Country Studies

A substantial collection of resources are available to aid your search for information on specific countries. Begin with general background sources such as: Oxford Reference Premium Online. This exceptional Online encyclopedia will help you identify trends, people, places, important dates etc., on many countries and regions.

To obtain more specific political, economic, cultural and social outlines of individual countries you should consider consulting the following reference works: (note: as with all resources you must evaluate the information you are finding. is the site you are using providing information that is: objective, up to date, accurate, authoritative?)

Brief Country Information Sources

World Factbook
In almanac style, this site provides a two-to-three page summary of 268 U.S. recognized countries including their territories and dependencies. The website is updated every two weeks.

Europa World Plus Licensed to Western users only.
Provides information on the United Nations, its agencies, and other international organizations. It also features statistical, political, and historical information on countries around the world.

Library of Congress Country Studies
101 countries and regions are covered. The original intent of the series' sponsor was to focus primarily on lesser-known areas of the world or regions in which U.S. forces might be deployed.

Political Risk Yearbook Licensed to Western users only.
For over 100 countries information is provided in a standard format that allows one to assess the risks of doing business in the countries profiled. The profiles are very detailed. They cover history and geography of the country, social conditions and international relationships. The database also provides 18 month and 5-year forecasts.

World Development Indicators (WDI Online) Licensed to Western users only.
WDI Online is the premier data source on the global economy. It contains statistical data for over 575 development indicators and time series data from 1960--2002 for over 220 countries and country groups. Data includes social, economic, financial, natural resources, and environmental indicators. Data selection screens are intuitive and easy to use. Results can be scaled, indexed against a particular year, viewed by percentage change, and charted. Data can also be exported in standard formats like Excel. The database is updated periodically with annual data loaded in May. Related databases: World Bank e-library, Global Development Finance.

Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI)
This site offers aggregate and individual governance indicators for 212 countries and territories over the period 1996-2006, for six dimensions of governance.

This site offers news and data for approximately 180 countries. This service includes links to central banks, economic indicators, and member financial data

Detailed Country Information Sources

Country Report - Economist Intelligence Unit: EIU Licensed to Western users only.
This source offers nearly 200 Country Reports, covering the political scene and economic policy issues. Articles, about 40-50 pages in length, are updated 4 times a year. Additionally, 6-8 page supplements are provided monthly.

Country Profile - Economist Intelligence Unit: EIU Licensed to Western Users
Country Profiles offers information on 200 countries - providing an annual perspective on the long-term political and social issues that affect the countries. The annual reports are availabe in PDF format, with an archive of earlier reports.

Resources with Regional Focus

AsiaSource
Searchable by date and keyword. Independent web sites are sources of information. Information and assistance regarding the cultural, economic, social, historical and political dimensions of Asia. Includes a daily digest of Asia-related news reported in the international press; the Web's largest Asia bookstore, thousands of annotated links; country profiles which include maps and statistical information; a database of specialists on Asia, a large searchable glossary; a guide to business protocol in 12 of Asia's major business markets and an up-to-date directory of government leaders and cabinet ministers and an international events calendar of events from the Asia Society and scores of other organizations.

Latin America Network
Portal to a large collection of resources related to Latin American countries.