This, the 131st edition of The Statesman's Year-Book, has been throughly revised and updated to present a political, economic and social record of the nations of the world in a period of continuing changes. It includes locator maps for each country for the first time.

Now in its 147th edition, The Statesman's Yearbook continues to be the reference work of choice for accurate and reliable information on every country in the world. Covering political, economic, social and cultural aspects, the Yearbook is an essential resource.

Now in its 148th edition, The Statesman's Yearbook continues to be the reference work of choice for accurate and reliable information on every country in the world. Covering political, economic, social and cultural aspects, the Yearbook is also available online for subscribing institutions: www.statesmansyearbook.com.

For one hundred and forty years, The Statesman's Yearbook has been relied upon to provide accurate and comprehensive information on the current political, economic and social status of every country in the world. The appointment of the new editor - only the seventh in the book's history - brought enhancements to the 1998-99 edition and these have been continued since then. The 2004 edition is fully updated and contains more information than ever before. A foldout colour section provides a political world map and flags for the one hundred and ninety two countries of the world. In an endlessly changing world, the annual publication of The Statesman's Yearbook gives all the information you need in one easily digestible single volume. It will save hours of research and cross-referencing between different sources, and it is an essential annual purchase.