International/Country Studies

For databases containing articles and other information, see our Law, Political Science & International Relations Databases page.

Comprehensive Gateway Sites

Background Notes (U.S. State Dept.)

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/

Brief facts and discussion of topics such as geography, population, economy, history, political conditions, foreign relations, travel, etc.

Cultural Profiles Project

http://www.settlement.org/cp/english/

A Canadian site which provides brief overviews of the following aspects of life in numerous countries of the world: history, family, food, communication, work, sports, health care, education, holidays, arts and literature, etc.

Country at a Glance

http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/infonation/e_glance.htm

Profiles from the United Nations giving basic statistics on each country's geographical area, population, capital, language, currency, gross domestic product, etc. Includes the addresses for the country's U.N. missions in New York and Geneva.

Country Briefings (The Economist)

http://www.economist.com/countries/

Provides facts, economic data, small maps, forecasts, and recent news items on many countries of the world. Selected articles from the publication The Economist are included (although some articles are only available to subscribers).

InfoNation

http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/infonation/e_infonation.htm

Easy-to-use source for comparative statistics from the United Nations. You can select up to seven countries and compare them in areas such as population, environment, economy, and social indicators (e.g. education, health, crime).

International Affairs Resources WWW Virtual Library

http://www.etown.edu/vl/

Links to resources and information on organizations, media, regions and countries, and topics such as business and economics, peace and conflict, human rights, law, environment, etc.

The Library of Congress Country Profiles

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles.html

Offers "brief, summarized information on a country’s historical background, geography, society, economy, transportation and telecommunications, government and politics, and national security." (web site description)

Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/

One of the premier map collections on the Internet. Includes current and historical maps, links to city map sites, maps of regions currently in the news, etc.

World Factbook (CIA)

https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

Brief factual outline of each country's geography, population, government, economy, communications, transportation, military. Maps included.

Yahoo's Regional Information List

http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/

Regional Studies Sites

African Studies (U. of Penn)

http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/AS.html

Searchable site with information on books, multimedia, and Internet resources. Special features include country-specific pages, news feeds from Africa, and a K-12 section for students researching African topics.

ArabNet

http://www.arab.net/

Covers the Arab world in the Middle East and North Africa with information on news, Arab countries in the region, and special topics (e.g. art, cuisine, etc.). Visit the Magic Carpet section for links to other Arab-related Internet sites.

AsiaSource

http://www.asiasource.org/

This resource from the Asia Society gives basic data on Asia. It provides news stories, a calendar of arts and cultural events, a database of Asia experts, maps and statistics of Asian/Pacific countries and lists holidays, government agencies, and business protocol.

Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library

http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-AsianStudies.html

Links to regional and country-specific sites on Asia and the Pacific region. Topics include news, conferences, electronic forums, online bookshops, and study abroad programs. Be sure to note the Asian Continent Information Resources section where you will find an extensive list of links to Asian-related Internet sites.

LANIC: Latin American Network Information Center

http://lanic.utexas.edu/

Comprehensive site at the University of Texas with links to a multitude of Latin American resources on the internet.

REESWeb: Russian & East European Studies

http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/reesweb/

Covers individual countries as well as the former Soviet Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Covers resources on the arts, business, social sciences, media, history, etc., as well as various types of resources (documents, databases, software, multimedia, etc.).

Government/Political Sites

Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/index.html

Basic country-by-country listing of heads of state, ministers, and other major officials. Includes the ambassador to the U.S. and the representation to the U.N.

The Electronic Embassy

http://www.embassy.org/

Searchable site for information on foreign embassies in Washington, D.C. Includes links to related sites (e.g. other consulates in the U.S).

Governments on the WWW

http://www.gksoft.com/govt/

Links to mainly official sites for legislative, executive, and judicial branches of governments of the world. Includes political parties and organizations, as well as special topics such as media, currency, elections, statistics, etc.

Political Resources on the Net

http://www.politicalresources.net/

Easy-to-use, searchable site for information on countries and their political parties, organizations, governments, media, etc. See the Related Sites section for similar comprehensive Internet sites.

University of Michigan Documents Center

http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/

Extensive list of links to governments, agencies, and organizations. Includes special features, such as documents in the news, links to class assignments using documents, and statistical sources in various subject areas.