List of entities and changes in The World Factbook
This is a list of entities and changes in "The World Factbook". "The World Factbook" is an annual publication of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. As of July 2011, "The World Factbook" consists of 267 entities. These entities can be divided into categories. These categories are: 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". In this category, there are 195 entities: Others. This is a list of other places set apart from the list of independent countries. There are two entities in this category: Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty. This category is a list of places affiliated with another country. They may be subdivided into categories using  the country they are affiliated with: Miscellaneous. This category is for Antarctica and places in dispute. There are five entities here: Other 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 ) : Changes in "The World Factbook". 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. Notes. These entities have been consolidated into the United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges entry.