Abbreviations of the world

• °C degree(s) Celsius, degree(s) centigrade

• °F degree(s) Fahrenheit

• ABEDA Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa

• ACP Group African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States

• ADB Asian Development Bank

• AfDB African Development Bank

• AFESD Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development

• AG Australia Group

• Air Pollution Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution

• Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Their Transboundary Fluxes

• Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Persistent Organic Pollutants

• Air Pollution-Sulphur 85 Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions or Their Transboundary Fluxes by at Least 30%

• Air Pollution-Sulphur 94 Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions

• Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or Their Transboundary Fluxes

• AMF Arab Monetary Fund

• AMISOM African Union Mission in Somalia

• AMU Arab Maghreb Union

• Antarctic Marine Living Resources Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources

• Antarctic Seals Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals

• Antarctic-Environmental Protocol Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty

• ANZUS Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty

• AOSIS Alliance of Small Island States

• APEC Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

• Arabsat Arab Satellite Communications Organization

• ARF ASEAN Regional Forum

• ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations

• AU African Union

• Autodin Automatic Digital Network

• BA Baltic Assembly

• bbl/day barrels per day

• BCIE Central American Bank for Economic Integration

• BDEAC Central African States Development Bank

• Benelux Benelux Union

• BGN United States Board on Geographic Names

• BIMSTEC Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation

• Biodiversity Convention on Biological Diversity

• BIS Bank for International Settlements

• BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa)

• BSEC Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone

• C Commonwealth

• c.i.f. cost, insurance, and freight

• CACM Central American Common Market

• CAEU Council of Arab Economic Unity

• CAN Andean Community

• Caricom Caribbean Community and Common Market

• CB citizen's band mobile radio communications

• CBSS Council of the Baltic Sea States

• CCC Customs Cooperation Council

• CD Community of Democracies

• CDB Caribbean Development Bank

• CE Council of Europe

• CEI Central European Initiative

• CELAC Community of Latin America and Caribbean States

• CEMA Council for Mutual Economic Assistance

• CEMAC Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa

• CEPGL Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries

• CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research

• CIA Central Intelligence Agency

• CICA Conference of Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia

• CIS Commonwealth of Independent States

• CITES see Endangered Species

• Climate Change United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

• Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

• COCOM Coordinating Committee on Export Controls

• COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

• Comsat Communications Satellite Corporation

• CP Colombo Plan

• CPLP Comunidade dos Paises de Lingua Portuguesa

• CSN South American Community of Nations became UNASUL - Union of South American Nations

• CSTO Collective Security Treaty Organization

• CTBTO Preparatory Commission for the Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization

• CY calendar year

• D-8 Developing Eight

• DC developed country

• DDT dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane

• Desertification United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa

• DIA United States Defense Intelligence Agency

• DSN Defense Switched Network

• DST daylight savings time

• DWT deadweight ton

• EAC East African Community

• EADB East African Development Bank

• EAEC Eurasian Economic Community

• EAPC Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council

• EAS East Asia Summit

• EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

• EC European Community or European Commission

• ECA Economic Commission for Africa

• ECB European Central Bank

• ECE Economic Commission for Europe

• ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

• ECO Economic Cooperation Organization

• ECOMIG ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia

• ECOSOC Economic and Social Council

• ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States

• ECSC European Coal and Steel Community

• EE Eastern Europe

• EEC European Economic Community

• EEZ exclusive economic zone

• EFTA European Free Trade Association

• EIB European Investment Bank

• EITI Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative

• EMU European Monetary Union

• Endangered Species Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)

• Entente Council of the Entente

• Environmental Modification Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques

• ESA European Space Agency

• ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

• ESCWA Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

• est. estimate

• EU European Union

• EUFOR European Union Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Euratom European Atomic Energy Community

• Eutelsat European Telecommunications Satellite Organization

• EUTM European Union Training Mission (military force deployed to provide advice, operational training, and education to security forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Central African Republic, Mali, and Somalia)

