cs (Soviet Union); used
for information dated before 25 December 1991
YAR -- Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen]; used
for information dated before 22 May 1990 or CY91

Administrative divisions: The numbers, designatory terms, and
first-order administrative divisions are generally those approved by
the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Changes that have been
reported but not yet acted on by BGN are noted.

Airports: Only airports with usable runways are included in this
listing. For airports with more than one runway, only the longest
runway is included. Not all airports have facilities for refueling,
maintenance, or air traffic control. Paved runways have concrete or
asphalt surfaces; unpaved runways have grass, dirt, sand, or gravel
surfaces.

Area: 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).
Comparative areas are based on total area equivalents. Most entities
are compared with the entire US or one of the 50 states. 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).

Birth rate: The average annual number of births during a year per
1,000 population at midyear; also known as crude birth rate. Dates of
information: In general, information available as of 1 January 1995 is
used in the preparation of this edition. Population figures are
estimates for 1 July 1995, with population growth rates estimated for
calendar year 1995. Major political events have been updated through
April 1995.

Death rate: The average annual number of deaths during a year per
l,000 population at midyear; also known as crude death rate.

Digraphs: The digraph is a two-letter "country code" that precisely
identifies every entity without overlap, duplication, or omission. AF,
for example, is the digraph for Afghanistan. It is a standardized
geopolitical data element promulgated in the Federal Information
Processing Standards Publication (FIPS) 10-3 by the National Bureau of
Standards (now called National Institute of Standards and Technology)
at the US Department of Commerce and maintained by the Office of the
Geographer at the US Department of State. The digraph is used to
eliminate confusion and incompat