This entry provides a summary description of the population dispersion within a country. While it may suggest population density, it does not provide density figures.

Topic: Afghanistanpopulations tend to cluster in the foothills and periphery of the rugged Hindu Kush range; smaller groups are found in many of the country's interior valleys; in general, the east is more densely settled, while the south is sparsely populated

Topic: Albaniaa fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country

Topic: Algeriathe vast majority of the populace is found in the extreme northern part of the country along the Mediterranean Coast as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Andorrapopulation is unevenly distributed and is concentrated in the seven urbanized valleys that make up the country's parishes (political administrative divisions)

Topic: Angolamost people live in the western half of the country; urban areas account for the highest concentrations of people, particularly the capital of Luanda as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Anguillamost of the population is concentrated in The Valley in the center of the island; settlmement is fairly uniform in the southwest, but rather sparce in the northeast

Topic: Antigua and Barbudathe island of Antigua is home to approximately 97% of the population; nearly the entire population of Barbuda lives in Codrington

Topic: Argentinaone-third of the population lives in Buenos Aires; pockets of agglomeration occur throughout the northern and central parts of the country; Patagonia to the south remains sparsely populated

Topic: Armeniamost of the population is located in the northern half of the country; the capital of Yerevan is home to more than five times as many people as Gyumri, the second largest city in the country

Topic: Arubamost residents live in or around Oranjestad and San Nicolaas; most settlments tend to be located on the less mountainous western side of the island

Topic: Australiapopulation is primarily located on the periphery, with the highest concentration of people residing in the east and southeast; a secondary population center is located in and around Perth in the west; of the States and Territories, New South Wales has, by far, the largest population; the interior, or "outback", has a very sparse population

Topic: Austriathe northern and eastern portions of the country are more densely populated; nearly two-thirds of the populace lives in urban areas

Topic: Azerbaijanhighest population density is found in the far eastern area of the country, in and around Baku; apart from smaller urbanized areas, the rest of the country has a fairly light and evenly distributed population

Topic: Bahamas, Themost of the population lives in urban areas, with two-thirds living on New Providence Island where Nassau is located

Topic: Bahrainsmallest population of the Gulf States, but urbanization rate exceeds 90%; largest settlement concentration is found on the far northern end of the island in and around Manamah and Al Muharraq

Topic: Barbadosmost densely populated country in the eastern Caribbean; approximately one-third live in urban areas

Topic: Belarusa fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations

Topic: Belgiummost of the population concentrated in the northern two-thirds of the country; the southeast is more thinly populated; considered to have one of the highest population densities in the world; approximately 97% live in urban areas

Topic: Belizeapproximately 25% to 30% of the population lives in the former capital, Belize City; over half of the overall population is rural; population density is slightly higher in the north and east

Topic: Beninthe population is primarily located in the south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast; most of the north remains sparsely populated with higher concentrations of residents in the west at shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Bermudarelatively even population distribution throughout

Topic: Boliviaa high altitude plain in the west between two cordillera of the Andes, known as the Altiplano, is the focal area for most of the population; a dense settlement pattern is also found in and around the city of Santa Cruz, located on the eastern side of the Andes

Topic: Bosnia and Herzegovinathe northern and central areas of the country are the most densely populated

Topic: Botswanathe population is primarily concentrated in the east with a focus in and around the captial of Gaborone, and the far central-eastern city of Francistown; population density remains low in other areas in the country, especially in the Kalahari to the west as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Brazilthe vast majority of people live along, or relatively near, the Atlantic coast in the east; the population core is in the southeast, anchored by the cities of Sao Paolo, Brasilia, and Rio de Janeiro

Topic: British Virgin Islandsa fairly even distribution throughout the inhabited islands, with the largest islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, and Jost Van Dyke having the largest populations

Topic: Bulgariaa fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger populations

Topic: Burkina Faso Most of the population is located in the center and south. Nearly one-third of the population lives in cities. The capital and largest city is Ouagadougou (Ouaga), with a population of 1.8 million as shown in this population distribution map  (2019)Most of the population is located in the center and south. Nearly one-third of the population lives in cities. The capital and largest city is Ouagadougou (Ouaga), with a population of 1.8 million as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Burmapopulation concentrated along coastal areas and in general proximity to the shores of the Irrawaddy River; the extreme north is relatively underpopulated

Topic: Burundione of Africa's most densely populated countries; concentrations tend to be in the north and along the northern shore of Lake Tanganyika in the west; most people live on farms near areas of fertile volcanic soil as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Cabo Verdeamong the nine inhabited islands, population distribution is variable; islands in the east are very dry and are only sparsely settled to exploit their extensive salt deposits; the more southerly islands receive more precipitation and support larger populations, but agriculture and livestock grazing have damaged the soil fertility and vegetation; approximately half of the population lives on Sao Tiago Island, which is the location of the capital of Praia; Mindelo, on the northern island of Sao Vicente, also has a large urban population as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Cambodiapopulation concentrated in the southeast, particularly in and around the capital of Phnom Penh; further distribution is linked closely to the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers

Topic: Cameroonpopulation concentrated in the west and north, with the interior of the country sparsely populated as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Canadavast majority of Canadians are positioned in a discontinuous band within approximately 300 km of the southern border with the United States; the most populated province is Ontario, followed by Quebec and British Columbia

Topic: Cayman Islandsmajority of the population resides on Grand Cayman

Topic: Central African Republicmajority of residents live in the western and central areas of the country, especially in and around the capital of Bangui as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Chadthe population is unevenly distributed due to contrasts in climate and physical geography; the highest density is found in the southwest, particularly around Lake Chad and points south; the dry Saharan zone to the north is the least densely populated as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Chile90% of the population is located in the middle third of the country around the capital of Santiago; the far north (anchored by the Atacama Desert) and the extreme south are relatively underpopulated

Topic: Chinaoverwhelming majority of the population is found in the eastern half of the country; the west, with its vast mountainous and desert areas, remains sparsely populated; though ranked first in the world in total population, overall density is less than that of many other countries in Asia and Europe; high population density is found along the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys, the Xi Jiang River delta, the Sichuan Basin (around Chengdu), in and around Beijing, and the industrial area around Shenyang

Topic: Christmas Islandmajority of the population lives on the northern tip of the island

Topic: Cocos (Keeling) Islandsonly Home Island and West Island are populated

Topic: Colombiathe majority of people live in the north and west where agricultural opportunities and natural resources are found; the vast grasslands of the llanos to the south and east, which make up approximately 60% of the country, are sparsely populated

Topic: Comorosthe capital city of Maroni, located on the western side of the island of Grande Comore, is the country's largest city; however, of the three islands that comprise Comoros, it is Anjouan that is the most densely populated as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Congo, Democratic Republic of theurban clusters are spread throughout the country, particularly in the northeast along the boarder with Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi; the largest city is the capital, Kinshasha, located in the west along the Congo River; the south is least densely populated as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Congo, Republic of thethe population is primarily located in the south, in and around the capital of Brazzaville as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Cook Islandsmost of the population is found on the island of Rarotonga

Topic: Costa Ricaroughly half of the nation's population resides in urban areas; the capital of San Jose is the largest city and home to approximately one-fifth of the population

Topic: Cote d'Ivoirethe population is primarily located in the forested south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast; most of the northern savanna remains sparsely populated with higher concentrations located along transportation corridors as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Croatiamore of the population lives in the northern half of the country, with approximately a quarter of the populace residing in and around the capital of Zagreb; many of the islands are sparsely populated

Topic: Cubalarge population clusters found throughout the country, the more significant ones being in the larger towns and cities, particularly the capital of Havana

