The World Factbook: Statistics and Analysis for Every Country on the Planet

This is a superb reference work. I note, with some surprise, that there is a spate of negative reviews, which all involve (1) printing the flags in black-and-white (2) the Vatican (3) Yugoslavia. I don't think that any of these issues is important. So I am buying the new book, because the old one is out-of-date. The latest information is on-line, of course, and I refer to that frequently, but actually having the book is extremely convenient, and sometimes a lot faster. (I live in Thailand, and use a dial-up modem connection to the Internet, and if I get curious about the GDP per capita in China versus India, the book is just a whole lot quicker.) Where else can you find reliable reports on all the nations around the world? ----- Review updated, January 2010 ------ This book is no longer published, and I no longer am forced to use dial-up Internet. So I have to transfer my hearty recommendation of the book to the excellent website. (No more book!)

This book definately helps you in any of your research needs!

Someone mentioned that the factbook lists a country as "Serbia and Montenegro" instead of as "Yugoslavia" as a big complaint about possible factual errors. Serbia existed long before the name "Yugoslavia" ever existed to be put on a map; and with the dissolution of Yugoslavia (for whatever reason one chooses to explain it), it has become Serbia once again, irregardless of what CNN uses on their news reports. If we substitute "Wales and Scotland" and "Great Britian" for "Serbia and Montenegro" and "Yugoslavia", those complaints sound rather silly.

I don't know about the printed edition, but the online version has Vatican City listed under "Holy See" and clearly states, "Serbia and Montenegro have asserted the formation of a joint independent state, but this entity has not been formally recognized as a state by the US. The US view is that the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) has dissolved and that none of the successor republics represents its continuation." If the printed version omits these statements, or if the Yugoslavia was recognized as a state by the time this was published, just ignore this review.