Background Notes
From the U.S. State Department,
Background Notes includes facts about the land, people, history, government,
political conditions, economy, and foreign relations of independent
states, some dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty. The
Notes are updated/revised by the Office of Electronic Information and
Publications of the Bureau of Public Affairs as they are received from the Department's regional bureaus.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn
BBC News World Edition: Country Profiles
Full country profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic
background of countries and territories, and background on key institutions.
Some also include audio or video clips from BBC archives.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles
Country Studies
Produced by the Library of Congress, this series contains studies of 100 countries,
with particular attention to current cultural details, values and issues.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
Country Briefings
The journal Economist takes a slightly different look at current information
about countries of the world. Each country profile includes a fact sheet, a
political and economic forecast, economic data, and a description of the political
structure, political forces, and economic structure of the country.
http://www.economist.com/countries
National
Geographic's Map Machine
With National Geographic's online atlas, you can find nearly any
place on earth and learn about its population, climate, history and culture.
In addition, you can browse historical maps and explore the world by
browsing a comprehensive country studies database.
http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine
ExecutivePlanet.com
A guide to business etiquette and culture in the U.S. and 45 other countries
around the world.
http://www.executiveplanet.com/community
Portals to the World (Library of Congress)
Electronic resources on the nations of the world selected by Library of Congress
subject experts. Contains selective links providing authoritative, in-depth
information about the nations and other areas of the world.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html
CIA World Factbook
The online edition of an excellent source of information for over 200 nations.
Select a country and read about its current issues, geography, people, government,
economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook
