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the World Factbook- Appendix A :: Abbreviations

appendix a :: abbreviations |

A

- ABEDA
  Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa
- ACP Group
  African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States
- ADB
  Asian Development Bank
- AfDB
  African Development Bank
- AFESD
  Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development
- AG
  Australia Group
- Air Pollution
  Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution
- Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides
  Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Their Transboundary Fluxes
- Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
  Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Persistent Organic Pollutants
- Air Pollution-Sulphur 85
  Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions or Their Transboundary Fluxes by at Least 30%
- Air Pollution-Sulphur 94
  Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions
- Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds
  Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or Their Transboundary Fluxes
- AMF
  Arab Monetary Fund
- AMU
  Arab Maghreb Union
- Antarctic Marine Living Resources
  Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
- Antarctic Seals
  Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals
- Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
  Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty
- ANZUS
  Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty
- AOSIS
  Alliance of Small Island States
- APEC
  Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
- Arabsat
  Arab Satellite Communications Organization
- ARF
  ASEAN Regional Forum
- ASEAN
  Association of Southeast Asian Nations
- AU
  African Union
- Autodin
  Automatic Digital Network
- BA
  Baltic Assembly
- bbl/day
  barrels per day
- BCIE
  Central American Bank for Economic Integration
- BDEAC
  Central African States Development Bank
- Benelux
  Benelux Union
- BGN
  United States Board on Geographic Names
- BIMSTEC
  Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
- Biodiversity
  Convention on Biological Diversity
- BIS
  Bank for International Settlements
- BRICS
  (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa)
- BSEC
  Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone
- C
  Commonwealth
- CD
  Community of Democracies
- c.i.f.
  cost, insurance, and freight
- CACM
  Central American Common Market
- CAEU
  Council of Arab Economic Unity
- CAN
  Andean Community
- Caricom
  Caribbean Community and Common Market
- CB
  citizen's band mobile radio communications
- CBSS
  Council of the Baltic Sea States
- CCC
  Customs Cooperation Council
- CDB
  Caribbean Development Bank
- CE
  Council of Europe
- CEI
  Central European Initiative
- CELAC
  Community of Latin America and Caribbean States
- CEMA
  Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
- CEMAC
  Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa
- CEPGL
  Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries
- CERN
  European Organization for Nuclear Research
- CIA
  Central Intelligence Agency
- CICA
  Conference of Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia
- CIS
  Commonwealth of Independent States
- CITES
  see Endangered Species
- Climate Change
  United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
- Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
  Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
- COCOM
  Coordinating Committee on Export Controls
- COMESA
  Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
- Comsat
  Communications Satellite Corporation
- CP
  Colombo Plan
- CPLP
  Comunidade dos Paises de Lingua Portuguesa
- CSN
  South American Community of Nations became UNASUL - Union of South American Nations
- CSTO
  Collective Security Treaty Organization
- CTBTO
  Preparatory Commission for the Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
- CY
  calendar year
- D-8
  Developing Eight
- DC
  developed country
- DDT
  dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane
- Desertification
  United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa
- DIA
  United States Defense Intelligence Agency
- DSN
  Defense Switched Network
- DST
  daylight savings time
- DWT
  deadweight ton
- EAC
  East African Community
- EADB
  East African Development Bank
- EAEC
  Eurasian Economic Community
- EAPC
  Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council
- EAS
  East Asia Summit
- EBRD
  European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
- EC
  European Community or European Commission
- ECA
  Economic Commission for Africa
- ECB
  European Central Bank
- ECE
  Economic Commission for Europe
- ECLAC
  Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
- ECO
  Economic Cooperation Organization
- ECOSOC
  Economic and Social Council
- ECOWAS
  Economic Community of West African States
- ECSC
  European Coal and Steel Community
- EE
  Eastern Europe
- EEC
  European Economic Community
- EEZ
  exclusive economic zone
- EFTA
  European Free Trade Association
- EIB
  European Investment Bank
- EITI
  Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative
- EMU
  European Monetary Union
- Endangered Species
  Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)
- Entente
  Council of the Entente
- Environmental Modification
  Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques
- ESA
  European Space Agency
- ESCAP
  Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
- ESCWA
  Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
- est.
  estimate
- EU
  European Union
- Euratom
  European Atomic Energy Community
- Eutelsat
  European Telecommunications Satellite Organization
- Ex-Im
  Export-Import Bank of the United States
- f.o.b.
