HIST 1142: World History: Websites

Issued by the US Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, these electronically accessible publications include facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations of independent states and other territories. The Background Notes are updated and/or revised as they are received from the Department's regional bureaus and are added to the database of this Department of State website.

Full profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries. They also include audio and video clips from the BBC archives.

Each country profile provides a short description of: geography, maps, flag, history, current ruler, area, populations, capital, largest cities, languages, ethnicity/race, religion, literacy rate, economy, and government.

Information from the CIA World Fact Book.

Briefs on energy issues for selected countries and with environmental information for selected countries. These reports from the United States Energy Information Administration examine the energy situation in OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) on-OPEC countries in the politically volatile Persian Gulf region, major non-OPEC oil exporters, and other countries or regions . The publications concentrate on energy outlook and supply but also include overview of each country, recent

The CIFP database includes measures of domestic armed conflict, governance and political instability, militarization, religious and ethnic diversity, demographic stress, economic performance, human development, environmental stress, and international linkages, in the form of over one hundred performance indicators for 196 countries, spanning fifteen years (1985 to 2000) for most indicators. These indicators are drawn from a variety of open sources.

An easy way to look at all major statistical indicators for the European Union (13, 15, 25, or 27 countries) or each individual country, and to do comparisons. The data generally goes back 10 years, and can be displayed as a table, graph, or on a map.

Provides basic economic, political, geographic and background data for every country in the world, along with a mechanism for comparing statistics across countries. Includes directories of government agencies and officials, political parties, media organizations, business associations and other similar groups for each country.

A comprehensive resource maintained by Northwestern University Library. It provides links to the official government web sites, down to department or ministry level.

The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices are submitted annually by the U.S. Department of State to the U.S. Congress. The reports cover internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In 2008, there is a list of 194 States (by short name, long name, country code, and (name of) capital city.

The Library of Congress Country Studies Series presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world. The series examines the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors.

The World Bank's Open Data initiative is intended to provide all users with access to World Bank data. These resources include databases, pre-formatted tables and reports.

This annual publication of the Central Intelligence Agency provides profiles of countries throughout the world. Each country profile begins with a brief historical background and includes information about geography, population, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues. -- CIA.