"The 1990 CIA World Factbook" by the United States Central Intelligence Agency is a comprehensive reference designed for government officials, offering a snapshot of 249 countries and territories in the late 20th century. Each entry brims with geographical data, population details, economic insights, and political systems, equipping readers with essential knowledge for understanding diverse nations. With an opening that clarifies its structure and objectives, the volume prepares its audience to grasp the nuances of each described nation, such as Afghanistan tangled in civil war and Algeria dependent on oil.

The 1990 CIA World Factbook
By United States. Central Intelligence Agency
Navigate a world of nations' vital stats, from populations to political climates, all meticulously cataloged for governmental insights, revealing critical details of over two hundred territories.
Summary
About the AuthorThe Central Intelligence Agency, known informally as the Agency, metonymously as Langley and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world, primarily through the use of human intelligence (HUMINT) and conducting covert action through its Directorate of Operations. The agency is headquartered in the George Bush Center for Intelligence in Langley, Virginia.
The Central Intelligence Agency, known informally as the Agency, metonymously as Langley and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world, primarily through the use of human intelligence (HUMINT) and conducting covert action through its Directorate of Operations. The agency is headquartered in the George Bush Center for Intelligence in Langley, Virginia.