Topic: Curacaolargest concentration on the island is Willemstad; smaller settlements near the coast can be found throughout the island, particularly in the northwest

Topic: Cypruspopulation concentrated in central Nicosia and in the major cities of the south: Paphos, Limassol, and Larnaca

Topic: Czechiaa fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, but the northern and eastern regions tend to have larger urban concentrations

Topic: Denmarkwith excellent access to the North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat, and the Baltic Sea, population centers tend to be along coastal areas, particularly in Copenhagen and the eastern side of the country's mainland

Topic: Djiboutimost densely populated areas are in the east; the largest city is Djibouti, with a population over 600,000; no other city in the country has a total population over 50,000 as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Dominicapopulation is mosly clustered along the coast, with roughly a third living in the parish of St. George, in or around the capital of Roseau; the volcanic interior is sparsely populated

Topic: Dominican Republiccoastal development is significant, especially in the southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley, where population density is highest; smaller population clusters exist in the interior mountains (Cordillera Central)

Topic: Ecuadornearly half of the population is concentrated in the interior in the Andean intermontane basins and valleys, with large concentrations also found along the western coastal strip; the rainforests of the east remain sparsely populated

Topic: Egyptapproximately 95% of the population lives within 20 km of the Nile River and its delta; vast areas of the country remain sparsely populated or uninhabited as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: El Salvadorathough it is the smallest country in land area in Central America, El Salvador has a population that is 18 times larger than Belize; at least 20% of the population lives abroad; high population density country-wide, with particular concentration around the capital of San Salvador

Topic: Equatorial Guineaonly two large cities over 30,000 people (Bata on the mainland, and the capital Malabo on the island of Bioko); small communities are scattered throughout the mainland and the five inhabited islands as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Eritreadensity is highest in the center of the country in and around the cities of Asmara (capital) and Keren; smaller settlements exist in the north and south as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Estoniaa fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations

Topic: Eswatinibecause of its mountainous terrain, the population distribution is uneven throughout the country, concentrating primarily in valleys and plains as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Ethiopiahighest density is found in the highlands of the north and middle areas of the country, particularly around the centrally located capital city of Addis Ababa; the far east and southeast are sparsely populated as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: European Unionpopulation distribution varies considerably from country to country, but tends to follow a pattern of coastal and river settlement, with urban agglomerations forming large hubs facilitating large scale housing, industry, and commerce; the area in and around the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg (known collectively as Benelux), is the most densely populated area in the EU

Topic: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)a very small population, with most residents living in and around Stanley

Topic: Faroe Islandsthe island of Streymoy is by far the most populous with over 40% of the population; it has approximately twice as many inhabitants as Eysturoy, the second most populous island; seven of the inhabited islands have fewer than 100 people

Topic: Fijiapproximately 70% of the population lives on the island of Viti Levu; roughly half of the population lives in urban areas

Topic: Finlandthe vast majority of people are found in the south; the northern interior areas remain sparsely poplulated

Topic: Francemuch of the population is concentrated in the north and southeast; although there are many urban agglomerations throughout the country, Paris is by far the largest city, with Lyon ranked a distant second

Topic: French Polynesiathe majority of the population lives in the Society Islands, one of five archipelagos that includes the most populous island - Tahiti - with approximately 70% of the nation's population

Topic: Gabonthe relatively small population is spread in pockets throughout the country; the largest urban center is the capital of Libreville, located along the Atlantic coast in the northwest as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Gambia, Thesettlements are found scattered along the Gambia River; the largest communities, including the capital of Banjul, and the country's largest city, Serekunda, are found at the mouth of the Gambia River along the Atlantic coast as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Gaza Strippopulation concentrated in major cities, particularly Gaza City in the north

Topic: Georgiasettlement concentrated in the central valley, particularly in the capital city of Tbilisi in the east; smaller urban agglomerations dot the Black Sea coast, with Bat'umi being the largest

Topic: Germanymost populous country in Europe; a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations, particularly in the far western part of the industrial state of North Rhine-Westphalia

Topic: Ghanapopulation is concentrated in the southern half of the country, with the highest concentrations being on or near the Atlantic coast as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Greeceone-third of the population lives in and around metropolitan Athens; the remainder of the country has moderate population density mixed with sizeable urban clusters

Topic: Greenlandsettlement concentrated on the southwest shoreline, with limited settlements scattered along the remaining coast; interior is uninhabited

Topic: Grenadaapproximately one-third of the population is found in the capital of St. George's; the island's population is concentrated along the coast

Topic: Guamno large cities exist on the island, though large villages (municipalities) attract much of the population; the largest of these is Dededo

Topic: Guatemalathe vast majority of the populace resides in the southern half of the country, particularly in the mountainous regions; more than half of the population lives in rural areas

Topic: Guineaareas of highest density are in the west and south; interior is sparsely populated as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Guinea-Bissauapproximately one-fifth of the population lives in the capital city of Bissau along the Atlantic coast; the remainder is distributed among the eight other, mainly rural, regions as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Guyanapopulation is heavily concentrated in the northeast in and around Georgetown, with noteable concentrations along the Berbice River to the east; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated

Topic: Haitifairly even distribution; largest concentrations located near coastal areas

Topic: Hondurasmost residents live in the mountainous western half of the country; unlike other Central American nations, Honduras is the only one with an urban population that is distributed between two large centers - the capital of Tegucigalpa and the city of San Pedro Sula; the Rio Ulua valley in the north is the only densely populated lowland area

Topic: Hong Kongpopulation fairly evenly distributed

Topic: Hungarya fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations

Topic: IcelandIceland is almost entirely urban with half of the population located in and around the capital of Reykjavik; smaller clusters are primarily found along the coast in the north and west

Topic: Indiawith the notable exception of the deserts in the northwest, including the Thar Desert, and the mountain fringe in the north, a very high population density exists throughout most of the country; the core of the population is in the north along the banks of the Ganges, with other river valleys and southern coastal areas also having large population concentrations

Topic: Indonesiamajor concentration on the island of Java, which is considered one of the most densely populated places on earth; of the outer islands (those surrounding Java and Bali), Sumatra contains some of the most significant clusters, particularly in the south near the Selat Sunda, and along the northeastern coast near Medan; the cities of Makasar (Sulawesi), Banjarmasin (Kalimantan) are also heavily populated

Topic: Iranpopulation is concentrated in the north, northwest, and west, reflecting the position of the Zagros and Elburz Mountains; the vast dry areas in the center and eastern parts of the country, around the deserts of the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut, have a much lower population density

Topic: Iraqpopulation is concentrated in the north, center, and eastern parts of the country, with many of the larger urban agglomerations found along extensive parts of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; much of the western and southern areas are either lightly populated or uninhabited

Topic: Irelandpopulation distribution is weighted to the eastern side of the island, with the largest concentration being in and around Dublin; populations in the west are small due to mountainous land, poorer soil, lack of good transport routes, and fewer job opportunities

Topic: Isle of Manmost people concentrated in cities and large towns of which Douglas, in the southeast, is the largest

Topic: Israelpopulation concentrated in and around Tel-Aviv, as well as around the Sea of Galilee; the south remains sparsely populated with the exception of the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba

Topic: Italydespite a distinctive pattern with an industrial north and an agrarian south, a fairly even population distribution exists throughout most of the country, with coastal areas, the Po River Valley, and urban centers (particularly Milan, Rome, and Naples), attracting larger and denser populations

Topic: Jamaicapopulation density is high throughout, but increases in and around Kingston, Montego Bay, and Port Esquivel

Topic: Japanall primary and secondary regions of high population density lie on the coast; one-third of the population resides in and around Tokyo on the central plain (Kanto Plain)

