The World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities. The World Factbook Reference tab includes: maps of the major world regions, as well as Flags of the World, a Physical Map of the World, a Political Map of the World, a World Oceans map, and a Standard Time Zones of the World map. This annual edition also covers information about country profiles and country comparisons. It would make an excellent and useful resource for world geography research papers and international relations classes that may study the people, history, and communication patterns of other countries.