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COUNTRY PROFILES

This guide highlights a variety of resources which concentrate on the countries and regions of the world. Resources are primarily from “gateways” and other comprehensive sites, official government sites, professional associations/organizations and pages from college/university web resources (including academic libraries). Coverage includes cultural, economic/commercial, government, political and statistical information.  Also, some websites may not contain data about all countries; the availability of information about individual countries will vary greatly depending upon the website.


Atlapedia Online: Countries A to Z

•   Sponsored by Latimer Clarke Corporation Pty Ltd.
•   Country profiles offer economic, geographic, historical, social, statistical information; no cultural information is provided
•   Includes maps, glossary
•   Excellent; not extensive, but a good source for quick background information; more comprehensive than an almanac entry, but not as comprehensive as an encyclopedia entry


Background Notes

•   Sponsored by the U.S. State Department
•   Provides information on almost 200 countries, “… some dependencies and areas of special sovereignty” in the following areas: geography, people, history, government/politics, economy, foreign relations, defense, traveling for business
•   Level of sophistication is comparable to a well-written encyclopedia article; in many aspects, it could serve as a digest-sized version of the Library of Congress’s “Country Studies/Area Handbook” series
•   Many country profiles have been revised in 2007; the remainder in 2006
•   Excellent; a great source for basic information for most of the countries of the world


BBC News Country Profiles

•   Sponsored by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
•   “Provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background” for nearly 250 nations and territories
•   Each profile includes an overview, “facts” (basic statistical information), information on a nation’s/territory’s leaders, media (the press, radio, television, news agency)
•   “Related BBC Links” provides access to additional information
•   Excellent; profiles are not extensive but they provide a great place to begin basic research; especially useful for smaller nations/territories which are not well-known


BUBL LINK: Catalogue of Internet Resources: Countries

•   Directory of links to information on 195 countries
•   Provides basic information on economic, political and social aspects of a country; also may include links to a nation’s arts/cultural resources, human rights
•   Excellent annotations accompany each link
•   Comprehensiveness of links varies from country to country
•   Excellent; another great resource for basic information on many countries


Country Based Search Engines

•   Created and maintained by Phil Bradley, “information specialist and Internet consultant”
•   Links to over 2,600 search engines for over 200 “countries, territories and regions”
•   “The majority of the search engines should simply cover the country or region as appropriate, but in some instances general search engines may have been included in non-English languages”
•   Welcomes feedback, submissions
•   Outstanding; best place for “one-stop shopping” for search engines for the nations of the world


Country Commercial Guides

•   Sponsored by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
•   “A permanent electronic archive” since 2001
•   Provides comprehensive information for business practices, policies and conditions for over 90 nations
•   In-depth analysis of economic trends, trade regulation, investment climate, trade and project financing
•   Appendices include economic and trade statistics, bank/trade associations
•   Excellent; despite the fact that this site has been archived since 2001, much of the background information should prove to be useful for those researching the commercial aspects of a country


Country Studies

•   Sponsored by the Horn Library, Babson College
•   Links to websites and database resources to business/economic/investment information for over 90 countries
•   Each country profile links to official government sites, statistical information, law, et al; commerce-oriented information is available in databases which are restricted to the Babson community (these may be found in academic libraries or large public libraries)
•   Excellent resource; does an admirable job of presenting what it covers


Country Study & Country Guide

•   Sponsored by AllRefer.com
•   Offers in-depth profiles of over 100 countries
•   Each profile contains information on the following: geography, education, healthcare/social welfare, history, media, society, economy, national security, government/politics, and transportation/telecommunications
•   Many studies compiled between 1988 and 1998; a limited number have been updated
•   Much of the information for profiles is derived from the Library of Congress’s Country Studies guides (please see below)
•   Good; not as up-to-date as some other resources, but great for background information


