Main Content

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- ABOUT
- REFERENCES
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APPENDICES
- A: Abbreviations
- B: International Organizations and Groups
- C: Selected International Environmental Agreements
- D: Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes
- E: Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes
- F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names
- G: Weights and Measures
- H: Strategic Materials
- T: Terrorist Organizations
- FAQs
- CONTACT
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK ARCHIVE
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Afghanistan
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Akrotiri
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Albania
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Algeria
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American Samoa
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Andorra
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Angola
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Anguilla
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Antigua and Barbuda
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Argentina
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Armenia
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Aruba
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Ashmore and Cartier Islands
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Australia
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Austria
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Azerbaijan
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Bahamas, The
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Bahrain
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Bangladesh
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Barbados
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Belarus
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Belgium
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Belize
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Benin
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Bermuda
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Bhutan
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Bolivia
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Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Botswana
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Bouvet Island
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Brazil
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British Indian Ocean Territory
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British Virgin Islands
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Brunei
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Bulgaria
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Burkina Faso
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Burma
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Burundi
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Cabo Verde
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Cambodia
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Cameroon
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Canada
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Cayman Islands
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Central African Republic
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Chad
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Chile
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China
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Christmas Island
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Clipperton Island
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Cocos (Keeling) Islands
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Colombia
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Comoros
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Congo, Democratic Republic of the
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Congo, Republic of the
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Cook Islands
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Coral Sea Islands
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Costa Rica
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Cote d'Ivoire
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Croatia
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Cuba
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Curacao
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Cyprus
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Czechia
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Denmark
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Dhekelia
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Djibouti
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Dominica
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Dominican Republic
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Ecuador
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Egypt
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El Salvador
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Equatorial Guinea
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Eritrea
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Estonia
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Eswatini
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Ethiopia
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European Union
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Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
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Faroe Islands
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Fiji
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Finland
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France
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French Polynesia
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French Southern and Antarctic Lands
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Gabon
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Gambia, The
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Georgia
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Germany
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Ghana
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Gibraltar
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Greece
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Greenland
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Grenada
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Guam
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Guatemala
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Guernsey
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Guinea
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Guinea-Bissau
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Guyana
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Haiti
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Heard Island and McDonald Islands
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Holy See (Vatican City)
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Honduras
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Hong Kong
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Hungary
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Iceland
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India
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Indonesia
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Iran
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Iraq
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Ireland
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Isle of Man
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Israel
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Italy
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Jamaica
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Jan Mayen
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Japan
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Jersey
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Jordan
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Kazakhstan
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Kenya
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Kiribati
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Korea, North
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Korea, South
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Kosovo
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Kuwait
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Kyrgyzstan
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Laos
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Latvia
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Lebanon
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Lesotho
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Liberia
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Libya
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Liechtenstein
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Lithuania
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Luxembourg
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Macau
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Madagascar
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Malawi
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Malaysia
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Maldives
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Mali
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Malta
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Marshall Islands
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Mauritania
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Mauritius
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Mexico
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Micronesia, Federated States of
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Moldova
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Monaco
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Mongolia
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Montenegro
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Montserrat
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Morocco
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Mozambique
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Namibia
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Nauru
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Navassa Island
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Nepal
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Netherlands
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New Caledonia
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New Zealand
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Nicaragua
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Niger
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Nigeria
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Niue
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Norfolk Island
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North Macedonia
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Northern Mariana Islands
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Norway
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Oman
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Pakistan
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Palau
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Panama
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Papua New Guinea
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Paraguay
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Peru
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Philippines
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Pitcairn Islands
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Poland
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Portugal
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Puerto Rico
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Qatar
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Romania
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Russia
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Rwanda
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Saint Barthelemy
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Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha
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Saint Kitts and Nevis
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Saint Lucia
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Saint Martin
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Saint Pierre and Miquelon
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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
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Samoa
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San Marino
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Sao Tome and Principe
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Saudi Arabia
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Senegal
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Serbia
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Seychelles
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Sierra Leone
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Singapore
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Sint Maarten
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Slovakia
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Slovenia
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Solomon Islands
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Somalia
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South Africa
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South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
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South Sudan
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Spain
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Sri Lanka
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Sudan
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Suriname
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Svalbard
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Sweden
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Switzerland
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Syria
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Taiwan
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Tajikistan
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Tanzania
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Thailand
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Timor-Leste
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Togo
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Tokelau
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Tonga
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Trinidad and Tobago
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Tunisia
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Turkey
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Turkmenistan
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Turks and Caicos Islands
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Tuvalu
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Uganda
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Ukraine
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United Arab Emirates
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United Kingdom
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United States
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United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
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Uruguay
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Uzbekistan
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Vanuatu
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Venezuela
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Vietnam
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Virgin Islands
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Wake Island
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Wallis and Futuna
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Yemen
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Zambia
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Zimbabwe

