The Guinness World Data Book: Facts, Figures, Issues

Since this book was first published, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia have divided into 20 successor states. These upheavals are reflected in this expanded second edition, which provides comparative information from the physical, political and economic worlds, and offers analysis and explanation of key issues. In addition, two thirds of the book are taken up with an A-Z listing of the world's sovereign countries, detailing geographical, demographic, cultural and economic information, as well as a description of the current style of government and recent political developments. New topics include Eastern Europe's progress towards a market economy; the growing political influence of Islam in North Africa and Central Asia; arms proliferation and control of the former Soviet nuclear arsenal; the growth of democracy in the Third World; and the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.