Country Studies: Area Handbook Series

•   Sponsored by the Library of Congress’s Federal Research Division
•   Offers in-depth studies of over 100 countries
•   The series concentrates on many countries which have not had extensive research done on them; as a result, such notable countries as Canada, France, Italy and the United Kingdom are not represented
•   Each study seeks to present “… a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world”
•   Studies are written by multidisciplinary teams of scholars to ensure accuracy and quality
•   Most studies were compiled between 1988 and 1998; approximately 40% have been revised within the past several years
•   Excellent; although some studies have not been updated, much of the background information (especially historical, governmental and societal) is still valid and useful


Cultural Profiles Project (CCP)

•   Maintained/funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada; “developed in association the AMNI Centre at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto”
•   Developed as a resource to assist the immigration/acculturation process of immigrants to Canada; primary audience is Canadian “host volunteers” working with new immigrants
•   Provides profiles on the cultural aspects of 104 countries
•   Each country’s profile includes information on the following: climate/landscape, history, family life, “world of work,” healthcare, education, cuisine, sports/recreation, communication, “spirituality,” arts/literature, holidays
•   Each profile “… provides insights into some [of a country’s] customs,” but does not cover “… all facets of life”
•   Links to additional sites for country information
•   The CCP, developed between 1998 and 2002, is now complete
•   Also available in French
•   Outstanding; does an excellent job of providing information on many aspects of a country’s culture/society; very well written and should be very useful for anyone seeking introductory information on a country


Digital Librarian: International Resources

•   Maintained by Margaret Vail Anderson
•   Directory of over 190 sites for country, regional and international information, including “gateways”/portals to individual countries/regions information, international organizations, foreign policy, governmental/political information, constitutions, human rights, maps, statistics, embassies
•   International in scope
•   Short annotations accompany many links
•   Links to other “Digital Librarian” pages for resources on Africa, Asia, Middle East, Latin America
•   Excellent; a great place to begin research; users will need to browse extensively, however, because this page is arranged alphabetically by site titles


Encyclopedia of the Nations

•   Country profiles for 200 nations; browsable by continent
•   Each country profile may include links to over 40 categories of information/data for the following: demographics, climate/environment, economy, geography, government/politics, history, natural resources, healthcare, education
•   Comprehensiveness of links varies from country to country
•   Includes an excellent section on the United Nations (its mission, organization/structure, agencies)
•   “World Leaders” provides profiles of heads-of-state and government leaders (some need updating)
•   Outstanding; does an excellent job of providing a profile on information/data about a country; very well-written and should be very useful for anyone beginning research about a country


Foreign Government Resources

•   Maintained by the University of Colorado at Boulder Library, Government Publications Library
•   “General Information and Links” offers access to such basics as the “CIA World Factbook,” the U.S. State Department’s “Background Notes,” and the Library of Congress’s “Country Studies,” additional resources
•   Site’s real value are links to 40 topical areas covering political, economic, social, and educational information, as well as such rarely included topics as disaster/emergency relief, food supply, income inequality
•   Outstanding; one of the best sites for locating country information by topical area


Foreign Government Resources on the Web

•   Sponsored by the University of Michigan Document Center (UMDC)
•   One of the most comprehensive sites for information on countries’ political, economic, legal structures; includes information on human rights, elections, constitutions/laws/treaties, news, statistics
•   Comprehensiveness of statistical information on official national sites varies from country to country
•   Outstanding; like other UMDC pages, this one is thorough, well-annotated and of value to all levels of researchers


Governments on the WWW

•   Created by Gunnar Anziger
•   Links to over 200 national government websites worldwide
•   Links to the following topic-specific categories: heads of state, national legislatures/parliaments, national court systems, political parties, elections, statistical bureaus, national tourism agencies, public broadcasting, et al; information within a category varies from country to country
•   Outstanding resource for a nation’s official government information and government institutions and services


Gumshoe Librarian: “Where in the World Is…”

•   Compiled by Barbara Fullerton and Sabrina I. Pacifici, law librarians, for LLRX.com
•   Directory of over 70 sites for the following: “business and corporate data, global news, search engines, guides to international and comparative law, country profiles and statistics, locating people, businesses, places and useful services around the world, banking resources, and data on terrorism and security issues”
•   This eclectic blend contains international phone directories, offshore investment sites, worldwide embassy links, journalist resources and additional sites not often gathered in one place
•   No annotations
•   “For the most part, the sites we chose are free, although several may have a fee-based component and/or require registration to obtain access to the full component of data available”
•   Excellent; not comprehensive, but a great resource for beginning research


