estment in human
capital and is necessary for the calculation of various
actuarial measures.

Literacy: This entry includes a definition of literacy and
Census Bureau percentages for the total population, males,
and females. There are no universal definitions and
standards of literacy. Unless otherwise specified, all rates
are based on the most common definition--the ability to read
and write at a specified age. Detailing the standards that
individual countries use to assess the ability to read and
write is beyond the scope of the Factbook. Information on
literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational
results, is probably the most easily available and valid for
international comparisons. Low levels of literacy, and
education in general, can impede the economic development of
a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven
world.

Location: This entry identifies the country's regional
location, neighboring countries, and adjacent bodies of
water.

Map references: This entry includes the name of the Factbook
reference map on which a country may be found. The entry on
Geographic coordinates may be helpful in finding some
smaller countries.

Maritime claims: This entry includes the following claims:
contiguous zone, continental shelf, exclusive economic zone,
exclusive fishing zone, extended fishing zone, none (usually
for a landlocked country), other (unique maritime claims
like Libya's Gulf of Sidra Closing Line or North Korea's
Military Boundary Line), and territorial sea. The proximity
of neighboring states may prevent some national claims from
being extended the full distance.

Merchant marine: Merchant marine may be defined as all ships
engaged in the carriage of goods; all commercial vessels (as
opposed to all nonmilitary ships), which excludes tugs,
fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc.; or a grouping of
merchant ships by nationality or register. This entry
contains information in two subfields--total and ships by
type. Total includes the total number of ships (1,000 GRT or
over), total DWT for those ships, and total GRT for those
ships. Ships by type includes a listing of barge carriers,
bulk cargo ships, cargo ships, combination bulk carriers,
combination ore/oil carriers, container ships, intermodal
ships, liquefied gas tankers, livestock carriers,
multifunction large--load carriers, oil tankers, passenger
ships, passenger-cargo ships, railcar carriers, refrigerated
cargo ships