Find information about a country

• International sources - Statistics
• International sources - News
• International sources - Web links
• US sources
• Regional sources

Plus read these articles:

• Find information about corruption
• Find information about foreign investment
• Tips for getting facts about a country
• Find information about a country's economy

Et en français

The best place to start:

• BBC Country profiles The BBC offers detailed snapshots of most countries -- history, political analysis, media outlets and in many cases a timeline of key events and outside web links. There is no central listing -- you have to search by region for Europe, Africa,Middle East, Asia-Pacific and the Americas.
  
  
• Portals of the World The US Library of Congress offers a top-notch database of information on countries around the world. Depending on the country, you get lists of web links for Government, Politics, History,Libraries, news media and even Listservs and Newsgroups. One of the most complete ways to begin research on a story abroad.
  
  
• WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources now has over 2400 carefully selected, annotated links in 37 international affairs categories. You can search directories by media, country or topic. It also offers useful guides to starting research on the web.
  
  
• Search Engine Colossus  A web directory that offers you links to search engines from 195 countries around the world. A great way to find obscure search tools in smaller countries or even specialized ways to search your own country.

Corruption:

• Global Integrity Investigating corruption at home or abroad? The Global Integrity Report, provides original, in-depth national assessments combining journalistic reporting with 292 "Integrity Indicators" analyzing openness, governance, and anti-corruption measures for many countries around the world.
• Transparency International Annual index, plus detailed reports

International sources:

Statistics:

The best:

• GeographyIQ More than just facts and figures about each country's geography, demographics, economy, government and political system, this web site also offers researchers some vital historical, cultural and political background information. Plus there are rankings that list countries and territories by more than 50 geographic, demographic, economic and military criteria.

UN:

• United Nations InfoNation    Designed for school children but gives anyone easy access to fast facts. You can compare up to five countries or look at one country at a glance.
• UN Statistics Division Offers reliable social indicators and other statistical databases
• WHO Statistics   Excellent pick-and-choose menu from the World Health Organization
• UN Guide  The UN has a treasure trove of information for journalists, but its web site -- like the UN itself -- is massive and disorganized. This official guide gives you an fast way to find departments by alphabetic listing, by theme and you can also search news releases.

OECD:

• OECD Economic Surveys of Countries

OTHER STATISTICS PAGES:

• The World Wide Web Virtual Library: Statistics
• National statistics offices   Canadian site lists most countries
• International statistical organizations

News:

• JNet's Find News Page   Resources for news searches
• OneWorld Headlines    From a variety of progressive news sources
• WorldNews.com   Vast array of latest headlines
• Moreover.com   Choose your region, and then click
• IRIN
• Relief Web
• WorldNews4all       Excellent links to country newspapers, reference tools and governments
• Search Engines Worldwide   Search engines and directories from all over the world. Organized by 130 countries alphabetically or by 5 continents.

Web resources:

• BBC Country profiles The BBC offers detailed snapshots of most countries -- history, political analysis, media outlets and in many cases a timeline of key events and outside web links. There is no central listing -- you have to search by region for Europe, Africa,Middle East, Asia-Pacific and the Americas.
• BUBL's Country Guide         Excellent selection of the best web sites for political background on every country
• Agora       Top-notch way to find web links in every country
• GeoHive - Global Statistics

En Francais:

• Quid
• Comparaisons

• CIA  FactBook             Hey, the spooks have to get the lowdown on every country, so why not benefit from their intelligence. Stats and facts at your fingertips ... but not the home phone numbers of the local spies. Click here for country profiles.  Click here for Heads of State (names only)
• US State Department Information    Excellent background information and briefings.  You can also search by keyword and search the archives going back to 1990 in English, Spanish and French
• Mapmachine This easy-to-use site from National Geographic gives you basic statistics and history about a country, plus it allows you to customize maps for your needs. For the US and Canada, you can also search by state and province.
  
• Portals of the World The US Library of Congress offers a top-notch database of information on countries around the world.
• PoliSci Almanac      Excellent briefing notes on world government with names and background
• Yale government documents     US, Canada and world government sites

• The Commonwealth Yearbook 1998    Thumbnail sketches of each of the countries  in eleven categories including geography, society, transport, history, traveler information, and the legal system
• AsiaSource  The Asia Society provides timely and reliable information on the cultural, economic, social, historical, and political dimensions of Asia.