Hospitality & Tourism Complete

•   Johnson & Wales University subscription database restricted to the JWU community
•   “A bibliographic database covering scholarly research and industry news relating to all areas of hospitality and tourism”
•   Part of this database includes “Country Profiles” for over 125 countries (see link annotation for instructions on accessing these)
•   These profiles are generally over 25+ pages and include almanac-level information on “key facts,” basic information on a country’s government/political system, geography, etc.; the main emphasis is on information dealing with a country’s economy, including market data, trading policies and “macroeconomic and market data”
•   While the number of “Country Profiles” is not comprehensive, this database is especially useful for statistical facts and commentary on economic analysis/trends


Indigenous Nations: Sites of Interest

•   Written by Gina Matesic, Library, University of Guelph-Humber (Canada)
•   Published in the January 2004 issue of College & Research Library News
•   Essay and directory of sites about indigenous peoples of the world
•   “This column contains a selective list of resources that cover international and regional resources”
•   Links to “multinational and general” sites, regional sites (North America, Latin/South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceana)
•   Resource formats include “… digitized historical documents, maps, government reports (both historical and contemporary), legal cases, and specialized educational curriculum”
•   Outstanding; excellent annotations accompany all links; one of the best places for information on indigenous peoples, the original inhabitants of what now comprises many of the nations of the world


Infonation

•   Sponsored by United Nations Publications
•   Allows interactive search and comparisons between over 180 nations
•   Links to files for each nation’s economy, geography, population, social indicators
•   Allows comparisons of up to 5 nations in 4 topical files
•   Refer to the FAQ feature for best instructions for navigation
•   Outstanding; a wonderful resource for comparative data for nations


International Agencies and Information

•   Sponsored by University of Michigan Document Center (UMDC)
•   One of the most comprehensive sites for links to international organizations and United Nations- related agencies
•   Also links to foreign governments, international relations resources, news, statistics
•   Outstanding; like other UMDC pages, this is thorough, well-annotated and of value to all levels of researchers


International Data Base (IDB)

•   Sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau’s International Programs Center
•   “Computerized data bank containing statistical tables of demographic and socio-economic data for 227 countries and areas of the world”
•   Includes trends/projections from 1950 to 2050
•   Data can be accessed for over 20 topical areas, including ethnicity, income, labor force, migration, religion
•   Outstanding; one of the best federal resources for statistical data for nations


NationMaster.com

•   Launched in 2003, this statistical meta-site has been developed and is managed by Luke Metcalfe, web publisher of Rapid Intelligence (Sydney, Australia)
•   “A massive central data source and a handy way to graphically compare nations”
•   Currently includes over 5,600 statistical tables, over 3,700 maps and over 47,000 flags
•   “Entire site is free”
•   “Countries A-Z” provides statistical profiles for over 260 countries
•   Each country profile may include statistical tables for up to 30 categories, including demographics, the economy, government, health, industry, religion, transportation; comprehensiveness of links varies from country to country
•   Each country profile also includes background information (historical profile), flags, maps, “Popular Articles”
•   “Statistics” section allows users to browse several thousand statistical tables in 30 categories, including commerce/industry, demography, economics, education, energy, environment, government, health, military
•   “All statistics on this site are cited;” sources include U.S. government agencies, CIA World Factbook, the United Nations, World Bank, OECD, World Resource Institute, “think tanks”
•   Welcomes site submissions
•   Links to StateMaster, a companion site for in-depth statistical data for U.S. states
•   Outstanding; this is a cornucopia of every conceivable type of statistic for countries of the world; the best free resource online for this type of data; a phenomenal achievement which is as entertaining as it is informative; highly recommended


Nations Online Project (NOP)

