Why is the area of the United States described as "slightly larger than China" in the Factbook, while other sources list China as larger in area than the United States?
It all depends on whether one is looking at total area (land and water) when making the comparison (which is the criterion used by the Factbook) or just land area (which excludes inland water features such as rivers or lakes).
Total area (combining land and water)
United States = 9,631,418 sq km
China = 9,596,960 sq km
Land only (without any water features)
United States = 9,161,923 sq km
China = 9,326,410 sq km
Why has The World Factbook dropped the four French departments of
Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion, and French Guiana?
The reason the four entities are no longer in The World Factbook is because their status has changed. While they are overseas departments of France, they are also now recognized as French regions, having equal status to the 22 metropolitan regions that make up European France. In other words, they are now recognized as being part of France proper. Their status is somewhat analogous to Alaska and Hawaii vis-a-vis the contiguous United States. Although separated from the larger geographic entity, they are still considered to be an integral part of it.
Spelling and Pronunciation
Why is the spelling of proper names such as rulers, presidents, and prime ministers in The World Factbook different than their spelling in my country?