, table, or text
(depending on the version of the Factbook) that shows the
organization of the UN in detail.
Waterways: This entry gives the total length and individual
names of navigable rivers, canals, and other inland bodies
of water.
Weights and measures: This information is presented in
Appendix E: Weights and Measures and includes mathematical
notations (mathematical powers and names), metric
interrelationships (prefix; symbol; length, weight, or
capacity; area; volume), and standard conversion factors.
Years: All year references are for the calendar year (CY)
unless indicated as fiscal year (FY). The calendar year is
an accounting period of 12 months from 1 January to 31
December. The fiscal year is an accounting period of 12
months other than 1 January to 31 December. FY93/94 refers
to the fiscal year that began in calendar year 1993 and
ended in calendar year 1994.
Note: Information for the US and US dependencies was
compiled from material in the public domain and does not
represent Intelligence Community estimates. The Handbook of
International Economic Statistics, published annually in
September by the Central Intelligence Agency, contains
detailed economic information for the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, the
successor nations to the Soviet Union, and selected other
countries. The Handbook can be obtained wherever the
Factbook is available.
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A Brief History of Basic Intelligence and The World Factbook
The Intelligence Cycle is the process by which information is acquired,
converted into intelligence, and made available to policymakers.
Information is raw data from any source, data that may be fragmentary,
contradictory, unreliable, ambiguous, deceptive, or wrong. Intelligence
is information that has been collected, integrated, evaluated,
analyzed, and interpreted. Finished intelligence is the final product
of the Intelligence Cycle ready to be delivered to the policymaker.
The three types of finished intelligence are: basic, current, and
estimative. Basic intelligence provides the fundamental and factual
reference material on a country or issue. Current intelligence reports
on new developments. Estimative intelligence judges probable outcomes.
The three are mutually supportive: basic intelligence is the foundation
on which the other two are constructed; current intelli
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