This 48th edition begins with introductory comments followed by an analysis of the Russian Federation; it includes information on the land and people, the Communist era, the Putin presidency, the culture, the changing economy, and much more. This is the largest section of the book, at 137 pages. This section is followed by a discussion of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Although shorter in length, the sections on Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan contain plentiful information about such things as the land, people, culture, history, and economy of each country. Country sections also begin with handy facts on the size of the country and population, cities, the climate, neighboring states, languages spoken, ethnic composition, principal religions, chief commercial products, currency, per capita annual income, recent political status, chief of state, head of government, national flag, and national day. The addition of easy-to-read black-and-white maps enhances the work, as does the use of black-and-white photos. Authored by Brent Hierman, assistant professor in the Department of International Studies at the Virginia Military Institute, this reference work provides quick and authoritative answers. Recommended to public and academic libraries.