Selected Resources for: Countries of the World
| Subject Librarian: Kirsten Clark E-Mail: clark881@umn.edu Subject Description:This subject covers: sources that provide information about all countries in the world. Specialized sources on individual countries are not listed here. |
Abstracts and Indexes
Academic or Scholarly Articles Subject IndexesHistorical Abstracts   Covers the world's scholarship in history from 1450 to the present. [more information] [  Add To myLibrary!] |
| PAIS International Use this index for broad coverage of social science issues worldwide. Includes articles, books, conference proceedings, government documents, and book chapters. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| Sociological Abstracts Updated bimonthly, this core database for the field of sociology contins information on sociology and social policy worldwide. All citations and abstracts are in English. The database officially covers 1963 to the present, but includes many citations from the 1950s as well as key Web sites linked by topic. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| Worldwide Political Science Abstracts CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts is building on the merged backfiles of Political Science Abstracts, published by IFI / Plenum, 1975-2000, and ABC POL SCI, published by ABC-CLIO, 1984-2000. The database provides citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration & public policy. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
General Indexes to Magazine, Journal & Newspaper Articles
| Academic Search Premier This resource is licensed by the MINITEX Library Information Network with state appropriations from the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office (MHESO) and the Minnesota Department of Education. The world's largest academic multi-disciplinary database, Academic Search Premier provides full text for nearly 4,600 scholarly publications, including full text for more than 3,600 peer-reviewed journals. Coverage spans virtually every area of academic study and offers information dating as far back as 1975. This database is updated on a daily basis via EBSCOhost. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| LexisNexis Academic (ON CAMPUS USE ONLY) LexisNexis Academic is a collection of online databases: News, Business (plus corporate news and corporate financials), Legal, Medical, and Reference. International news sources are included. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| MasterFile Premier This resource is licensed by the MINITEX Library Information Network with state appropriations from the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office (MHESO) and the Minnesota Department of Education. MasterFILE Premier, designed specifically for public libraries, provides full text for more than 2,000 general periodicals covering a broad range of disciplines including general reference, business, education, health, general science, multi-cultural issues and much more. In addition to the full text, this database provides indexing and abstracts for 2700 titles. This database features: 5,000 full text Magill Book Reviews, 357 reference and travel books including the World Almanac & Book of Facts 2001; full text from 84,074 biographies, 86,132 full text primary source documents, American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Edition and an Image Collection of 107,135 photos, maps and flags. MasterFILE Premier offers PDF backfiles as far back as 1975. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| World News Connection Full-text summaries of foreign newspaper articles, conference proceedings, radio and television broadcasts, periodicals, and non-classified technical reports. Formerly published as FBIS and JPRS Reports. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
Indexes, Other
| Polling the Nations The online version of the American Public Opinion Index, this database is a compilation of more than 14,000 surveys conducted by more than 700 polling organizations in the United States and more than 80 other countries. Each of the nearly 350,000 records reports a question asked and the responses given. Also included in each record is the polling organization responsible for the work, the date the information was released, the sample size, and universe. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
Catalogs and Bibliographies
Catalogs| MNCAT Classic When searching in MNCAT, first choose "Advanced Search". Then use the country name that you are interested in as a subject. Some useful subheadings include: Bibliography, Biography, Civilization, Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Foreign Relations, History, Languages, Maps, Politics and Government, Social Conditions, and Statistics. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
National Bibliographies
| <b>National Library Catalogues Worldwide</b> from the University of Queensland. "Handy Hint: If the link to the catalogue does not work, click on the name of the library to be connected to its webpage.Look for a link to connect to the catalogue from there." [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
General Reference Sources
Atlases & Maps| National Geographic Map Machine This is an interactive mapping program hosted by National Geographic. It incorporates elements of print atlases, plus many other features. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| World Bank Atlas The Atlas provides readers with a quick view of the state of life on our planet, measured by a range of key development indicators and illustrated by colorful and informative maps. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
Country Studies