Topic: Jerseyfairly even distribution; no notable trends

Topic: Jordanpopulation heavily concentrated in the west, and particularly the northwest, in and around the capital of Amman; a sizeable, but smaller population is located in the southwest along the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba

Topic: Kazakhstanmost of the country displays a low population density, particularly the interior; population clusters appear in urban agglomerations in the far northern and southern portions of the country

Topic: Kenyapopulation heavily concentrated in the west along the shore of Lake Victoria; other areas of high density include the capital of Nairobi, and in the southeast along the Indian Ocean coast as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Kiribaticonsists of three achipelagos spread out over an area roughly the size of India; the eastern Line Islands and central Phoenix Islands are sparsely populated, but the western Gilbert Islands are some of the most densely settled places on earth, with the main island of South Tarawa boasting a population density similar to Tokyo or Hong Kong

Topic: Korea, Northpopulation concentrated in the plains and lowlands; least populated regions are the mountainous provinces adjacent to the Chinese border; largest concentrations are in the western provinces, particularly the municipal district of Pyongyang, and around Hungnam and Wonsan in the east

Topic: Korea, Southwith approximately 70% of the country considered mountainous, the country's population is primarily concentrated in the lowland areas, where density is quite high; Gyeonggi Province in the northwest, which surrounds the capital of Seoul and contains the port of Incheon, is the most densely populated province; Gangwon in the northeast is the least populated

Topic: Kosovopopulation clusters exist throughout the country, the largest being in the east in and around the capital of Pristina

Topic: Kuwaitdensest settlement is along the Persian Gulf, particularly in Kuwait City and on Bubiyan Island; significant population threads extend south and west along highways that radiate from the capital, particularly in the southern half of the country

Topic: Kyrgyzstanthe vast majority of Kyrgyzstanis live in rural areas; densest population settlement is to the north in and around the capital, Bishkek, followed by Osh in the west; the least densely populated area is the east, southeast in the Tien Shan mountains

Topic: Laosmost densely populated area is in and around the capital city of Vientiane; large communities are primarily found along the Mekong River along the southwestern border; overall density is considered one of the lowest in Southeast Asia

Topic: Latvialargest concentration of people is found in and around the port and capital city of Riga; small agglomerations are scattered throughout the country

Topic: Lebanonthe majority of the people live on or near the Mediterranean coast, and of these most live in and around the capital, Beirut; favorable growing conditions in the Bekaa Valley, on the southeastern side of the Lebanon Mountains, have attracted farmers and thus the area exhibits a smaller population density

Topic: Lesothorelatively higher population density in the western half of the nation, with the capital of Maseru, and the smaller cities of Mafeteng, Teyateyaneng, and Leribe attracting the most people as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Liberiamore than half of the population lives in urban areas, with approximately one-third living within an 80-km radius of Monrovia as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Libyawell over 90% of the population lives along the Mediterranean coast in and between Tripoli to the west and Al Bayda to the east; the interior remains vastly underpopulated due to the Sahara and lack of surface water as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Liechtensteinmost of the population is found in the western half of the country along the Rhine River

Topic: Lithuaniafairly even population distribution throughout the country, but somewhat greater concentrations in the southern cities of Vilnius and Kaunas, and the western port of Klaipeda

Topic: Luxembourgmost people live in the south, on or near the border with France

Topic: Macaupopulation fairly equally distributed

Topic: Madagascarmost of population lives on the eastern half of the island; significant clustering is found in the central highlands and eastern coastline as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Malawipopulation density is highest south of Lake Nyasa as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Malaysiaa highly uneven distribution with over 80% of the population residing on the Malay Peninsula

Topic: Maldivesabout a third of the population lives in the centrally located capital city of Male and almost a tenth in southern Addu City; the remainder of the populace is spread over the 200 or so populated islands of the archipelago

Topic: Malithe overwhelming majority of the population lives in the southern half of the country, with greater density along the border with Burkina Faso as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Maltamost of the population lives on the eastern half of Malta, the largest of the three inhabited islands

Topic: Marshall Islandsmost people live in urban clusters found on many of the country's islands; more than two-thirds of the population lives on the atolls of Majuro and Ebeye

Topic: Mauritaniawith most of the country being a desert, vast areas of the country, particularly in the central, northern, and eastern areas, are without sizeable population clusters; half the population lives in or around the coastal capital of Nouakchott; smaller clusters are found near the southern border with Mali and Senegal as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Mauritiuspopulation density is one of the highest in the world; urban cluster are found throught the main island, with a greater density in and around Port Luis; population on Rodrigues Island is spread across the island with a slightly denser cluster on the north coast as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Mexicomost of the population is found in the middle of the country between the states of Jalisco and Veracruz; approximately a quarter of the population lives in and around Mexico City

Topic: Micronesia, Federated States ofthe majority of the populaton lives in the coastal areas of the high islands; the mountainous interior is largely uninhabited; less than half of the population lives in urban areas

Topic: Moldovapockets of agglomeration exist throughout the country, the largest being in the center of the country around the capital of Chisinau, followed by Tiraspol and Balti

Topic: Monacothe second most densely populated country in the world (after Macau); its entire population living on 2 square km

Topic: Mongoliasparsely distributed population throughout the country; the capital of Ulaanbaatar and the northern city of Darhan support the highest population densities

Topic: Montenegrohighest population density is concentrated in the south, southwest; the extreme eastern border is the least populated area

Topic: Montserratonly the northern half of the island is populated, the southern portion is uninhabitable due to volcanic activity

Topic: Moroccothe highest population density is found along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts; a number of densely populated agglomerations are found scattered through the Atlas Mountains as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Mozambiquethree large populations clusters are found along the southern coast between Maputo and Inhambane, in the central area between Beira and Chimoio along the Zambezi River, and in and around the northern cities of Nampula, Cidade de Nacala, and Pemba; the northwest and southwest are the least populated areas as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Namibiapopulation density is very low, with the largest clustering found in the extreme north-central area along the border with Angola as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Nauruextensive phosphate mining made approximately 90% of the island unsuitable for farming; most people live in the fertile coastal areas, especially along the southwest coast

Topic: Nepalmost of the population is divided nearly equally between a concentration in the southern-most plains of the Tarai region and the central hilly region; overall density is quite low

Topic: Netherlandsan area known as the Randstad, anchored by the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague, and Utrecht, is the most densely populated region; the north tends to be less dense, though sizeable communities can be found throughout the entire country

Topic: New Caledoniamost of the populace lives in the southern part of the main island, in and around the capital of Noumea

Topic: New Zealandover three-quarters of New Zealanders, including the indigenous Maori, live on the North Island, primarily in urban areas

Topic: Nicaraguathe overwhelming majority of the population resides in the western half of the country, with much of the urban growth centered in the capital city of Managua; coastal areas also show large population clusters

Topic: Nigermajority of the populace is located in the southernmost extreme of the country along the border with Nigeria and Benin as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Nigerialargest population of any African nation; significant population clusters are scattered throughout the country, with the highest density areas being in the south and southwest as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Niuepopulation distributed around the peripheral coastal areas of the island

Topic: Norfolk Islandpopulation concentrated around the capital of Kingston

Topic: North Macedoniaa fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations

Topic: Northern Mariana Islandsapproximately 90% of the population lives on the island of Saipan

Topic: Norwaymost Norwegians live in the south where the climate is milder and there is better connectivity to mainland Europe; population clusters are found all along the North Sea coast in the southwest, and Skaggerak in the southeast; the interior areas of the north remain sparsely populated

Topic: Omanthe vast majority of the population is located in and around the Al Hagar Mountains in the north of the country; another smaller cluster is found around the city of Salalah in the far south; most of the country remains sparsely poplulated