note: Afghanistan had more changes to its national flag in the 20th century - 19 by one count - than any other country; the colors black, red, and green appeared on most of them





note: similar to the flags of Chad and Romania, which do not have a national coat of arms in the center, and the flag of Moldova, which does bear a national emblem












note: until 2002, the flag had eight white points, but this was reduced to five to avoid confusion with the Qatari flag





note: Belize's flag is the only national flag that depicts human beings; two British overseas territories, Montserrat and the British Virgin Islands, also depict humans

note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

note: the flag is unusual in that it is only British overseas territory that uses a red ensign, all others use blue


note: similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; in 2009, a presidential decree made it mandatory for a so-called wiphala - a square, multi-colored flag representing the country's indigenous peoples - to be used alongside the traditional flag

note: one of several flags where a prominent component of the design reflects the shape of the country; other such flags are those of Brazil, Eritrea, and Vanuatu



note: one of several flags where a prominent component of the design reflects the shape of the country; other such flags are those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eritrea, and Vanuatu




note: the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed

note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia




note: only national flag to prominently incorporate an actual identifiable building into its design (a few other national flags - those of Afghanistan, San Marino, Portugal, and Spain - show small generic buildings as part of their coats of arms on the flag)

note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia




note: almost identical to the flag of Romania but with a darker shade of blue; also similar to the flags of Andorra and Moldova, both of which have a national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; design based on the flag of France

note: design influenced by the US flag


note: the flag of Australia is used for official purposes



note: similar to the flag of Ecuador, which is longer and bears the Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed in the center

note: the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam


note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia



note: somewhat resembles the flag of North Korea; similar to the flag of Thailand but with the blue and red colors reversed

note: similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and has the colors reversed - green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (hoist side), white, and red; design was based on the flag of France

note: the Pan-Slav colors were inspired by the 19th-century flag of Russia

note: design similar to the Puerto Rican flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed


note: one of only two national flags that uses a map as a design element; the flag of Kosovo is the other
note: the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" flag retains the white field of the Cyprus national flag but displays narrow horizontal red stripes positioned a small distance from the top and bottom edges between which are centered a red crescent and a red five-pointed star; the banner is modeled after the Turkish national flag but with the colors reversed

note: combines the white and red colors of Bohemia with blue from the arms of Moravia; is identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia

note: the shifted cross design element was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden





note: similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms

note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band, Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and Yemen, which has a plain white band

note: similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band


note: one of several flags where a prominent component of the design reflects the shape of the country; other such flags are those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, and Vanuatu



note: Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag (adopted ca. 1895) were so often appropriated by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the Pan-African colors; the emblem in the center of the current flag was added in 1996



note: the blue on the flag is a lighter blue (azure) than that found on the flags of Iceland or Norway



note: the design and/or colors are similar to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Netherlands

note: identical to the red-white-red flag of Tahiti, the largest and most populous of the islands in French Polynesia, but which has no emblem in the white band; the flag of France is used for official occasions






note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band


note: Greek legislation states that the flag colors are cyan and white, but cyan can mean "blue" in Greek, so the exact shade of blue has never been set and has varied from a light to a dark blue over time; in general, the hue of blue normally encountered is a form of azure



note: the US flag is the national flag

note: one of only two national flags featuring a firearm, the other is Mozambique


note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the colors from left to right are the reverse of those on the flags of neighboring Mali and Senegal

note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the flag design was heavily influenced by the Ghanaian flag





note: similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom, centered in the white band




note: similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small orange disk centered in the white band

note: similar to the flag of Monaco, which is shorter; also similar to the flag of Poland, which is white (top) and red


note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two stars but no script; Yemen, which has a plain white band; and that of Egypt, which has a golden Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band

note: similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is shorter and has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red


note: the Israeli flag proclamation states that the flag colors are sky blue and white, but the exact shade of blue has never been set and can vary from a light to a dark blue

note: similar to the flag of Mexico, which is longer, uses darker shades of green and red, and has its coat of arms centered on the white band; Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green











note: one of only two national flags that uses a map as a design element; the flag of Cyprus is the other







note: the design is based on the US flag








note: the design is based on the flag of the US


note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the colors from left to right are the same as those of neighboring Senegal (which has an additional green central star) and the reverse of those on the flag of neighboring Guinea




note: while many national flags consist of three - and in some cases five - horizontal bands of color, the flag of Mauritius is the world's only national flag to consist of four horizontal color bands

note: similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter, uses lighter shades of green and red, and does not display anything in its white band


note: one of only three national flags that differ on their obverse and reverse sides - the others are Paraguay and Saudi Arabia

note: similar to the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag of Poland which is white (top) and red





note: one of only two national flags featuring a firearm, the other is Guatemala




note: Nepal is the only country in the world whose flag is not rectangular or square




note: similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band

note: similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel centered in the white band



note: somewhat reminiscent of the flag of Canada with its use of only two colors and depiction of a prominent local floral symbol in the central white band; also resembles the green and white triband of Nigeria









note: the three color bands resemble those on the flag of the Netherlands; one of only three national flags that differ on their obverse and reverse sides - the others are Moldova and Saudi Arabia


note: in wartime the flag is flown upside down with the red band at the top


note: similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white


note: design initially influenced by the US flag, but similar to the Cuban flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed

note: the other eight emirates are the seven that compose the UAE and Bahrain; according to some sources, the dominant color was formerly red, but this darkened to maroon upon exposure to the sun and the new shade was eventually adopted

note: now similar to the flag of Chad, whose blue band is darker; also resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova

note: the colors may have been based on those of the Dutch flag; despite many popular interpretations, there is no official meaning assigned to the colors of the Russian flag; this flag inspired several other Slav countries to adopt horizontal tricolors of the same colors but in different arrangements, and so red, blue, and white became the Pan-Slav colors







note: the flag of France used for official occasions


note: similar to the flag of Taiwan


note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

note: the only national flag to display an inscription as its principal design; one of only three national flags that differ on their obverse and reverse sides - the others are Moldova and Paraguay

note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the colors from left to right are the same as those of neighboring Mali and the reverse of those on the flag of neighboring Guinea

note: the Pan-Slav colors were inspired by the 19th-century flag of Russia





note: the Pan-Slav colors were inspired by the 19th-century flag of Russia




note: the South African flag is one of only two national flags to display six colors as part of its primary design, the other is South Sudan's


note: resembles the flag of Kenya; one of only two national flags to display six colors as part of its primary design, the other is South Africa's

note: the red and yellow colors are related to those of the oldest Spanish kingdoms: Aragon, Castile, Leon, and Navarre







note: similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band

note: similar to the flag of Samoa



note: similar to the flag of Costa Rica but with the blue and red colors reversed


note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia




note: the flag is based on that of Turkey, itself a successor state to the Ottoman Empire


note: the flag of Turkmenistan is the most intricate of all national flags







note: the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico


note: the banner was inspired by the national colors of Argentina and by the design of the US flag


note: one of several flags where a prominent component of the design reflects the shape of the country; other such flags are those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, and Eritrea





note: the design is derived from an original red banner with a white cross pattee that was introduced in the 19th century by French missionaries; the flag of France is used for official occasions

note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band, and of Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band

