h implies that the CIA
approved, endorsed, or authorized such use. If you have any
questions about your intended use, you should consult with legal
counsel. Further information on The World Factbook's use is
described on the Contributors and Copyright Information page. As a
courtesy, please cite The World Factbook when used.

Why doesn't The World Factbook include information on states,
departments, provinces, etc., in the country format?

The World Factbook provides national-level information on countries,
territories, and dependencies, but not subnational administrative
units within a country. A good encyclopedia should provide
state/province-level information.

Is it possible to access older editions of The World Factbook to do
comparative research and trend analysis?

Previous versions of the Factbook, beginning with the 2000 edition,
are available for downloading - but not browsing - on the CIA Web
site. Hardcopy editions for earlier years are available from
libraries.

Would it be possible to set up a partnership or collaboration
between the producers of The World Factbook and other organizations
or individuals?

The World Factbook does not partner with other organizations or
individuals, but we do welcome comments and suggestions that such
groups or persons choose to provide.

Geography

I can't find a geographic name for a particular country. Why not?

The World Factbook is not a gazetteer (a dictionary or index of
places, usually with descriptive or statistical information) and
cannot provide more than the names of the administrative divisions
(in the Government category) and major cities/towns (on the country
maps). Our expanded Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names,
however, includes many of the world's major geographic features as
well as historic (former) names of countries and cities mentioned in
The World Factbook.

Why are Taiwan and the European Union listed out of alphabetical
order at the end of the Factbook entries?

Taiwan is listed after the regular entries because even though the
mainland People's Republic of China claims Taiwan, elected Taiwanese
authorities de facto administer the island and reject mainland
sovereignty claims. With the establishment of diplomatic relations
with China on January 1, 1979, the US Government recognized the
People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China,
acknowledging the Chinese position that there is only one China and
th