Topic: Pakistanthe Indus River and its tributaries attract most of the settlement, with Punjab province the most densely populated

Topic: Palaumost of the population is located on the southern end of the main island of Babelthuap

Topic: Panamapopulation is concentrated towards the center of the country, particularly around the Canal, but a sizeable segment of the populace also lives in the far west around David; the eastern third of the country is sparsely inhabited

Topic: Papua New Guineapopulation concentrated in the highlands and eastern coastal areas on the island of New Guinea; predominantly a rural distribution with only about one-fifth of the population residing in urban areas

Topic: Paracel Islandsa population of over 1,000 Chinese resides on Woody Island, the largest of the Paracels; there are scattered Chinese garrisons on some other islands

Topic: Paraguaymost of the population resides in the eastern half of the country; to the west lies the Gran Chaco (a semi-arid lowland plain), which accounts for 60% of the land territory, but only 2% of the overall population

Topic: Peruapproximately one-third of the population resides along the desert coastal belt in the west, with a strong focus on the capital city of Lima; the Andean highlands, or sierra, which is strongly identified with the country's Amerindian population, contains roughly half of the overall population; the eastern slopes of the Andes, and adjoining rainforest, are sparsely populated

Topic: Philippinespopulation concentrated where good farmlands lie; highest concentrations are northwest and south-central Luzon, the southeastern extension of Luzon, and the islands of the Visayan Sea, particularly Cebu and Negros; Manila is home to one-eighth of the entire national population

Topic: Pitcairn Islandsless than 50 inhabitants on Pitcairn Island, most reside near the village of Adamstown

Topic: Polandpopulation concentrated in the southern area around Krakow and the central area around Warsaw and Lodz, with an extension to the northern coastal city of Gdansk

Topic: Portugalconcentrations are primarily along or near the Atlantic coast; both Lisbon and the second largest city, Porto, are coastal cities

Topic: Puerto Ricopopulation clusters tend to be found along the coast, the largest of these is found in and around San Juan; an exception to this is a sizeable population located in the interior of the island immediately south of the capital around Caguas; most of the interior, particularly in the western half of the island, is dominated by the Cordillera Central mountains, where population density is low

Topic: Qatarmost of the population is clustered in or around the capital of Doha on the eastern side of the peninsula

Topic: Romaniaurbanization is not particularly high, and a fairly even population distribution can be found throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations; Hungarians, the country's largest minority, have a particularly strong presence in eastern Transylvania

Topic: Russiapopulation is heavily concentrated in the westernmost fifth of the country extending from the Baltic Sea, south to the Caspian Sea, and eastward parallel to the Kazakh border; elsewhere, sizeable pockets are isolated and generally found in the south

Topic: Rwandaone of Africa's most densely populated countries; large concentrations tend to be in the central regions and along the shore of Lake Kivu in the west as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Saint Barthelemymost of the populace concentrated in and around the capital of Gustavia, but scattered settlements exist around the island periphery

Topic: Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da CunhaSaint Helena - population is concentrated in and around the capital Jamestown in the northwest, with another significant cluster in the interior Longwood area; Ascension - largest settlement, and location of most of the population, is Georgetown; Tristan da Cunha - most of the nearly 300 inhabitants live in the northern coastal town of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas

Topic: Saint Kitts and Nevispopulation clusters are found in the small towns located on the periphery of both islands

Topic: Saint Luciamost of the population is found on the periphery of the island, with a larger concentration in the north around the capital of Castries

Topic: Saint Martinmost of the population is found along the coast, with a largest concentrations around the capital Marigot, Orleans, and Grand-Case

Topic: Saint Pierre and Miquelonmost of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island

Topic: Saint Vincent and the Grenadinesmost of the population is concentrated in and around the capital of Kingstown

Topic: Samoaabout three-quarters of the population lives on the island of Upolu

Topic: Sao Tome and PrincipeSao Tome, the capital city, has roughly a quarter of the nation's population; Santo Antonio is the largest town on Principe; the northern areas of both islands have the highest population densities as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Saudi Arabiahistorically a population that was mostly nomadic or semi-nomadic, the Saudi population has become more settled since petroleum was discovered in the 1930s; most of the economic activities - and with it the country's population - is concentrated in a wide area across the middle of the peninsula, from Ad Dammam in the east, through Riyadh in the interior, to Mecca-Medina in the west near the Red Sea

Topic: Senegalthe population is concentrated in the west, with Dakar anchoring a well-defined core area; approximately 70% of the population is rural as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Serbiaa fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations

Topic: Seychellesmore than three-quarters of the population lives on the main island of Mahe; Praslin contains less than 10%; a smaller percent on La Digue and the outer islands as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Sierra Leonepopulation clusters are found in the lower elevations of the south and west; the northern third of the country is less populated as shown on this population distribution map

Topic: Singaporemost of the urbanization is along the southern coast, with relatively dense population clusters found in the central areas

Topic: Sint Maartenmost populous areas are Lower Prince's Quarter (north of Philipsburg), followed closely by Cul de Sac

Topic: Slovakiaa fairly even distribution throughout most of the country; slightly larger concentration in the west in proximity to the Czech border

Topic: Sloveniaa fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations; pockets in the mountainous northwest exhibit less density than elsewhere

Topic: Solomon Islandsmost of the population lives along the coastal regions; about one in five live in urban areas, and of these some two-thirds reside in Honiara, the largest town and chief port

Topic: Somaliadistribution varies greatly throughout the country; least densely populated areas are in the northeast and central regions, as well as areas along the Kenyan border; most populated areas are in and around the cities of Mogadishu, Marka, Boorama, Hargeysa, and Baidoa as shown on this population distribution map

Topic: South Africathe population concentrated along the southern and southeastern coast, and inland around Pretoria; the eastern half of the country is more densly populated than the west as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: South Sudanclusters found in urban areas, particularly in the western interior and around the White Nile as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Spainwith the notable exception of Madrid, Sevilla, and Zaragoza, the largest urban agglomerations are found along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts; numerous smaller cities are spread throughout the interior reflecting Spain's agrarian heritage; very dense settlement around the capital of Madrid, as well as the port city of Barcelona

Topic: Sri Lankathe population is primarily concentrated within a broad wet zone in the southwest, urban centers along the eastern coast, and on the Jaffna Peninsula in the north

Topic: Sudanwith the exception of a ribbon of settlement that corresponds to the banks of the Nile, northern Sudan, which extends into the dry Sahara, is sparsely populated; more abundant vegetation and broader access to water increases population distribution in the south extending habitable range along nearly the entire border with South Sudan; sizeable areas of population are found around Khartoum, southeast between the Blue and White Nile Rivers, and througout South Darfur as shown on this population distribution map

Topic: Surinamepopulation concentrated along the nothern coastal strip; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated

Topic: Svalbardthe small population is primarily concentrated on the island of Spitsbergen in a handful of settlements on the south side of the Isfjorden, with Longyearbyen being the largest

Topic: Swedenmost Swedes live in the south where the climate is milder and there is better connectivity to mainland Europe; population clusters are found all along the Baltic coast in the east; the interior areas of the north remain sparsely populated

Topic: Switzerlandpopulation distribution corresponds to elevation with the northern and western areas far more heavily populated; the higher Alps of the south limit settlement

Topic: Syriasignificant population density along the Mediterranean coast; larger concentrations found in the major cities of Damascus, Aleppo (the country's largest city), and Hims (Homs); more than half of the population lives in the coastal plain, the province of Halab, and the Euphrates River valley

note: the ongoing civil war has altered the population distribution

Topic: Taiwandistribution exhibits a peripheral coastal settlement pattern, with the largest populations on the north and west coasts

