nment has not yet approved a
standard for hydrographic data codes similar to the FIPS 10-4 standard
for country data codes.

Dates of information: The information cutoff date was 1 January 1998,
although a few important changes after that date have been included.
Most demographic statistics are estimates for 1998.

Death rate: This entry gives the average annual number of deaths
during a year per l,000 population at midyear; 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 results in an aging
population.

Debt-external: This entry gives the total amount of public foreign
financial obligations.

Dependency status: This entry describes the formal relationship
between a particular nonindependent entity and an independent state.

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

Diplomatic representation: The US Government has diplomatic relations
with 184 independent states, including 178 of the 185 UN members
(excluded UN members are Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, former
Yugoslavia, and the US itself). In addition, the US has diplomatic
relations with 6 independent states that are not in the UN-Holy See,
Kiribati, Nauru, Switzerland, Tonga, and Tuvalu.

Diplomatic representation from the US: This entry includes the chief
of mission, embassy address, mailing address, telephone number, FAX
number, branch office locations, consulate general locations, and
consulate locations.

Diplomatic representation in the US: This entry includes the chief of
the foreign mission, chancery address, telephone number, FAX number,
consulate general locations, consulate locations, honorary consulate
general locations, and honorary consulate locations.

Disputes-international: This entry includes a wide variety of
situations that range from traditional bilateral boundary disputes to
unilateral claims of one sort or another. Information regarding
disputes over international terrestrial and maritime boundaries has
been reviewed by the US Department of State. References to othe