factbook.json/README.md

##  `factbook.json` - World Factbook Country Profiles in JSON 

What's the World Factbook?

The World Factbook [1][2] published by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
offers free country profiles in the public domain (that is, no copyright(s), no rights reserved).

- [1] [The World Factbook](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/)
- [2] [Wikipedia Article: The World Factbook](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Factbook)


### Examples

Europe/Austria (`at.json`): 

```json
{
  "intro": {
    "background": {
      "text": "Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire,
               Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War ..."
    }
  },
  "geo": {
    "location": {
      "text": "Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia"
    },
    "geographic_coordinates": {
      "text": "47 20 N, 13 20 E"
    },
    "map_references": {
      "text": "Europe"
    },
    "area": {
      "total": "83,871 sq km",
      "land": "82,445 sq km",
      "water": "1,426 sq km"
    },
    "area_comparative": {
      "text": "slightly smaller than Maine"
    },
    "land_boundaries": {
      "total": "2,562 km",
      "border_countries": "Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km"
    },
    "coastline": {
      "text": "0 km (landlocked)"
    },
    "maritime_claims": {
      "text": "none (landlocked)"
    },
    "climate": {
      "text": "temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers"
    },
    "terrain": {
      "text": "in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping"
    },
    "elevation_extremes": {
      "lowest_point": "Neusiedler See 115 m",
      "highest_point": "Grossglockner 3,798 m"
    },
    "natural_resources": {
      "text": "oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower"
    },
    ...
```


## Build Your Own Up-to-Date Country Profiles

See the [`factbook`](https://github.com/worlddb/factbook.ruby)
command line tool and scripts for details.


## Questions? Comments?

Send them along to the [Open World Database (world.db) and Friends Forum/Mailing List](http://groups.google.com/group/openmundi). 
Thanks!