| Background Notes 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. Paper copies of earlier editions are available in the Government Publications Library in Wilson. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| Country at a Glance This interactive database from the United Nations provides the flag, latitude & longitude, total area, total population, population density, capital city, languages, largest city (and its population),currency, UN membership date, GDP, GDP per capita, and contact info for the Mission in New York and Geneva for a single country at a time. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| Country Commerce from the Economist Intelligence Unit Reference guides from the Economist Intellegence Unit to the operating conditions, commercial laws and business regulations in 55 countries. Guidance on obtaining proper permits and registrations, protecting your intellectual property and complying with local tax laws-including e-commerce rules. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| Country Commercial Guides Country Commercial Guides (CCG's) are prepared annually by U.S. embassies with the assistance of several U.S. government agencies. These reports present a comprehensive look at countries' commercial environments, using economic, political and market analysis. Current editions are searchable from the link above along with a variety of other titles, including: Industry Sector Analyses, Marketing Insights, Multilateral Development Bank Reports, Best Markets, and other Industry/Regional Reports. Prior years through 2001 are located at State Department Web Site Archive. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| CountryWatch An up-to-date source of information on 191 countries. Provides basic data such as population profile, currency, map, and current time, as well as short profiles in the following areas: people, history, economy, agriculture, energy, metals, and environment. Also provides current news wire stories about the country. The Country Review, in-depth reports on each country and News Archive/Search Engine is available only through subscription. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| Library of Congress Country Studies 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. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| World Bank Country Data This web page brings together several different types of country profiles produced by the World Bank. They include: data profiles from the World Development Indicators database, information and communications technologies, Country-at-a-Glance tables, Edstats, GenderStats, HNP (health, nutrition and population) stats and African statistics. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| World Factbook Published annually, this brief guide profiles the economy, government, land, demographics, communications, and national defense establishments of 191 nations and other political entities. Prior years may be accessed via the guide World Factbook. Tables of data items in each country's profile can be viewed from the Notes and Definitions link. Click on the term being defined and a table for all countries will appear. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
Directories
| Foreign Governments Listing of official government web sites for all nations excluding the United States. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| Governments on the WWW This database contains links to governmental institutions, which provide information on the World Wide Web, including: - legislative, executive, judicial branches - governmental representations in foreign countries - political parties and party alliances (on national, regional and municipal level) - parliamentary groups, youth organizations etc. of political parties (only on national level) [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
Encyclopedias
| Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations Broad country by country coverage with bibliographies. Volume one includes country comparison tables and information from the U.N., etc. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
Rankings
| Illustrated Book of World Rankings Contains rankings for over 230 variables. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| Pocket World in Figures This book is published annually by the Economist magazine. It contains rankings and profiles of countries. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
Yearbooks
| Europa World Year Book Provides detailed information on countries of the world including statistical surveys, information on government, finance, religion, press, publishers, radio and television, etc. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| International Yearbook and Statesmen's Who's Who Part one profiles the structure and functions of the world's major international and national organizations, part two; overview of the political, economic and social issues of the world's countries, part three; careers and achievements of 8,000 leading world figures. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| Statesman's Year-Book Very useful and reliable yearbook providing concise, descriptive and statistical information on countries of the world. Includes selected bibliographies for further research. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| Statistical Yearbook (United Nations) Provides tables of data on: world and regional population, production in agriculture, hunting, fishing, forestry, mining, and manufacturing and foreign trade (summaries and specific products and their price index). Also includes detailed data by country such as: number of teachers and schools, AIDS cases, food supply in calories per capita, mass media infiltration and access (book production, newspaper circulation, television and radio penetration), transportation and communications (railway and airline traffic, telephones and motor vehicles in use, shipping), energy production and consumption by sector, natural resources and pollution indicators, intellectual property (research, workforce andexpenditures, patent, industrial design and trademark applications), and international tourism. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
Internet Resources
Web Sites| Countries of the World 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. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
Societies, Agencies, and Organizations
Official Agency & Organization Websites| U.S. Department of State - Countries and Regions Home of the State Department's country-specific information on the web, this page links to lists of many kinds, such as country names and diplomatic lists, as well as Department authored reports. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
Statistics and Data