• Ex-Im Export-Import Bank of the United States

• f.o.b. free on board

• FAO Food and Agriculture Organization

• FATF Financial Action Task Force

• FAX facsimile

• FLS Front Line States

• FOC flags of convenience

• FSU former Soviet Union

• ft foot

• FttP FttP: Fiber to the Home (FttP) is a pure fiber-optic cable connection running from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) directly to the user's home or business

• FY fiscal year

• FZ Franc Zone

• G-10 Group of 10

• G-11 Group of 11

• G-15 Group of 15

• G-20 Group of 20

• G-24 Group of 24

• G-3 Group of 3

• G-5 Group of 5

• G-6 Group of 6

• G-7 Group of 7

• G-77 Group of 77

• G-8 Group of 8

• G-9 Group of 9

• GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; now WTO

• GCC Gulf Cooperation Council

• GCN Global Caribbean Network

• GCTU General Confederation of Trade Unions

• GDP gross domestic product

• GMT Greenwich Mean Time

• GNP gross national product

• GRT gross register ton

• GSM global system for mobile cellular communications

• GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development; acronym for member states - Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova

• GWP gross world product

• Hazardous Wastes Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal

• HF high-frequency

• HIV/AIDS human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome

• IADB Inter-American Development Bank

• IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency

• IANA Internet Assigned Numbers Authority

• IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank)

• ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization

• ICC International Chamber of Commerce

• ICCt International Criminal Court

• ICJ International Court of Justice (World Court)

• ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross

• ICRM International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

• ICSID International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes

• ICTR International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

• ICTY International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

• IDA International Development Association

• IDB Islamic Development Bank

• IDP Internally Displaced Person

• IEA International Energy Agency

• IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development

• IFC International Finance Corporation

• IFRCS International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

• IGAD Inter-Governmental Authority on Development

• IHO International Hydrographic Organization

• ILO International Labor Organization

• IMF International Monetary Fund

• IMO International Maritime Organization

• IMSO International Mobile Satellite Organization

• in inch

• Inmarsat International Maritime Satellite Organization

• InOC Indian Ocean Commission

• Intelsat International Telecommunications Satellite Organization

• Interpol International Criminal Police Organization

• Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications

• IOC International Olympic Committee

• IOM International Organization for Migration

• IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union

• ISO International Organization for Standardization

• ISP Internet Service Provider

• ITC International Trade Center

• ITSO International Telecommunications Satellite Organization

• ITU International Telecommunication Union

• ITUC International Trade Union Confederation, the successor to ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) and the WCL (World Confederation of Labor)

• kg kilogram

• kHz kilohertz

• km kilometer

• kW kilowatt

• kWh kilowatt-hour

• LAES Latin American and Caribbean Economic System

• LAIA Latin American Integration Association

• LAS League of Arab States

• Law of the Sea United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS)

• LDC less developed country

• LLDC least developed country

• LNG liquefied natural gas

• London Convention see Marine Dumping

• LOS see Law of the Sea

• m meter

• Marecs Maritime European Communications Satellite

• Marine Dumping Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter

• Marine Life Conservation Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas

• MARPOL see Ship Pollution

• Medarabtel Middle East Telecommunications Project of the International Telecommunications Union

