One of the things that I enjoy about Google Earth is the myriad of creative files that people have developed and shared on the Internet. Today, I found a useful file on the Google Earth Blog that is essentially an online almanac of world data. Contained in the file are flags serving as placemarks for each country. Clicking on each placemark reveals information and links to stories about that country. Most of the data is drawn from the CIA World Factbook. You can access the file here.

Applications for Education
This Google Earth file is a good way for students to associate the names of countries and pertinent data about those countries to a geographic location.