The World Factbook

The World Factbook provides basic intelligence on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, environment, communications, transportation, military, terrorism, and transnational issues for 266 world entities.

Travel the globe with CIA’s World Factbook.

Fact of The Day

November 30, 2023

What's New

The World Factbook contains descriptions of the population distribution for the World, countries, and territories. Globally, six of the world's seven continents are widely and permanently inhabited. Asia is easily the most-populous continent with about 60% of the world's population (China and India together comprise over 35%), while Africa comes in second with over 15% of the earth's populace. Europe accounts for about 10%, North America 8%, South America almost 6%, and Oceania less than 1%. The harsh conditions on Antarctica prevent any permanent habitation.

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Explore Countries

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World Travel Facts

Travel more intelligently with The World Factbook Travel Facts. Here’s what you should know about each country before you go.

One-page Country Summaries

Pressed for time? Check out our one-page summaries for essential information on each country.

Flags of the World

Every flag has a story. View flags of all the world’s countries and territories to learn the symbolism behind each design.

Country Comparisons

Love data? The World Factbook has over 65 rank order pages that compare country data in specific fields.

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