Topic: Tajikistanthe country's population is concentrated at lower elevations, with perhaps as much as 90% of the people living in valleys; overall density increases from east to west

Topic: Tanzaniathe largest and most populous East African country; population distribution is extremely uneven, but greater population clusters occur in the northern half of country and along the east coast as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Thailandhighest population density is found in and around Bangkok; significant population clusters found througout large parts of the country, particularly north and northeast of Bangkok and in the extreme southern region of the country

Topic: Timor-Lestemost of the population concentrated in the western third of the country, particularly around Dili

Topic: Togoone of the more densely populated African nations with most of the population residing in rural communities, density is highest in the south on or near the Atlantic coast as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Tokelauthe country's small population is fairly evenly distributed amongst the three atolls

Topic: Tongaover two-thirds of the population lives on the island of Tongatapu; only 45 of the nation's 171 islands are occupied

Topic: Trinidad and Tobagopopulation on Trinidad is concentrated in the western half of the island, on Tobago in the southern half

Topic: Tunisiathe overwhelming majority of the population is located in the northern half of the country; the south remains largely underpopulated as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Turkeythe most densely populated area is found around the Bosporus in the northwest where 20% of the population lives in Istanbul; with the exception of Ankara, urban centers remain small and scattered throughout the interior of Anatolia; an overall pattern of peripheral development exists, particularly along the Aegean Sea coast in the west, and the Tigris and Euphrates River systems in the southeast

Topic: Turkmenistanthe most densely populated areas are the southern, eastern, and northeastern oases; approximately 50% of the population lives in and around the capital of Ashgabat

Topic: Turks and Caicos Islandseight of the thirty islands are inhabited; the island of Providenciales is the most populated, but the most densely populated is Grand Turk

Topic: Tuvaluover half of the population resides on the atoll of Funafuti

Topic: Ugandapopulation density is relatively high in comparison to other African nations; most of the population is concentrated in the central and southern parts of the country, particularly along the shores of Lake Victoria and Lake Albert; the northeast is least populated as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: Ukrainedensest settlement in the eastern (Donbas) and western regions; noteable concentrations in and around major urban areas of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donets'k, Dnipropetrovs'k, and Odesa

Topic: United Arab Emiratespopulation is heavily concentrated to the northeast on the Musandam Peninsula; the three largest emirates - Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah - are home to nearly 85% of the population

Topic: United Kingdomthe core of the population lies in and around London, with significant clusters found in central Britain around Manchester and Liverpool, in the Scottish lowlands between Edinburgh and Glasgow, southern Wales in and around Cardiff, and far eastern Northern Ireland centered on Belfast

Topic: United Stateslarge urban clusters are spread throughout the eastern half of the US (particularly the Great Lakes area, northeast, east, and southeast) and the western tier states; mountainous areas, principally the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian chain, deserts in the southwest, the dense boreal forests in the extreme north, and the central prarie states are less densely populated; Alaska's population is concentrated along its southern coast - with particular emphasis on the city of Anchorage - and Hawaii's is centered on the island of Oahu

Topic: Uruguaymost of the country's population resides in the southern half of the country; approximately 80% of the populace is urban, living in towns or cities; nearly half of the population lives in and around the capital of Montevideo

Topic: Uzbekistanmost of the population is concentrated in the fertile Fergana Valley in the easternmost arm of the country; the south has significant clusters of people, while the central and western deserts are sparsely populated

Topic: Vanuatuthree-quarters of the population lives in rural areas; the urban populace lives primarily in two cities, Port-Vila and Lugenville; three largest islands - Espiritu Santo, Malakula, and Efate - accomodate over half of the populace

Topic: Venezuelamost of the population is concentrated in the northern and western highlands along an eastern spur at the northern end of the Andes, an area that includes the capital of Caracas

Topic: Vietnamthough it has one of the highest population densities in the world, the population is not evenly dispersed; clustering is heaviest along the South China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin, with the Mekong Delta (in the south) and the Red River Valley (in the north) having the largest concentrations of people

Topic: Virgin Islandswhile overall population density throughout the islands is relatively low, concentrations appear around Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas and Christiansted on St. Croix

Topic: West Bankthe most populous Palestinian communities in the West Bank are located in the central ridge and western half of its territory; Jewish settlements are located throughout the West Bank, the most populous in the Seam Zone--between the 1949 Armistice Line and the separation barrier--and around Jerusalem

Topic: Worldsix 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 account for over 35%); Africa comes in second with over 15% of the earth's populace, Europe has about 10%, North America 8%, South America almost 6%, and Oceania less than 1%; the harsh conditions on Antarctica prevent any permanent habitation

Topic: Yementhe vast majority of the population is found in the Asir Mountains (part of the larger Sarawat Mountain system), located in the far western region of the country

Topic: Zambiaone of the highest levels of urbanization in Africa; high density in the central area, particularly around the cities of Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe, and Mufulira as shown in this population distribution map

Topic: ZimbabweAside from major urban agglomerations in Harare and Bulawayo, population distribution is fairly even, with slightly greater overall numbers in the eastern half as shown in this population distribution map


