<style type="text/css"> .no-show { display: none; } .disable-fade-in{ opacity: 1 !important; transform: none !important; visibility: visible !important; } </style>

Photos of World

A combination of datasets from different satellites makes possible this view of the Pacific Ocean. The string of islands across the top are the Aleutian chain in Alaska, and the Hawaiian islands appear along the bottom. Image courtesy of NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio.

Introduction

World Factbook Glyph

Visit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.

Geography

Geographic overview

The internal structure of the Earth:
The internal structure of the Earth

Area - comparative

Africa-US area comparison map:
Africa-US area comparison map
Antarctica-US area comparison map:
Antarctica-US area comparison map
Asia-US area comparison map:
Asia-US area comparison map
Australia-US area comparison map:
Australia-US area comparison map
Europe-US area comparison map:
Europe-US area comparison map
North America - US area comparison map:
North America - US area comparison map
South America-US area comparison map:
South America-US area comparison map

People and Society

Age structure

2023 population pyramid:
2023 population pyramid

Environment

World biomes

World Biomes:
World Biomes
Tundra biome:
Tundra biome
Circum-polar Extent of Permafrost:
Circum-polar Extent of Permafrost
Coniferous Forest biome:
Coniferous Forest biome
Temperate Deciduous Forest biome:
Temperate Deciduous Forest biome
Rainforest biome:
Rainforest biome
Grassland biome:
Grassland biome
Shrubland biome:
Shrubland biome
Desert biome:
Desert biome

Government

Flag description

United Nations flag:
United Nations flag

Economy

Energy

Communications

Transportation

Military and Security

Space

Transnational Issues