The Factbook survived the Cold War and became a hit online. It mixed quirky cultural notes and trivia with maps, data, and photos taken by CIA officers. But it was discontinued this week.
When one of the world's most secretive and far-reaching organizations offers to share how it sees the world, it's worth taking a peek.
That's the thought I had when I dove into the CIA World Factbook for the first time as a young editor at CNN Intern... [6256 chars]