Topic: Public CommentsI would like to thank you for the detailed, thorough, and incredibly useful World Factbook. We have been using the document to plan our travel for over 20 years; it has been an invaluable resource. Just saw the the new online Factbook and whoever redesigned it did a very good job.Thank you for providing this as a resource. When I was a classroom teacher, I used it as a reference tool, as well as for personal research and reading. “EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT!!! I love the CIA World Factbook! Since my days studying political science in college, the online version at https://www.cia/the-world-factbook/ is my FAVORITE website. I just get drawn into and lost in the data. So overwhelming at times…but I love it!!! People say, “Check Wikipedia.” I say, “Better check the CIA Factbook.” In my humble opinion, the CIA Factbook should be a mandatory textbook in high school. Where can I purchase a hard copy for my home? Thank you.” Hello CIA. Firstly, I really like and enjoy The World Factbook. Its presentation is professional and in my opinion, unbiased. I refer to it several times a year, more so if I’m planning on travelling outside of North America. I like the new format. [A Canadian visitor] “Thank you for the info on Ethiopia, it is really helpful :). (P.S. I asked my mom’s permission because I am under 18.) Have a wonderful day and God bless you!” “Just wanted to convey one US citizen’s appreciation for the work that your organization does to insure our security. We live in the best country in the world and it is because of folks like you that we continue to do so. Words alone can never properly convey my appreciation for the sacrifices and work that you do. Thank you so much!!Also, I do appreciate the website. It’s easy to use and contains very interesting information, especially the CIA Factbook!” “Thank you for creating The World Factbook; it’s been a lifesaver.” “The CIA World Factbook is a wonderful example of what the United States truly stands for. While the CIA is renowned for its secrecy and discretion, its willingness to publish an open and comprehensive information resource on the nations of our world reinforces its commitment to the search for truth and the dissemination of knowledge.” “Aside from the cloak-and-dagger stuff, the Agency publishes a stunningly useful online document, The World Factbook. I commend the contributors, and endorse it as a fine use of taxpayer money.” “I always thought the CIA was gathering only ‘secret’ information. Wow! Was I wrong! The amount of information available on the Agency’s website is astounding, not to mention, free. Thank you, guys.” “I greatly appreciate the vast amount of information available through the CIA’s World Factbook, and the enormous amount of work involved in keeping such a database up to date. Thank you for making it possible, and thank you to the many who work to provide such a valuable resource.” “CIA provides a wonderful service – particularly The World Factbook. Thank you for all your hard work.” “We love The World Factbook, and my fifth graders will be delighted to know that we heard back from you.” “I am contacting you to present my thanks for providing the public with fast, reliable, and convenient information at our fingertips, for absolutely nothing in return. My world is a high school geography presentation covering Greece, but by using your information, I started to understand the importance of knowledge being free to the public. Thank you, I plan on using your website for further studies.” “I am homeschooled and looking for information on French Guyana. Thanks for providing such great information. Your website has been my main source for up-to-date information on the web as we have been studying every country in the world.” “Thanks, cia.gov, all data from The World Factbook is awesome! So great and so detailed.” “The World Factbook has been a helpful tool for me for nearly 15 years. Thank you for providing this valuable resource.” “I want to compliment you on the gorgeous country picker [interactive flash map] on The World Factbook site. Country/region pickers are notoriously difficult to get right, and you absolutely nailed it. Well done.” “The CIA World Factbook must rank among the most precisely well-documented and politically unbiased publications anywhere. I am delighted to know that my tax dollars support such an important reference work … Thanks for your time and professional service.” “The World Factbook is very, very informative and helpful for me. Thank you for publishing it.” “My birthday is a month from today. All I want is the @CIA World Factbook.” “Thank you so very much for the beautifully arranged [data] tables you sent me last week. Please convey my heartfelt thanks to whoever assembled the data, and rest assured that when I use it, I will give CIA, The World Factbook as the source of the data.” “Thank you for making The World Factbook publicly available. I have purchased the app for my phone and it is indispensable.” “Fantastic site. I especially like The World Factbook and the leaders of world section. A treasure trove of information. Nice job!” Thank you for your… letter replying to my earlier inquiry about the CIA’s The World Factbook population estimate for Bulgaria. I am glad to note that the updated… figure comes much closer to the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute’s with a difference as you put it in your letter “within an acceptable range of accuracy.”… I avail myself on this occasion to assure you of my highest consideration. I would like to thank the CIA for their useful World Factbook. I am a student in Colorado. The World Factbook has helped me on numerous occasions at school. It recently helped me get a passing grade in my college geography class… Thanks for the good grades. I thank you for The World Factbook. It is a FANTASTIC resource. I have seen in your website, (World Factbook) it’s the most accurate website in terms of population and economy status of the world. [Comment from Kenya] Thank you so much! This is incredibly useful and I really appreciate the time you took to respond to my request. It’s rare to see that level of customer service and it is just awesome. [Grateful response after receiving a reply to a World Factbook question.] Your website is very helpful to me as a parent during homework time. The World Factbook is an invaluable tool for social studies/geography assignment help. I am gonna spread the word to teachers/other parents so they might utilize this awesome website and the multitude of interesting info it contains. The World Factbook is probably the most fantastic educational tool on which our tax dollars can be used. Thank you so much for your excellent effort. Great job on The World Factbook. It really is fantastic and useful. I love it. Thanks for the great maps on your site! Plus your published historical research is fascinating. I don’t think many individuals know that the CIA offers these resources. When I was a graduate student (1991), I did my thesis on Soviet Oil Production. The CIA had an excellent publication [The World Factbook] which I purchased and cited in my work… It was a fantastic mixture of geographical information and excellent analysis. I wanted to thank you for everything you do, for this website. The site alone takes a lot of work to maintain, not to mention what you contribute to this country every day. I came across this site by accident. Just being able to go through the library of information about each country has really given me a clearer understanding of the world. I wish more Americans knew about it! I love the CIA website. It helps me a lot with homework and stuff to get ready for the following grade. Thank you sooooooooooooo much. If my brother and sister did not tell me about your site I would still be getting all the wrong information. This is a wonderful site. I am not at all surprised by the depth of information the CIA possesses, but what you share is brilliant. I have learnt things about my own country that amaze me. A real one-stop shop. Love your site. Use it for teaching because I know it is accurate. Just wanted to congratulate you guys on The World Factbook. I have been reading various country reports over the last 10 years. I am an Indian citizen, your analysis on the Maoist insurgency in India as being one of the most destabilizing threats has been spot on. [An Indian visitor] I am a HUGE fan of your agency’s World Factbook and seem to find myself spending a fair amount of time every few weeks or so reading the information contained therein. I just want to thank everyone there for the fantastic World Factbook. This is an incredible resource. I have learned much and have truly enjoyed using and browsing through the publication. The World Factbook represents, to the highest degree, the best and most effective use of the Internet to provide relevant and useful and easy to understand information. Thank you. I am emailing to let you know that the The World Factbook you provide as part of the cia.gov website is a great source of information and I appreciate it on a daily basis. I am the International Sales Manager for a skateboard company based in Carlsbad, California so the type, quality, and quantity of information you provide in The World Factbook is a major asset to my daily life. I also frequently travel internationally for business and pleasure so it is nice to be able to look into the facts of my destination before setting off on my travels. Thank you for your time and for providing this much needed information. Every time I come to your site and Factbook I am compelled to tell you what a hell of a good job you do at providing this information to the public at large. Thank You for all the work you do making this information available, and for collecting it in one place. This time I will also comment on everything else you do. I think and believe that you are also doing a hell of a good job for us citizens of the US. Please keep up that good work, too. Nothing created by man is perfect, but it seems that you do strive for it. Thank you for that! G’day,I always like to read your info on other countries particularly before I travel to them. Your info is fantastic and very helpful. Thank you for keeping your database updated and full of stuff. I am a town planner and it is very interesting to read up on the latest stats of the world’s countries. Your World Factbook is excellent with populations and demographics, politics, and economic info.I often go to the US for a holiday to see my relatives there. I love travelling to the States, shopping there and holidaying. I hope to go again next year. I wish your country all the very best.Thanks once again. [An Australian visitor] I just wanted to say you have a great site! I think the biggest improvement is being able to hover over the continents and see the country names appear. It really helps to see a country’s neighbour and relative position. Thank you CIA and web master for maintaining this excellent website. It is exceptionally important to me as one of my most valued links when teaching Comparative Politics and World Politics to my students. By the way, it [The World Factbook] is an incredible resource work, and should be in every grade school and high school classroom in the country. It is one of the best returns on our tax dollars, in my humble opinion. The Factbook packs the informational punch of an almanac on steroids; it is excellent and exhaustive. I have used the online version of the CIA Factbook for several years and have always been delighted at the quantity and quality of information it contains. We use it in classroom discussions and assignments frequently. What a remarkable compendium of useful information. Great job! I really like your World Factbook. What a great resource. I regularly refer to it as my nine-year-old daughter has a country question each week for homework. Thanks for keeping it so up to date – even the information for New Zealand. This is a very appreciative user. [A New Zealand visitor] Thank you very much for one of the best sites on the Internet. I especially refer to The World Factbook, which is the best way to learn of other countries. Thank you all! [A Norwegian visitor] I got to your website by accident, when looking for information on Belize. Then I got curious and went to look on Portugal, my country. I know you get a lot of stuff to read but, in a world that is always thinking of CIA as a non-trustful organization, I really must congratulate you on the FACTS and fact-oriented analysis on Portugal. Much better and clearer than the info from IMF or the UN and many others. I just wanted to congratulate you for the info on the countries. [A Portuguese visitor] At Utah State University, I worked on an intensive and immersive undergraduate study abroad program for travel to developing countries with cultures very different from the US. In such challenging situations, developing cultural navigation skills is crucial for a successful experience. The World Factbook was initially useful for preparing undergraduates in learning