The World Bank

WASHINGTON, D.C.

The World Bank Summary

The World Bank is a multilateral lending agency consisting of four closely associated institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the main lending arm of the World Bank; the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank affiliate that lends on concessional terms to the poorest countries; the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which finances private sector projects and advises businesses and governments on investment issues; and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), which promotes foreign direct investment through guarantees, policy advice, and promotional services.

The World Bank Directory Services

The World Bank Directory Services offer an online catalog system that allows directory and inventory search and retrieval of descriptions of World Bank data and information and provides for the browsing and ordering of datasets.

The CIESIN Gateway, developed by the Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), is interoperable with an international network of Data Centers.

World Bank OnLine Information

The following information on the World Bank is available online:

On-Line Tools

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