ecame the independent nation of
Palau. The gross domestic product (GDP) of all countries is now
presented on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis rather than on the
old exchange rate basis. There is a new entry on Age structure and the
Airports entry now includes unpaved runways. The Communications
category has been restructured and now includes the entries of
Telephone system, Radio, and Television. The remainder of the entries
in the former Communications category-Railroads, Highways, Inland
waterways, Pipelines, Ports, Merchant marine, and Airports-can now be
found under a new category called Transportation. There is a new
appendix listing estimates of gross domestic product on an exchange
rate basis for all nations. A reference map of the Republic of South
Africa is included. The electronic files used to produce the Factbook
have been restructured into a database. As a result, the formats of
some entries in this edition have been changed. Additional changes
will occur in the 1996 Factbook.

Abbreviations: (see Appendix B for abbreviations for international
organizations and groups and Appendix D for abbreviations for selected
international environmental agreements)
avdp. -- avoirdupois
c.i.f. -- cost, insurance, and freight
CY -- calendar year
DWT -- deadweight ton
est. -- estimate
Ex-Im -- Export-Import Bank of the United States
f.o.b. -- free on board
FRG -- Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany); used for
information dated before 3 October 1990 or CY91
FSU -- former Soviet Union
FY -- fiscal year
FYROM -- The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
GDP -- gross domestic product
GDR -- German Democratic Republic (East Germany); used for
information dated before 3 October 1990 or CY91
GNP -- gross national product
GRT -- gross register ton
GWP -- gross world product
km -- kilometer
kW -- kilowatt
kWh -- kilowatt hour
m -- meter
NA -- not available
NEGL -- negligible
nm -- nautical mile
NZ -- New Zealand
ODA -- official development assistance
OOF -- other official flows
PDRY -- People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or
South Yemen]; used for information dated before 22 May 1990 or
CY91
sq km -- square kilometer
sq mi -- square mile
UAE -- United Arab Emirates
UK -- United Kingdom
US -- United States
USSR -- Union of Soviet Socialist Republi