  free on board
- FAO
  Food and Agriculture Organization
- FATF
  Financial Action Task Force
- FAX
  facsimile
- FLS
  Front Line States
- FOC
  flags of convenience
- FSU
  former Soviet Union
- FY
  fiscal year
- FZ
  Franc Zone
- G-3
  Group of 3
- G-5
  Group of 5
- G-6
  Group of 6
- G-7
  Group of 7
- G-8
  Group of 8
- G-9
  Group of 9
- G-10
  Group of 10
- G-15
  Group of 15
- G-11
  Group of 11
- G-20
  Group of 20
- G-24
  Group of 24
- G-77
  Group of 77
- GATT
  General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; now WTO
- GCC
  Gulf Cooperation Council
- GCN
  Global Caribbean Network
- GCTU
  General Confederation of Trade Unions
- GDP
  gross domestic product
- GMT
  Greenwich Mean Time
- GNP
  gross national product
- GRT
  gross register ton
- GSM
  global system for mobile cellular communications
- GUAM
  Organization for Democracy and Economic Development; acronym for member states - Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova
- GWP
  gross world product
- Hazardous Wastes
  Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal
- HF
  high-frequency
- HIV/AIDS
  human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome
- IADB
  Inter-American Development Bank
- IAEA
  International Atomic Energy Agency
- IANA
  Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
- IBRD
  International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank)
- ICAO
  International Civil Aviation Organization
- ICC
  International Chamber of Commerce
- ICCt
  International Criminal Court
- ICJ
  International Court of Justice (World Court)
- ICRC
  International Committee of the Red Cross
- ICRM
  International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
- ICSID
  International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes
- ICTR
  International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
- ICTY
  International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
- IDA
  International Development Association
- IDB
  Islamic Development Bank
- IDP
  Internally Displaced Person
- IEA
  International Energy Agency
- IFAD
  International Fund for Agricultural Development
- IFC
  International Finance Corporation
- IFRCS
  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
- IGAD
  Inter-Governmental Authority on Development
- IHO
  International Hydrographic Organization
- ILO
  International Labor Organization
- IMF
  International Monetary Fund
- IMO
  International Maritime Organization
- IMSO
  International Mobile Satellite Organization
- Inmarsat
  International Maritime Satellite Organization
- InOC
  Indian Ocean Commission
- Intelsat
  International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
- Interpol
  International Criminal Police Organization
- Intersputnik
  International Organization of Space Communications
- IOC
  International Olympic Committee
- IOM
  International Organization for Migration
- IPU
  Inter-Parliamentary Union
- ISO
  International Organization for Standardization
- ISP
  Internet Service Provider
- ITC
  International Trade Center
- ITSO
  International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
- ITU
  International Telecommunication Union
- ITUC
  International Trade Union Confederation, the successor to ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) and the WCL (World Confederation of Labor)
- kHz
  kilohertz
- km
  kilometer
- kW
  kilowatt
- kWh
  kilowatt-hour
- LAES
  Latin American and Caribbean Economic System
- LAIA
  Latin American Integration Association
- LAS
  League of Arab States
- Law of the Sea
  United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS)
- LDC
  less developed country
- LLDC
  least developed country
- London Convention
  see Marine Dumping
- LOS
  see Law of the Sea
- m
  meter
- Marecs
  Maritime European Communications Satellite
- Marine Dumping
  Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter
- Marine Life Conservation
  Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas
- MARPOL
  see Ship Pollution
- Medarabtel
  Middle East Telecommunications Project of the International Telecommunications Union
- Mercosur
  Southern Cone Common Market
- MHz
  megahertz
- MICAH
  International Civilian Support Mission in Haiti
- MIGA
  Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
- MINURCAT
  United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad
- MINURSO
  United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
- MINUSTAH
  United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti
- MONUSCO
  United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- NA
  not available
- NAFTA
  North American Free Trade Agreement
- NAM
  Nonaligned Movement
- NATO
  North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- NC
  Nordic Council
- NEA
  Nuclear Energy Agency
- NEGL
  negligible
- NGA
  National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
- NGO
  nongovernmental organization
- NIB
  Nordic Investment Bank
- NIC
  newly industrializing country
- NIE
  newly industrializing economy
- NIS
  new independent states
- nm
  nautical mile
- NMT
  Nordic Mobile Telephone
- NSG
  Nuclear Suppliers Group
- Nuclear Test Ban
  Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water
- NZ
  New Zealand
- OAPEC
  Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries
- OAS
  Organization of American States
- OAU
  Organization of African Unity; see African Union
