CIA's World FactBook / Portals to the world
by Oliver Tunnat
In August of 1962, the United States Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA) started publishing a yearly, basic intelligence manual called
"The World Factbook." The World Factbook provided policymakers with
fundamental and factual reference material on countries around the
world. And, of course, you and I couldn't read it. The World
Factbook was highly confidential. This is the CIA we're talking
about, after all.
About thirty years ago, the folks at the CIA decided to unclassify The
World Factbook, and for as long as I can remember The World Factbook
has been an essential Internet resource for anyone looking for
information about a particular country.
