As of July 2011, The World Factbook consists of 267 entities.[1] These entities can be divided into categories.[2] These categories are:
Independent countries
Others
Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty
Miscellaneous
Other entities
After the list of entities, there is a table that lists entities that have been dropped, added, renamed, or consolidated in The World Factbook.
List of entities
The list of entities follows below. The names and flags of entities are as listed in the Factbook and may differ from other sources.
Independent countries
This is a list of independent countries. The CIA defines an independent country as people "politically organized into a sovereign state with a definite territory".[2] In this category, there are 195 entities:
This category is for the World and the oceans. There are five oceans and the World (the World entry is intended as a summary of the other entries [3]) :
This table lists changes in the entities in the Factbook. Entities that have been added are in green; dropped entities are in red; the flag last used by the entity is shown as well. Entities that have changed their name are in blue; entities that have been redirected and consolidated into another entry are in purple.
Name of entity
Date change was made
Comments
Reference
Antarctica
1988
one of more than 40 entities added to the Factbook in order to provide a complete picture of the world
C On April 27, 1992, Serbia and Montenegro, the final two republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), formed a new nation, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY).[66][67] Until 2001, the U.S. Government did not recognize the FRY as a state.[68] The U.S. government also decided not to accept the FRY or any the other republics as a successor state to the SFRY.[69]
^Directorate of Intelligence (2011-07-12). "CIA - World Factbook". Archived from the original on 2019-08-01. Retrieved 2019-08-07. The World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities.
^Central Intelligence Agency (2008-01-03). "Where in the World is Mt. Kilimanjaro? Visit the CIA World Factbook to Find Out". Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved 2008-01-04. 1988 – More than 40 new geographic entities added to provide complete world coverage without overlap or omission. Among the new entities are Antarctica, oceans (Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific), and the World.
^Directorate of Intelligence (1992). "1992 CIA World Factbook: Notes, Definitions, and Abbreviations". Archived from the original(mirror) on 2006-09-09. Retrieved 2006-11-29. There have been some significant changes in this edition. The Soviet Union Yugoslavia, and the Iraq-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone have been dropped. All 15 former Soviet republics have been added--Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Slovenia have replaced Yugoslavia.
^Directorate of Intelligence (1993). "1993 CIA World Factbook: Notes, Definitions, and Abbreviations". Archived from the original(mirror) on 2006-09-09. Retrieved 2006-11-29. Czechoslovakia has been superseded by the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia. The name of the Ivory Coast has been changed to Cote d'Ivoire and the Vatican City became the Holy See.
^Directorate of Intelligence (1996). "1996 CIA World Factbook: Notes, Definitions, and Abbreviations". Archived from the original on 1997-05-28. Retrieved 2010-10-17. There is a new entry for Corsica, the spelling of Kazakhstan has been changed to Kazakstan, and the name of Burkina has been changed to Burkina Faso.
^Directorate of Intelligence (1997). "1997 CIA World Factbook: Notes, Definitions, and Abbreviations - Entities". Archived from the original on 1998-06-14. Retrieved 2010-10-17. 16 French dependencies--Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Guadeloupe, Juan de Nova Island, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Reunion, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna - Since Corsica is not listed in the Entities section of the Notes and Definitions, it is assumed that Corsica was dropped.
^Directorate of Intelligence (1998). "1998 CIA World Factbook: Notes, Definitions, and Abbreviations". Archived from the original(mirror) on 2006-09-09. Retrieved 2006-11-29. The country name Western Samoa has been changed to Samoa. The spelling of Kazakhstan includes the letter "h" once again; the spelling Kazakstan is no longer used.
^Directorate of Intelligence (2003-03-19). "CIA - The World Factbook 2002: What's new". Archived from the original on 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2010-10-17. Yugoslavia has been renamed Serbia and Montenegro as of 4 February 2003.
^Staff reporter (2004-11-04). "US snubs Greece over Macedonia". BBC News Online. Retrieved 2006-11-29. Greece has protested strongly at a decision by the US to refer to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) simply as "Macedonia".
^ abDirectorate of Intelligence (2004-12-16). "CIA - The World Factbook 2004: What's new". Archived from the original on 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2010-10-17. Recent confirmation that the United Kingdom Government administers the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia on Cyprus as dependencies (and not as lease areas like the US Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba) has required a changing of their status and their addition to the Factbook as new entities. In addition, the European Union has been included as an "Other" entity at the end of the listing.