facts about a country. Subsequently, it proved important for giving clues about the direction and nature of cultural differences one could expect upon entering a non-cosmopolitan setting. There is little available in the market for helping students think beyond a “Lonely Planet” shopping list of cultural differences; The World Factbook filled this niche. Wanted to compliment you on the excellent web site you have been maintaining in The World Factbook. The information compiled, particularly on the current status of North Korea, is very, very well done. It takes special talents of special people to boil so much information down into what you have produced, which is readily understandable by the public consumer.Thank you, on behalf of this one reader.I also feel confident that if your staff and field personnel are working with the same kind of professionalism and integrity, that our country is well served by its intelligence agency in all corners of the world.Thanks for your service. I just wanted to thank you for everything that you do, and for this site. The site alone takes a lot of work to maintain not to mention what you contribute to this country every day. I came across the site by accident. Just being able to go through the library information about each country has really given me a much more clear understanding of the world. I wish more Americans knew about it. Thank you! Your effort is probably the most fantastic educational tool on which our tax dollars can be used. Thank you so much for your excellent effort. I wanted to express my gratitude for your placing The World Factbook online. It is a great and quick way to get some interesting facts and data. [An Austrian visitor] I am an American geography teacher working in China. Your website is of great use to me when I prepare my lessons. Thanks. Your website is very helpful to me as a parent during homework time. The World Factbook is an invaluable tool for social studies/geography assignment help. I am going to spread the word to teachers/other parents so they might utilize this awesome website and the multitude of interesting info it contains. I really enjoy the Factbook because I’ve learned so much about countries I didn’t even know existed – plus ones I was a little fuzzy on where they were located. Thank you very much! I think this is an invaluable service. I love The World Factbook and appreciate the valuable and fascinating reference material that you provide. I look at it all the time. Thank you. I want to thank you for The CIA World Factbook! What a fantastic source of information. It should be promoted for use in our schools for Geography, History, and political science. THIS IS OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK in a truly useful form. Thanks for your hard work on our behalf. I would like to thank the CIA for their useful World Factbook. I am a student living in Colorado. The World Factbook has helped me on numerous occasions at school. It recently helped me get a passing grade in my College Geography class. It helped me get an ‘A’ in my High School Geography class. Thanks for the good grades. I am happy to see our CIA on Facebook and Twitter. God bless you all and keep doing what you all do so well in protecting us. Your “CIA World Factbook” has been a valued research resource for me for many years. Thank you for maintaining The World Factbook. It is a great reference source for me and many others. I teach Geography at a High School in England. The information in your Factbook is extremely useful, there seems to be little else quite like it. Thank you. Your CIA Factfiles ROCK! I teach English in the UAE and the students don’t know much about the rest of the world. I LOVE this site! Thank you American government! I find the CIA World Factbook an unbelievably important asset for both research and general fact checking. Thank you for providing it. I wanted to send you a note to let you know that your new website looks wonderful! It still contains the same great, in-depth information but is more compact and easier to navigate. I frequently use the website in my Geography classes and suggest that all my students in Middle School as well as my Community College students search through the information when writing or presenting on different countries of the world. I would like the CIA to know that my [high school] students use information from The World Factbook and website when doing their research on Spanish-speaking countries. Thank you so very much for this very effective link. I wish more students were aware of what you offer. As a geography, US history, and AP government teacher, I wanted to say thank you for the Factbook. It is an incredible resource that I use in almost all my classes, and in my opinion it is one of the better direct contributions for education that government offers today – besides money, of course. I base projects on the Factbook and encourage students to remember it well – I am sure they will be able to make use of it in college as well. Thank you for your wonderful resource. We are using the CIA World Factbook as a reference to standardize codes we use to capture country of birth/territory data. I just wanted to let you know that your website is really good and that you helped me to study and hopefully pass my geography test on poor and rich nations. I don’t really think that many people know about this website, but I do because our geography teacher showed it to us. So to sum up what I wrote, thanks. Thank you for providing such a fantastic and informative site. I’ve visited with varying frequency over the years but always consider your site a first stop for international information. It’s well organized and loaded with demographics, maps, illustrations, and much more. The PDF version is wonderful. I’m grateful to see taxes so well spent. We are a high school in Peoria, IL. We have just started a Model United Nations Club here at Richwoods. As a career intelligence professional with the US Marine Corps, I found the CIA World Factbook to be a great starting point for research on countries. I think that this website is amazing and very easy to use. I use it for all of my social studies projects. Wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your work. The information on your website, especially The World Factbook has been very helpful when working with individuals from other countries. It provides me with a better idea of the context in which they lived. That, in turn, makes it possible to be more effective when assisting them in the management of psychological issues. Keep up the good work. I’d just like to tell you, that the CIA Factbook is one of the most useful things to be found on the Internet. Thank you for having it online and updating it constantly. I think the CIA Factbook is one of the most relevant fact books in the world, supplying lots of information about every country and a lot of regions.Many greetings and keep on with the good work. Thank you for your World Factbook. As a teacher, I use it frequently. Do not waste time to answer me, just let everyone know who contributed to this edition how it is useful and used worldwide. I am a social studies teacher and we use The World Factbook all the time. It is really nice to see all [the] information about [the] world in one place. You are giving very important info for all [the] world. It is appreciated. Thanks for much for making The World Factbook available on line. I use it often for background information on world events. I’ve been using your World Factbook on a regular basis as a quick reference tool for my studies in political science. It is a fantastic tool – thank you for providing it. I am a geography buff and I spend a lot of time on The World Factbook site. I wish to thank the CIA for making the info available to us, and a job well done. My respect for the Agency is unwavering. Keep up the good work. I would like to thank you for making your CIA World Factbook available to the public as I find it an invaluable resource. The CIA World Factbook is the most informative website on the Net. Thank you for it. This is a wonderful site. I am not at all surprised by the depth of information the CIA possesses, but what you share is brilliant. I have learnt things about my own country that amaze me. A real one-stop shop. I have been using the CIA Factbook on and off for a couple of years whenever I need some information on a country, and it has helped me a lot. I wish to thank you for keeping it in the public domain. As a political science professor teaching Comparative Politics, I have my students make extensive use of the CIA World Factbook. It’s an excellent resource and it is appreciated. I usually use your website for my Geography lessons as a rich source of information students can easily access. I really like The World Factbook. It has so much information! I use it all the time for my social studies homework, at least three times a week. Right now I am doing a project and absolutely all the information I need is on this website! Thank you for creating it. I’ve been using The World Factbook you provide in your web site, and it is wonderful! Just stumbled across this CIA World [Factbook] website and simply had to let you know how fantastic this site is. It is so chock-a-block full of info and so easy to navigate. A truly magnificent achievement which deserves a plaudit. Many thanks. As a social studies teacher I love the Factbook. Thanks for the great info! Hi, I just visited your website because I’m planning a holiday to Slovakia and wasn’t sure if they used the Euro or not. In order to get this information I was going to use The World Factbook, which I’ve always found really useful in the past as a traveling resource.To my surprise I found that you now offer The Factbook as a download which is FANTASTIC! I just wanted to say thank you very much – in the modern world it’s not often that people take time out to say thank you, and I wanted to do just that.So thank you very much! It is appreciated! I am a teacher in Texas and my class is creating a Cultural Quilts over an African country. Thank you very much and we love this web-site! Hi! I teach world cultures and am using the CIA World Factbook site to update the information to teach to my 6th graders. Your institution’s World Factbook is an incredibly useful resource. Being able to quickly find a nation’s population, simple economic indicators, religious and linguistic composition, total fertility rate, and literacy rates allows one to fill in contextual gaps that are needed to understand current events. Thank you for providing this resource online to the public. Hello, I am a reference librarian at a university library, and I use the CIA World Factbook a lot. It is an incredibly useful tool, and one that librarians feel can generally be relied upon, because of the authority of the world’s leading intelligence bureau. I am a World Studies Teacher and use your Factbook all the time with my students. I really appreciate your team’s effort in compiling the country data you have for public use. I love your Factbook. I use it all the time. Your entry about the USA has:Industries: leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and technologically advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining.That entry makes my heart swell with pride. Thanks for saying it, and keep up the good work. With due regards, I would like to express my gratitude for the information provided by your World Factbook. Just wanted to let you know that I absolutely love your CIA Factbook. I use it for papers at school and that kind of thing. I have just put online a website that could be very useful for a person who wants to discover [more about] the world. On each place mark you will find information about the country and one link that goes directly to the CIA World Factbook. Thank you for allowing people of non-US origin access to your World Factbook, it is a wonderful collection of data for anyone interested in the world we live in. I’m in the 6th grade and I am doing a report on China and thanks to you guys I found a lot of info about my country. I am a Marketing Professor at the University of Detroit Mercy and I have used the CIA Factbook in many of my classes. First of all, thank you for this site, which helps [one] to get to know other countries and to broaden [one’s] views. I am Lithuanian, but now I live in Milwaukee – I am exchange student for one year. I would like to say that your World Factbook has been an excellent source of information for doing many research projects during my high school and collegiate career. I appreciate your hard work and thank you for that excellent resource. Your web-page helps me very much in my teaching of both Geography and English at a local high school in my town in Slovakia. I think the info that you folks make available to the galaxy is extraordinary! Having said that and meaning it, I think it is unfortunate, however, that I am not able to contact you kind folks by phone to ask any questions. Oh, welcome to the wonderful world of technology and its resulting detachment.

