including demographics, geography, communications, government, economy, and military details for 258 international entities. The Factbook is primarily designed for use by U.S. government officials but is also widely used for academic research and news reporting. It is publicly available online and updated weekly, containing data on independent countries, dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, and other entities like the European Union and Antarctica. The official print version was published until 2017 but since then it is mostly accessed digitally. The Factbook contains a wealth of information including country maps, population statistics, political details, economic data, military expenditures, natural hazards, and infrastructure facts.
Key aspects of the CIA World Factbook:
- It covers 266 entities including independent countries and special regions.
- Information is aggregated from various U.S. government sources and public/private data.
- The online version is updated weekly, ensuring quite current information.
- It is in the public domain in the U.S. and can be freely redistributed.
- Originally classified and for government use, it has been publicly available since 1971 with online access starting in 1994.
- Besides situational data, it also includes useful appendices such as abbreviations, international treaties, and lists of organizations.
This makes the CIA World Factbook a highly authoritative, regularly updated, and broad reference for detailed country-level information.