The World Factbook

The World Factbook provides basic intelligence on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, environment, communications, transportation, military, terrorism, and transnational issues for 265 world entities.

Travel the globe with CIA’s World Factbook.

Edition: May 30, 2024

Fact of The Day

May 30, 2024

The Grand Place

VIEW 30-DAY ARCHIVE

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What's New

Ever wonder what an acronym in one of our data fields stands for? No need to keep wondering -- the World Factbook has a comprehensive list of acronyms available under the References tab. Just click on Abbreviations, and then click on the first letter of the acronym in the box on the left-hand side of the page.

VIEW ALL UPDATES

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Explore Countries

Explore all Countries

Part of a flag display in one of the buildings of the UN Office in Vienna.

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The World & Its Regions

World

Africa

Antarctica

Australia and Oceania

Central America and the Caribbean

Central Asia

East and Southeast Asia

Europe

Middle East

North America

South America

South Asia

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Oceans

Arctic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Indian Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Southern Ocean

Travel more intelligently with The World Factbook Travel Facts. Here’s what you should know about each country before you go.

Pressed for time? Check out our one-page summaries for essential information on each country.

Every flag has a story. View flags of all the world’s countries and territories to learn the symbolism behind each design.

Love data? The World Factbook has over 65 rank order pages that compare country data in specific fields.