•   “This site is a portal of gateways to the countries, cultures and nations in this world;” its mission is “… to give you access to online information about the immense potential of creative power of the cultures of Earth”
•   Online since 1998, this meta-site currently provides profiles of 193 “independent sovereign states,” 61 “dependent areas,” and 5 “disputed territories”
•   The profile of a country may include information/ links on the following: “official sites,” news, arts/culture, media, business/commerce, education, guides, history, transportation, and travel/tourism
•   Comprehensiveness of links varies from country to country
•   Also links to homepages/tourism information for over 70 of the world’s “world-class cities”
•   Links to additional information on country historical names, maps, flags, currencies, languages, world population rankings, international news, airlines/airports
•   Link submissions welcome
•   Outstanding; this attractively-designed site is not only very informative and user-friendly, it also contains a fascinating compendium of information on the countries of the world and is particularly useful for lesser-known nations


OFFSTATS

•   Created and maintained by Rainer Wolcke, University of Auckland Library (New Zealand)
•   Site provides “… free statistics from official sources”
•   Browsable by country, region and topic (over 70)
•   Accuracy of national official sites vary in their degree of comprehensiveness and sophistication
•   Last updated May 2006
•   Outstanding; best and most direct source for official statistics


Political Resources on the Net

•   “Listings of political sites available on the Internet sorted by country, with links to Parties, Organizations, Governments, Media and more from around the world”
•   Links to 230 nations for the following governmental/political information: official government websites, constitutions, election information, official political party sites, dependent territories (if any); information for some nations may include guides to a country’s politics, “political action” resources, links to media/newspapers, tourism information
•   Directories of links organized by continents/regions; links to sites concerned with multi-national issues, organizations, projects, regional governmental bodies (agreements, judicial commissions, etc.)
•   “International” consists of directories of links on a global level for the following categories: associations/organizations, elections/parliaments, parties, political leaders, embassies, media, law, international business (banking, marketing, trade)
•   Presently contains more than 24,000 links
•   Outstanding; an excellent, easy-to-use resource for linking to political and governmental information on a global, regional or national level


Portals to the World

•   Maintained by the Library of Congress (LOC); part of the “Global Gateway: World Culture & Resources”
•   “Selected by Area Specialists and other Library staff using Library of Congress selection criteria”
•   “Contains selective links providing authoritative, in-depth information about the nations and other areas of the world”
•   Each country profile links to websites for the following: “general resources,” business, culture, education, geography/environment, government/politics, health, history, law, language/literature, media/communications, religion, society
•   Links are primarily to official sites, NGOs, international organizations, academic sites; annotations accompany most links
•   Many country profiles have been revised in 2006, the remainder in 2005
•   Link submissions welcome
•   Outstanding; an excellent source of high-quality information on nations both large and small, compiled by one of the U.S.’s most respected research organizations


Regional & Country Information

•   Sponsored by the Internet Public Library (IPL)
•   Links to 27 of the most useful sites for country information, including portals, and sites concentrating on culture, commerce/economics, demographics, foreign relations, geography, statistics; also includes links to sites on city information
•   Annotations accompany each link
•   Links to IPL sub-pages for links to specific regions
•   Excellent; like other IPL guides, this one is great for the quality of its links, ease-of-navigation and suitability for users of varying degrees of research skills


World Factbook (WF)

•   Created and maintained by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
•   Profiles over 260 countries (including minor island nations) and provides statistical information for the following nine categories: introduction, geography, people, government, economy, communications, transport, military, “transnational issues”; also includes downloadable map
•   Provides “national-level” information”; does not include disputed territories (Kashmir, Kosovo, Tibet, etc.)
•   Due to different levels of socio-economic and political development, the comprehensiveness of information varies from country to country
•   “Rank Order” pages allows users to access statistical ranking order for 47 topical fields in six of the WF’s nine categories
•   Also includes flags
•   Excellent FAQ feature
•   “Updated periodically throughout the year”
•   Outstanding; one of the best resources for country information currently available; useful to the novice as well as the experienced researcher


Websites discussed on this page are for informational purposes only. Johnson & Wales University Library is not responsible for the accuracy, content, or stability of any websites linked to this page.

Compiled by Rick Keogh 7/01; updated 9/03, 1/05; links last checked 12/07

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