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Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2000 18:25:04 +0000
From: Darius Bartlett <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: World Geography Factbook 2000
Sender: Darius Bartlett <[log in to unmask]>



At 15:09 05/12/00 -0500, Johnnie Sutherland wrote:
>I would like to announce the availability of World Geography Factbook
>2000.  World Geography Factbook 2000 is a FREE e-book that runs on
>personal digital assistants (Palm and Visor handheld computers) using
>the Palm operating system (it does require the viewing program iSilo�
>which costs $12.50 US - a 30 day demo of this application is included
>in the download file). This hyperlinked e-book provides up to 94
>pieces of information for the 201 self-governing countries of the
>World. A printed copy of the information contained in World Geography
>Factbook 2000 would require approximately 1600 pages of standard 8.5
>x 11 inch paper!

I'm sure it is a useful product, and well worth the money (especially
if it is free :-), but I am curious to know where the "facts" it contains
come from? I ask because in the past couple of days I have been looking
at a couple of possible rival products - the on-line CIA Country Fact
Book (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/) and The Economist's
"Pocket World in Figures", 2001 edition (ISBN: 1-86197-238-5). Both claim
to be completely up-to-date and founded on the most reliable sources
available.

What was particularly interesting was the wide divergence in the values
and figures given as "facts" between the entries in each of these two
sources - in everything from demographic statistics to economic indicators,
and even parameters such as area of the country and length of border.
Obviously any such data are likely to have error margins and uncertainty
attached to them, and many (coastline length for example) will have various
ways they can be measured.

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Darius Bartlett                                     Darius Bartlett
Department of Geography                      Roinn na Tireolaiochta
University College Cork              Colaste na hOllscoile Corcaigh
Cork, Ireland                                        Corcaigh, Eire

Phone: (+353) 21 490 2835                   Fax: (+353) 21 427 1980
Phone(GSM): (+353) 86 8238043          Fax (GSM): (+353) 86 8018143
E-mail: [log in to unmask]                 Web: http://www.ucc.ie/staff/djb
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