The world as the CIA understood it in 1990: a frozen snapshot of geopolitics at the exact moment the old order was collapsing. This edition captures 249 countries and territories at a hinge point in history - the Soviet Union still stands, Yugoslavia remains intact, East and West Germany are separate nations. Each entry offers meticulous data on geography, population, economy, and government structure, alongside the specific language and political context the Agency deemed essential for understanding American interests abroad. For researchers, history enthusiasts, and anyone curious about how the intelligence community saw the world on the eve of transformation, this Factbook is an irreplaceable time capsule. It documents not just nations and statistics, but a particular American lens through which Cold War policymakers interpreted a planet that would cease to exist in its current form within years of publication.