Topic: Government CommentsYour website is excellent. It provides an indispensable reference for those involved in global political, military, diplomatic, or economic affairs. [US Navy officer] For us [at the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names, PCGN] the Factbook is an invaluable source of information which is readily accessible and easy to interpret. Knowing that the information contained therein is up-to-date and adheres to Board on Geographic Names/PCGN principles reinforces the authority of such a valuable resource.At PCGN we use the Factbook as an important reference when assessing geopolitical information for UK Government cartographic products; the administrative division and transnational issues sections being particularly helpful in these cases. More broadly, we often consult the country pages when researching information for our briefing papers.Furthermore, we are happy to be able to include a link to the Factbook from our website, so that our customers too can easily access this very useful source of geographical information.We all hope that the Factbook will continue to appear and be maintained as a useful and reliable source of geopolitical information. [Toponymist, PCGN, c/o The Royal Geographical Society] I truly appreciate the fact that it [The World Factbook] is “one stop shopping” for most of my data needs. In fact, as a foundation for any international study or research, it is the best place to start. I often go to other sites looking for data or making sure that the data I have is up to date and complete. However, what I often find is that their data is simply a repost of your data and not always up to date. The other thing that I really appreciate is that I can get a great set of time series data for analysis from The World Factbook. Most of my work involves statistically analyzing data for geospatial analysis, looking for trends or predictive variables. I have been very successful due to the availability and completeness of your efforts. [Researcher, US Department of State] I would like to let you know how much the CIA World Factbook is appreciated. It is an invaluable resource for obtaining the most precise and verified information on foreign countries. I refer to the Factbook often while working on my monographs regarding legal and political developments in Central Asia and in the Caucasus. The CIA World Factbook was repeatedly cited as the source of original information in my books when I compiled comparative tables on the countries of my research. the Factbook is especially significant in that it allows one to find figures, names, and dates that are not otherwise available. This publication is an extremely helpful tool for me and all of my colleagues. [Researcher, Law Library of Congress] I have added some analysis of the geology and geography of a country to several bibliographies I have written for the Corps of Engineers and the federal government in response to a number of recent humanitarian crises. For example, my bibliographies on the geology of Burma (Myanmar) and another one on Somalia included a great deal of information from the CIA Factbook on the geography of those countries, especially the transportation capabilities such as roads, airports, shipping statistics, and other data.I have generally found the data in the CIA Factbook to be current, concise and correct, and not usually available (or as easily available) elsewhere. [Researcher, Geospatial Information Library, US Army] Regarding the Cross-Reference List of Country Codes. Kudos for a page that is neat, easy to read, and contains useful information laid out in a logical manner.I love that you provide several forms of country coding all on one page, very convenient. Truly, sometimes it is required that I need to cross-reference from one type to another. [NGA GEOINT Aeronautical Intel Analyst] Our office is standardizing the geographical names in our Minerals Availability System Database, and we decided to use the Factbook‘s designations as a standard because of the reputation of your Agency’s work. [Minerals Specialist, US Department of the Interior] The CIA World Factbook remains the U.S. Government employee’s ultimate reference resource, an indispensable tool for my day-to-day requirements. Of the many calls I receive asking to clarify some point ‘what name should we use for this nationality, how long is the border between these two countries, what are the FIPS 10-4 and ISO 3166 codes for this dependency’ the Factbook is my first (and sometimes my only) line of reference. It is convenient, rich in information, and authoritative, and for those reasons and others, it is irreplaceable. [Geographer, US Department of State] I was looking at The World Factbook online. The site looks great! It is pleasant on the eyes, and of course, the content is a treasure trove. [Executive Secretary for Foreign Names, US Board on Geographic Names] Let me take this occasion to commend the CIA for its excellent and oft-used Factbook. It is certainly widely used here in the [State] Department, as well as by the general public. [Deputy Assistant Secretary, US Department of State] My compliments to… The World Factbook team. I cannot think of a product that I’ve used more often throughout my career. [CIA Deputy Chief] The CIA Factbook is the primary source used by researchers and academics who track and try to quantify/qualify boundary and territorial disputes. I have seen any number of studies sponsored by USIP, OES and universities who rely on the Factbook‘s Transnational Issues section for current information on the status of such disputes. A search engine search of territorial and border disputes invariably brings up Factbook entries, past and present.Just last Monday, while reviewing my Google Alerts bot on borders/boundaries, I found a paper by a Liberian writer/activist, who cited the Guinea-Senegal dispute, almost verbatim, from the Factbook.I would hope that your Agency continues in its unswerving support for your valuable publication to provide the US Government with official information on the global community. As it is vetted through the [State] Department, it remains the unsurpassed authoritative, current, and consistent resource on US perspectives and foreign policy. [Boundary Specialist, US Department of State] By the early 2000s, The World Factbook had replaced various traditional atlases and textbooks in becoming the predominant worldwide authority on current political geography information. Because no other source even approaches the Factbook‘s volume of usage and acceptance on the World Wide Web, this publication has, perhaps unintentionally, become one of the US Government’s most cost-effective means of affecting information flow overseas under both democratic and autocratic regimes.Measured within its purview of political, economic, and demographic overviews, the Factbook‘s reach and acceptance as authoritative has become the envy of other far more costly yet far less effective USG information programs. This level of accuracy, completeness, and effectiveness does not come by accident but only by the USG’s continued resolve to support the Factbook program.It should be noted that in no small manner, the contribution of the Factbook‘s cartography is as equally instrumental in worldwide dissemination of geographic knowledge as the Factbook‘s text.Including both the simpler base maps for each Factbook entry as well as the more detailed regional maps, these public-domain products have, far and away, found more widespread dispersal on the World Wide Web than any other single source of overseas non-navigational mapping. The perhaps unintentional effect again is to assure effective dissemination of the USG’s depiction of worldwide political boundaries and nomenclature.For researchers needing quick, handy reference material, and lacking multiple computer screens that can be viewed simultaneously, the traditional hard copy version continues to be a valuable and indispensable resource as well. [Boundary Specialist, US Department of State] I am working on a contract with the Department of Energy related to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.The Joint Convention is an International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA initiative adopted in 1997. The World Factbook provides important country background information for US Government officials, specifically DOE, NRC, and EPA, scheduled to attend a meeting of all Contracting Parties. [Safety Specialist, Department of Energy]