- ODA
  official development assistance
- OECD
  Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
- OECS
  Organization of Eastern Caribbean States
- OHCHR
  Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
- OIC
  Organization of the Islamic Conference
- OIF
  International Organization of the French-speaking World
- OOF
  other official flows
- OPANAL
  Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean
- OPCW
  Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
- OPEC
  Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
- OSCE
  Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
- Ozone Layer Protection
  Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer
- PCA
  Permanent Court of Arbitration
- PFP
  Partnership for Peace
- PIF
  Pacific Islands Forum
- PPP
  purchasing power parity
- Ramsar
  see Wetlands
- RG
  Rio Group
- SAARC
  South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
- SACEP
  South Asia Co-operative Environment Program
- SACU
  Southern African Customs Union
- SADC
  Southern African Development Community
- SAFE
  South African Far East Cable
- SCO
  Shanghai Cooperation Organization
- SECI
  Southeast European Cooperative Initiative
- SELEC
  Convention of the Southeast European Law Enforcement Centers (successor to SECI)
- SHF
  super-high-frequency
- Ship Pollution
  Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 (MARPOL)
- SICA
  Central American Integration System
- Sparteca
  South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement
- SPC
  Secretariat of the Pacific Communities
- SPF
  South Pacific Forum
- sq km
  square kilometer
- sq mi
  square mile
- TAT
  Trans-Atlantic Telephone
- TEU
  Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit, a unit of measure for containerized cargo capacity
- Tropical Timber 83
  International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983
- Tropical Timber 94
  International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994
- UAE
  United Arab Emirates
- UDEAC
  Central African Customs and Economic Union
- UHF
  ultra-high-frequency
- UK
  United Kingdom
- UN
  United Nations
- UN-AIDS
  Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS
- UNAMA
  United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
- UNAMID
  African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur
- UNASUR
  Union of South American Nations
- UNCLOS
  United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, also known as LOS
- UNCTAD
  United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
- UNDCP
  United Nations Drug Control Program
- UNDEF
  United Nations Democracy Fund
- UNDOF
  United Nations Disengagement Observer Force
- UNDP
  United Nations Development Program
- UNEP
  United Nations Environment Program
- UNESCO
  United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
- UNFICYP
  United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus
- UNFPA
  United Nations Population Fund
- UN-Habitat
  United Nations Center for Human Settlements
- UNHCR
  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- UNICEF
  United Nations Children's Fund
- UNICRI
  United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute
- UNIDIR
  United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
- UNIDO
  United Nations Industrial Development Organization
- UNIFIL
  United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
- UNISFA
  United Nations Interim Force for Abyei
- UNITAR
  United Nations Institute for Training and Research
- UNMIK
  United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
- UNMIL
  United Nations Mission in Liberia
- UNMIS
  United Nations Mission in the Sudan
- UNMISS
  United Nations Mission in South Sudan
- UNMIT
  United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste
- UNMOGIP
  United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan
- UNOCI
  United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire
- UNODC
  United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime
- UNOPS
  United Nations Office of Project Services
- UNRISD
  United Nations Research Institute for Social Development
- UNRWA
  United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
- UNSC
  United Nations Security Council
- UNSSC
  United Nations System Staff College
- UNTSO
  United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
- UNU
  United Nations University
- UNWTO
  World Tourism Organization
- UPU
  Universal Postal Union
- US
  United States
- USSR
  Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union); used for information dated before 25 December 1991
- UTC
  Coordinated Universal Time
- UV
  ultraviolet
- VHF
  very-high-frequency
- VSAT
  very small aperture terminal
- WADB
  West African Development Bank
- WAEMU
  West African Economic and Monetary Union
- WCL
  World Confederation of Labor
- WCO
  World Customs Organization
- Wetlands
  Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially As Waterfowl Habitat
- WEU
  Western European Union
- WFP
  World Food Program
- WFTU
  World Federation of Trade Unions
- Whaling
  International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling
- WHO
  World Health Organization
- WIPO
  World Intellectual Property Organization
- WMO
  World Meteorological Organization
- WP
  Warsaw Pact
- WTO
  World Trade Organization
- ZC
  Zangger Committee

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