Flags of the World
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What's New
- Country information has been updated as of 11 May, 2004.
- In addition to the updated information, The World Factbook 2004 features three new entries. In the Communications category, an Internet hosts entry replaces Internet Service Providers (ISPs). In the Transportation category under Merchant marine, subfields have been added for foreign-owned vessels and those registered in other countries.
- The World entry has been placed at the top of the 'Select a Country' drop-down list on the front page. The World entry for Land boundaries lists the 43 nations that are landlocked; the entry for Coastline lists the 98 nations and islands that border no other countries.
- Rank Order pages and downloadable, tab-delimited rank-order files have been added for the following Natural gas entries: production, consumption, exports, and imports, as well as for Internet hosts.
- Additional individual country maps have been revised.

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The World Factbook 2004 printed version provides a "snapshot" of the world as of 1 January, 2004.

The online Factbook is updated regularly - generally weekly - throughout the year.

For additional and more current information on
leadership in selected foreign countries, see Chiefs of State.