The CIA's World Factbook remains CIA's most popular and most widely disseminated product. Totaling 639-pages (plus maps), the now-available 1998 edition provides wide-ranging, hard-to-locate information about the geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, and military of 266 geographic entities. Each listing contains eight primary headings and approximately 100 subcategories, including geographic coordinates, GDP, number of telephones, natural resources, legal systems, political parties, and mortality rates. Included among the 266 geographic listings is one for the "world," which includes data and other information summarized where possible from the other 265 listings.

The World Factbook contains more than 100 pages of appendices with reference information ranging from descriptions of international abbreviations and international organizations and groups to cross-reference lists of information like Country Data Codes. Sixteen color maps are bound into the print edition which is accompanied by a poster-sized color political map of the world.

An on-line version of the CIA's World Factbook 1998 will be available on this Web site about January 25, 1999. The Factbook also will be available on CD-ROM in mid to late February from the Government Printing Office and the National Technical Information Service.

Printed copies of the CIA's World Factbook 1998 may be purchased now from the GPO by phoning 202-512-1800. The domestic cost is $59, which includes shipping and handling. Request stock number 041-015-00183-3. Orders also may be faxed to 202-512-2250. Email orders should be addressed to orders@gpo.gov. GPO accepts Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards. The GPO also sells the Factbook through its 24 retail stores located throughout the United States. For more information about the GPO's products and services and a listing of its retail stores, visit the Superintendent of Documents Web site at http://www.gpo.gov/su_docs/ .

Printed copies may also be purchased now from NTIS by phoning 1-800-553-NTIS (6847) or 703-605-6000. The domestic cost is $59 plus a $5 handling fee (there is no shipping fee). Request order number PB98-928006. NTIS accepts most major credit cards. Address email orders to orders@ntis.fedworld.gov. Send fax orders to 703- 605-6900. For additional information about NTIS and its products and services, visit their Web site at http://www.ntis.gov .

The U.S. country code for GPO and NTIS customers calling from outside the United States is 1. International customers should check the GPO and NTIS Web sites for purchase costs and fees.