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From the worlds most sophisticated intelligence gathering organization, here is the CIAs official country-by-country data on nations around the world.. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, The CIA World Factbook 2019-2020 offers complete and up-to-date information on the worlds nations. This comprehensive guide is packed with data on the politics, populations, military expenditures, and economics of 2019.. For each country, The CIA World Factbook 2019-2020 includes:Detailed maps with new geopolitical dataStatistics on the population of each country, with details on literacy rates, HIV prevalence, and age structureNew data on military expenditures and capabilitiesInformation on each countrys climate and natural hazardsDetails on prominent political parties and contact information for diplomatic consultationFacts on transportation and communication infrastructureAlso included are appendixes with useful abbreviations, international environmental agreements, international organizations and groups, weight and measure conversions, and more. Originally intended for use by government officials, this is a must-have resource for students, travelers, journalists, and business people with a desire to know more about their world.
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The is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the U.S. Government, tasked with gathering, processing and analyzing national security information from around the world, primarily through the use of human intelligence (HUMINT) . As one of the principal members of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) , the CIA reports to the Director of National Intelligence and is primarily focused on providing intelligence for the President and his Cabinet. Unlike the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) , which is a domestic security service, CIA has no law enforcement function and is mainly focused on overseas intelligence gathering, with only limited domestic collection. Though it is not the only U.S. government agency specializing in HUMINT, CIA serves as the national manager for coordination and deconfliction of HUMINT activities across the entire intelligence community. Moreover, CIA is the only agency authorized by law to carry out and oversee covert action on behalf of the President, unless the President determines that another agency is better suited for carrying out such action. It can, for example, exert foreign political influence through its tactical divisions, such as the Special Activities Division. Before the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, CIA Director concurrently served as the head of the Intelligence Community; today these functions and authorities reside with the Director of National Intelligence. Despite transferring some of its powers to the DNI, the CIA has grown in size as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks. In 2013, The Washington Post reported that in fiscal year 2010, the CIA had the largest budget of all IC agencies, exceeding previous estimates. The CIA has increasingly expanded its roles, including covert paramilitary operations. One of its largest divisions, the Information Operations Center (IOC) , has shifted focus from counter-terrorism to offensive cyber-operations. While the CIA has had some recent accomplishments, such as locating Osama bin Laden and taking part in the successful Operation Neptune Spear, it has also been involved in controversial programs such as extraordinary rendition and enhanced interrogation techniques.
