Work DX? Want to know more about the countries of the DX stations you work? Then you need the facts that are available at this week's Surfin' Web site.

Are you a clueless DXer? You work Jabru to complete DXCC, but you have no clue about Jabru except that its great circle bearing is 47 degrees from your ham shack in downtown Podunk.

If you are curious and want to know more about those mysterious countries you work on 20 meters, you can ask Sam. That's "Sam" as in Uncle Sam and he runs a little operation out in Langley, Virginia, that can help you out.

The Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook is a fantastic source for facts about all those DX countries you worked (or hope to work).

Uncle Sam's little operation is called the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA, for short) and they publish The World Factbook, which contains loads of information about every country in the world except the Conjured Principality of Jabru.

Select a country from the menu on The World Factbook home page and the facts about that country appear in your web browser. The facts start with a picture of the country's flag, a map of the country, a little history about the country, then page after page of additional facts about the country. For example, I printed the facts about my grandparents' motherland, SP-land (Poland for those unfamiliar with call sign prefixes), and it filled over 10 pages of medium-sized Web browser text.

The facts in The World Factbook facts include the particulars about the geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues of each country. For example, did you know that Poland produces 17,180 barrels of oil per day (2001 estimate)? I didn't even know that there were oil wells in Poland!

The World Factbook is on-line or you can download it to your computer for faster access. You can also purchase a printed copy of the book, if you so desire. There is also a link to submit a "factual update" to the CIA.

Thank you, Don Dunn, AB2NM, for suggesting this Web site.

Until next time, keep on surfin'

Editor's note: Whereas the CIA has the facts about all the world's countries except the Conjured Principality of Jabru, Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, has all the facts about Jabru. To discuss Jabru, radios, and any other matters that matter, send e-mails to Stan at wa1lou@arrl.net.

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