When Andrew Wojtanik was preparing to compete in the 2004 National Geographic Bee, he tried to find a single source that would list all the facts he felt he needed to know about every country in the world in a simple outline form. When he couldn't find one, he decided to make his own book. His hard work paid off. Not only did he win a $25,000 college scholarship, the National Geographic Society signed him up to publish his book! Bee participants, hopefuls, and anyone else interested in geography will find a wealth of essential facts about each of the world's 193 independent countries (including Taiwan). The countries are arranged in alphabetical order. Facts about each are listed under bulleted headings, the same for each country. These categories include: continent, area, population, population density, capital city, key physical facts such as highest and lowest points, major mountain ranges and rivers, key regions, lakes, environmental hazards, climate, etc. Political information includes date of independence, bordering countries, administrative divisions, languages, religions, currency, major exports, current leader, major cities, natural resources, major agricultural products and more. Each country features a country map prepared by National Geographic cartographers. The maps list major cities, rivers, mountains, and other features, as well as the names of bordering countries. To complete the package there is a world political map and a list of geographic comparisons.