• Mercosur Southern Cone Common Market

• MFO Multinational Force & Observers--Sinai

• MHz megahertz

• mi mile

• MICAH International Civilian Support Mission in Haiti

• MIGA Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency

• MINURCAT United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad

• MINURSO United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara

• MINUSCA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic

• MINUSMA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali

• MINUSTAH United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti

• mm millimeter

• MONUSCO United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

• mt metric ton

• Mt. Mount

• NA not available

• NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement

• NAM Nonaligned Movement

• NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization

• NC Nordic Council

• NEA Nuclear Energy Agency

• NEGL negligible

• NGA National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

• NGO nongovernmental organization

• NIB Nordic Investment Bank

• NIC newly industrializing country

• NIE newly industrializing economy

• NIS new independent states

• nm nautical mile

• NMT Nordic Mobile Telephone

• NSG Nuclear Suppliers Group

• Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water

• NZ New Zealand

• OAPEC Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries

• OAS Organization of American States

• OAU Organization of African Unity; see African Union

• ODA official development assistance

• OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

• OECS Organization of Eastern Caribbean States

• OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

• OIC Organization of the Islamic Conference

• OIF International Organization of the French-speaking World

• OOF other official flows

• OPANAL Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean

• OPCW Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

• OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

• OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

• Ozone Layer Protection Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer

• PCA Permanent Court of Arbitration

• PFP Partnership for Peace

• PIF Pacific Islands Forum

• PPP purchasing power parity

• Ramsar see Wetlands

• RG Rio Group

• SAARC South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

• SACEP South Asia Co-operative Environment Program

• SACU Southern African Customs Union

• SADC Southern African Development Community

• SAFE South African Far East Cable

• SCO Shanghai Cooperation Organization

• SECI Southeast European Cooperative Initiative

• SELEC Convention of the Southeast European Law Enforcement Centers (successor to SECI)

• SHF super-high-frequency

• Ship Pollution Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 (MARPOL)

• SICA Central American Integration System

• Sparteca South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement

• SPC Secretariat of the Pacific Communities

• SPF South Pacific Forum

• sq km square kilometer

• sq mi square mile

• TAT Trans-Atlantic Telephone

• TEU Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit, a unit of measure for containerized cargo capacity

• Tropical Timber 83 International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983

• Tropical Timber 94 International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994

• UAE United Arab Emirates

• UDEAC Central African Customs and Economic Union

• UHF ultra-high-frequency

• UK United Kingdom

• UN United Nations

• UN-AIDS Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS

• UN-Habitat United Nations Center for Human Settlements

• UNAMA United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

• UNAMID African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur

• UNASUR Union of South American Nations

• UNCLOS United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, also known as LOS

• UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

• UNDCP United Nations Drug Control Program

• UNDEF United Nations Democracy Fund

• UNDOF United Nations Disengagement Observer Force

• UNDP United Nations Development Program

• UNEP United Nations Environment Program

• UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

• UNFICYP United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus

• UNFPA United Nations Population Fund

• UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

• UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund

• UNICRI United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute

• UNIDIR United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research

• UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization

• UNIFIL United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon

• UNISFA United Nations Interim Force for Abyei

• UNITAR United Nations Institute for Training and Research

• UNMIK United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

• UNMIL United Nations Mission in Liberia

• UNMIS United Nations Mission in the Sudan

• UNMISS United Nations Mission in South Sudan

• UNMIT United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste

• UNMOGIP United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan

• UNOCI United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire

• UNODC United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime

• UNOPS United Nations Office of Project Services

• UNRISD United Nations Research Institute for Social Development

• UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

• UNSC United Nations Security Council

• UNSOM United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia

• UNSSC United Nations System Staff College

• UNTSO United Nations Truce Supervision Organization

• UNU United Nations University

• UNWTO World Tourism Organization

• UPU Universal Postal Union

• US United States

• USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union); used for information dated before 25 December 1991

• UTC Coordinated Universal Time

• UV ultraviolet

• VHF very-high-frequency

• VSAT very small aperture terminal

• WADB West African Development Bank

• WAEMU West African Economic and Monetary Union

• WCL World Confederation of Labor

• WCO World Customs Organization

• Wetlands Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially As Waterfowl Habitat

• WEU Western European Union

• WFP World Food Program

• WFTU World Federation of Trade Unions

• Whaling International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling

• WHO World Health Organization

• WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization

• WMO World Meteorological Organization

• WP Warsaw Pact

• WTO World Trade Organization

• ZC Zangger Committee

Also see

• CIA Word factbook definitions
• CIA world factbook