Country Profiles & Data

Sources of profiles & statistical information for foreign countries & U.S..

Country Profiles

ABI/INFORM Collection (ProQuest)
Contains a wealth of business and financial information, both current and historical across three databases. Global offers full text of both scholarly and trade journals, market and industry reports, as well as dissertations and working papers. Trade & Industry is focused on specific companies, executives, products and trends. Dateline contains city, state, and regional company and market news. Coverage: 1984-present. Updated daily.

Amnesty International
Amnesty International works to promote all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international standards. The Amnesty International site documents human rights violations in 150 countries and territories.
BBC News Country Profiles
History, politics and economic background of countries and territories, and background on key institutions. Includes audio and video clips from BBC archives.

Britannica Online
Online version of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Also contains a number of special-interest resources, such as Shakespeare and Britannica's Guide to the Nobel Prizes.

CIA World Factbook Country Profiles
The World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities. Our Reference tab includes: maps of the major world regions, as well as Flags of the World, a Physical Map of the World, a Political Map of the World, a World Oceans map, and a Standard Time Zones of the World map.
Council on Hemispheric Affairs
Non-profit, non-partisan organization established in 1975 by former director Larry Birns to promote the common interests and well-being of countries in the Americas. Explore by region or topic.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (U.S. State Dept.)
Reports 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.
Country Studies Profiles: Library of Congress
Description and analysis of the historical, social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world. Prepared by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress and sponsored by the Department of the Army.
Country Reports On Terrorism (U.S. Department of State)
U.S. law requires the Secretary of State to provide Congress a full and complete report on terrorism with regard to those countries and groups meeting criteria set forth in the legislation.
Countries and Areas (U.S. Department of State)
Current and archival reports include facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations on each region.

CQ Political Handbook of the World
Country profiles chronicling national history, government, and political parties, as well as profiles on intergovernmental organizations, development banks, and the agencies and specialized bodies of the United Nations.

Economist.com Country Briefings
Contains articles from The Economist, background profiles, forecast and statistics from The Economist Intelligence Unit, market and currency updates, news headlines and links.

Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)
Provides access to select EIU publications, including Country Commerce, a guide to operating conditions, commercial laws, and business regulations in 55 countries. Also included are Country Reports for China, Singapore, and Taiwan, as well as Country Risk Briefings, and Country Forecast for China only.

Eldis.org
"Eldis is a gateway to online information on development in countries of the South. Coverage includes social, economic, political and environmental issues. Eldis makes a qualitative selection of materials and structures it for easy access." Funded by the Danish development agency DANIDA and hosted by the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK.
Expeditionary Culture Field Guides
From the Air Force's Culture and Language Center arranged geographically by U.S. military command regions. The guides are designed to help US forces achieve mission success in culturally complex environments.

Gale Directory Library (GDL)
Provides access to the comprehensive Encyclopedia of Associations for national, international and local associations and organizations.
Gale eBooks (Gale Virtual Reference Library)
Cross-searchable collection of full text encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources in a wide-range of disciplines for background information. Formerly known as Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is best known for its annual publication World Report, which characterizes human rights in over 90 countries and territories.

GlobalData Explorer
Provides access to extensive global reports for industries, 30,000 public and private companies, and 215 countries. Porter's Five Forces analyses in industry reports, SWOT in company reports, and PESTLE in country reports. Includes market size, segmentation, share, and distribution data for 150 consumer products in 55 countries, as well as financial deal data. Includes Country & Risk Reports and Country Profiles.
OECD iLibrary
An online library of books, journals, statistics, and reports from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Includes statistical data covering 80 countries going back to 1960s. Focus on economics, business, education, employment, energy, migration, social issues, and environment. Additional content from International Energy Agency (IEA), Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), OECD Development Centre, PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), and International Transport Forum (ITF). Updated regularly.

Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP)
Department of State diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on human trafficking and comprehensive resource of governmental anti-human trafficking efforts.
World Bank Countries
Browse world development indicators, economic forecasts, projects & maps, finances, and surveys.
World Education Encyclopedia: Survey of Educational Systems Worldwide
Country-by-country survey of educational systems provides detailed essays on the histories, legal foundations, and primary and secondary educational systems of 233 countries. Gale Ebooks
World Leaders and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments
CIA directory lists major officials from "as many governments of the world as is considered practical, some of them not officially recognized by the United States." Updated weekly.