The World Factbook (WFB) was a popular reference tool for country studies. First launched in 1962 as a printed, classified reference manual, it described in numbers and short texts, the economies, military, geography, agriculture, industries, society, government, people, memberships, energy, health and much more of all the countries in the world, as well as areas recognised by the USA.
The WFB became a very popular source not just by intelligence officers but by many all over the world. In the seventies an unclassified version was published and in 1997 the WFB was published as an online reference source, downloadable and all.
Unfortunately, the CIA has decided to shut it down, maybe for budget reasons, although the real reason is unclear.
The WFB app for Android is still available. Both in free and professional versions.
Alternatives
Use the Internet Archive to find older copies. Use The Internet Resource Discovery Toolkit to find alternative country information.