^ abcDirectorate of Intelligence (2006-04-04). "CIA - The World Factbook 2006: Notes and Definitions: Entities". Archived from the original on 2006-04-07. Retrieved 2009-11-03. 14 US - American Samoa, Baker Island*, Guam, Howland Island*, Jarvis Island*, Johnston Atoll*, Kingman Reef*, Midway Islands*, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll*, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island (* consolidated in United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges entry)
^ abDirectorate of Intelligence (2006-07-11). "CIA - The World Factbook 2006: What's New". Archived from the original on 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2010-10-17. The successful secession referendum held in Montenegro in May 2006 allowed it to legally leave its union with Serbia the following month. These two Balkan countries have now been formally recognized and are listed separately in the Factbook.
^ abDirectorate of Intelligence (2006-12-19). "CIA - The World Factbook 2006: Notes and Definitions: Entities". Archived from the original on December 13, 2006. Retrieved 2011-07-17. 16 France - Bassas da India*, Clipperton Island, Europa Island*, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands*, Guadeloupe, Juan de Nova Island*, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Reunion, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Tromelin Island*, Wallis and Futuna (* consolidated in Iles Eparses entry)
^ abcdDirectorate of Intelligence (2008-02-28). "CIA - The World Factbook 2008: What's New". Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved 2011-07-17. The US Board on Geographic Names (BGN) now recognizes Timor-Leste as the short form name for East Timor; its description may be found under this new designation. France's overseas possessions have been reorganized. The five former entities of Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island, previously grouped as Iles Eparses (Scattered Islands), now constitute a district of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. Additionally, the islands of St. Barthelemy and St. Martin, formerly a part of the French overseas region of Guadeloupe, now make up separate overseas collectivities and have their own Factbook entries. Finally, a new Kosovo entry has been added.
^ abDirectorate of Intelligence (2010-10-22). "World Factbook Updates - October 22, 2010". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved 2010-10-23. The dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles has resulted in two new World Factbook entries: the autonomous entities of Curacao and Sint Maarten (the remaining three islands - Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius - have joined the Netherlands as special municipalities). The number of entities in The World Factbook now stands at 267.
^ abDirectorate of Intelligence (2011-04-08). "World Factbook Updates - April 8, 2011". Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-11. The Indian Ocean island entity of Mayotte became an overseas department of France on 31 March. The change in status makes it an integral part of France and so its description is now included in the France country profile of The World Factbook. (Archived by WebCite at
)
^Directorate of Intelligence (2011-07-12). "World Factbook Updates - July 12, 2011". Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 2011-07-12. South Sudan became the world's 195th country following separation from Sudan on 9 July 2011.
^Directorate of Intelligence (2018-11-08). "The World Factbook: What's New". Archived from the original on 2018-06-11. Retrieved 2018-11-12. On 18 April 2018, the king of Swaziland announced his intention to change the internationally used name of his country to more closely reflect the Swazi-language form of the name. The decision came into force the following day. On 11 May 2018, the Government of Swaziland published a gazette officially changing the name from Kingdom of Swaziland to Kingdom of Eswatini (long form) or just Eswatini (short form). On 25 May 2018, the US Board on Geographic Names – Foreign Names Committee voted to approve the changes and they have now been incorporated into The World Factbook.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^Directorate of Intelligence (2019-02-14). "The World Factbook: What's New". Archived from the original on 2019-02-21. Retrieved 2019-02-21. Greece and its northern neighbor Macedonia recently resolved a nearly-three-decade-old naming dispute in which both countries claimed historical rights to the name "Macedonia." The Republic of Macedonia agreed to change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia and this renaming was officially promulgated on 12 February 2019. The World Factbook will incorporate the new name throughout its database after the US State Department receives an official diplomatic notification from the Macedonian Government and after the name has been approved by the US Board on Geographic Names - all of which should take place within the next few days. Other country name changes of the 21st century include last year's name change of Swaziland to Eswatini, the Czech Republic adopting the short-form name of Czechia in 2016, Cape Verde formalizing the Portuguese use of its name Cabo Verde for all official purposes in 2013, and East Timor adopting the name of Timor-Leste shortly after attaining independence in 2002.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^Serbia Info. "History of Serbia:The Break-up of SFR Yugoslavia (1991 - 1995)". Archived from the original on 2007-12-22. Retrieved 2008-03-08. Serbia and Montenegro opted to stay on in the federation and at the combined session of the parliaments of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro held on April 27, 1992 in Belgrade, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was passed thus reaffirming the continuity of the state first founded on December 1st 1918.