Statistical Resources| CIS National Statistical Compendiums Microfiche collection of publications of national governments (or closest equivalent) that contain yearly summary data for the country as a whole. For contents and countries covered, see the guide CIS National Statistical Compendiums. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| InfoNation: United Nations Statistical Data Allows you to view and compare the most up-to-date statistical data for up to 5 member states of the United Nations. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| International Data Base (IDB) - Census Bureau The International Data Base (IDB) is a source of demographic and socio-economic statistics for 227 countries and areas of the world. The IDB combines data from individual countries with U.S. Census Bureau estimates and projections to provide information from 1950 to 2050. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| LexisNexis Statistical Index to statistical publications from U.S. and state government agencies, international intergovernmental organizations, professional and trade organizations, business organizations, commercial publishers, independent research organizations, and universities. Comprised of three indexes--the American Statistics Index (ASI)--Index to International Statistics (IIS)-- and Statistical Resources Index (SRI) that give summaries to the companion microfiche collections with links to selected full-text tables and web sites when available. The Government Publications Library has microfiche copies of almost all the publications indexed in this database. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| UNdata This database provides international statistics on all major social and economic subjects. It replaces the older database "UN Common Database" which will be discontinued in mid-2008. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| United Nations Social Indicators The statistical tables on this web site cover general population, youth and elderly populations, human settlements, water supply and sanitation, housing, health, child-bearing, education, literacy, income and economic activity, and unemployment for as many countries as possible in the most current year possible. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| WDI Online WDI (World Development Indicators) Online contains statistics for over 550 indicators from 1960 for over 200 countries and 18 country groups. Subjects include: social welfare, economies, natural resources, and the environment. Data may not be available for all years for all countries. A user guide can be found at http://courses.lib.umn.edu/page.phtml?page_id=1802. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| World Development Report Includes world development indicators which give selected social and economic statistics on 124 countries. Selected indicators can be viewed on the World Bank web site: http://www.worldbank.org/wdr/. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
Style Manuals and Writing Guides
Bibliography Software| RefWorks: Personal Citation Manager RefWorks is a web-based citation manager that allows you to create your own databases of citations by importing references from MNCAT and other databases, and then in seconds automatically generate bibliographies in all major styles (MLA, APA, Turabian, Chicago, etc.). [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
Writing Guides
| Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation This popular book is an indispensable and entertaining guide for writers, proofreaders, editors, managers, clerical staff, teachers, and students. Use this site to find the answers to your questions concerning proper English grammar and punctuation. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| Citing Government Information Sources This guide shows users how use a standard citation format, MLA, to cite government information. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources Covers citation forms for federal, state, regional, and local documents as well as those of some international bodies. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
University of Minnesota
Related U of M Web Sites| Government Publications Library Web Site The Government Publications Library is a depository for publications from the governments of the United States, Minnesota and Canada. It's also a depository library for the international intergovernmental organizations the United Nations and the European Union. Therefore, the majority, although certainly not all, of the resources included on our site relate to those governments and organizations. The types of resources we link to include online government publications, directories, specialized licensed databases and guides to using government publications. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
| International and Area Studies Resources in the University of Minnesota Libraries, and links to other web sites. [more information] [ Add To myLibrary!] |
Library Information
Primary Subject LocationWilson Library houses the main humanities and social sciences collections of the University Libraries. Wilson Reference Services (General & Specialized) provide support for both undergraduate and graduate research for the humanities and social sciences.
Campus: West Bank, Minneapolis Campus
Address: 309 19th Ave. S.
Telephone: Reference: 612-626-2227; Circulation: 612-624-3321
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Secondary Subject Location(s)
Regional Federal Depository Library for U.S. government publications; depository for Minnesota, Canada,
United Nations, and the European Union. Other official
foreign and intergovernmental publications. See also: St. Paul Campus Libraries and the Law Libr
Campus: West Bank, Minneapolis Campus
Address: Basement Level, Wilson Library
Telephone: 612-624-5073
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Reference URL: http://infopoint.lib.umn.edu/
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Hours URL:
Main repository for cartographic materials, including thousands of maps, atlases, and aerial
photographs. The Automated Cartographic Information Center provides
access to digital spatial data, allowing library patrons to create and print their own maps.
Campus: West Bank, Minneapolis Campus
Address: S-76 Wilson Library
Telephone: Reference: (612) 624-4549; Automated Cartographic Info. Center: (612) 625-9024
Main URL: http://map.lib.umn.edu/
Reference URL: http://infopoint.lib.umn.edu/
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