This information is presented in This information is presented in <a href = "../appendix/appendix-d.html"Appendix D: Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes and and <a href = "../appendix/appendix-e.html" Appendix E: Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes.

Date of information

In general, information available as of January in a given year is used in the preparation of the printed edition.

Daylight Saving Time (DST)

This entry is included for those entities that have adopted a policy of adjusting the official local time forward, usually one hour, from Standard Time during summer months. Such policies are most common in mid-latitude regions.

Death rate

This entry gives the average annual number of deaths during a year per 1,000 population at midyear; also known as crude death rate. The death rate, while only a rough indicator of the mortality situation in a country, accurately indicates the current mortality impact on population growth. This indicator is significantly affected by age distribution, and most countries will eventually show a rise in the overall death rate, in spite of continued decline in mortality at all ages, as declining fertility results in an aging population.

Debt - external

This entry gives the total public and private debt owed to nonresidents repayable in internationally accepted currencies, goods, or services. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.

Dependency status