Hey there mcshea.

Thank you for the excellent and prompt response. I have uncovered mostly what you mentioned on your last post when I looked at reassembling the kml 2.0 code. There was no tag in the code for the placemarkers with the original kmz file you uploaded so for most of the countries I had to resort to redrawing the polygon borders manually which was a laborous task. And for a few countries I did redraw the lines for, ie Sweden, and Spain, the placemarker ballons ended up in the same location your original file had them.

So I realized it was a bug with Google's program. Oh well. So I did look into the posibility of using the flags from the CIA website and what you mentioned about link paths always changing makes perfect sense and I understand your reason for using imageshack now.

The CIA website states the following from their FAQ link:

"Can I use some or all of The World Factbook for my Web site (book, research project, homework, etc.)?

The World Factbook is in the public domain and may be used freely by anyone at anytime without seeking permission. However, US Code prohibits use of the CIA seal in a manner which implies that the CIA approved, endorsed, or authorized such use. If you have any questions about your intended use, you should consult with legal counsel. Further information on The World Factbook's use is described on the Contributors and Copyright Information page. As a courtesy, please cite The World Factbook when used."

Anyhow I want to forward to you the few changes I was able to make to your original kmz file. I have not had the time to entirely look at the new one you posted although I see how you planted a more defined placemark for each nation now which may help in nailing down the ballons to the center of the right country.

I understand about starting your new job and being extremely busy. Congratulations and I wish you much success on your future endeavors. Thanks for welcoming me to the G.E. BBS. You will definitely see alot of contributions from me in the future.

Respectfully,
Kdrobins