Country Information

Amnesty International
Homepage of the human rights organization. Includes an index to news stories relating to human rights issues, an on-line edition of the latest annual report, and information about Amnesty campaigns and actions.

Background Notes
Department of State’s Background Notes which include information on US bilateral relations with foreign countries and on their governments, political conditions, and foreign relations.

Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments
Frequently updated list of heads of state and other major governmental figures. Published by the CIA.

CIA World Fact Book
CIA publication describing each country of the world. Includes statistics and information on population, government, economic situation, etc. Revised annually.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
U.S. State department publication reporting human rights practices to the Congress. Based on evidence and data gathered by embassy staff, government officials, military sources, human-right monitors, journalists, and others. Revised annually.

Country Studies-Area Handbooks
Collection of in-depth studies of various countries providing social, political, cultural, geographical and historical background for each country profiled. Published and maintained by the Library of Congress.

Global Gateway
Maintained by the Library of Congress, the site offers a wealth of information on individual countries, see especially the section Portals to the World.

International Data Base
Statistical tables of demographic and socioeconomic data for 227 countries and areas of the world. ‘Summary demographic’ provides basic country statistics. ‘Online Access’ gives numerous search options, and yet more options are available under ‘Online Demographic Aggregation’. Produced by the US Census.

Internet Country Guides — INCORE
Guides for conflict hot spots in Africa, Europe, and Asia. Briefly annotated lists for news, maps, mailing lists, and general resources about each country. Joint intiative of the University of Ulster and the United Nations University.

Nations of the World – Laws and Jurisdictions
A gateway site to the laws and jurisdictions of various nations. Includes full texts of laws, regulations, and court decisions, as well as commentaries by legal experts. From the Library of Congress Law Library Collection.

State Department Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets
List of countries considered risky for U.S. travellers as well as consular information for all countries including immigration practices, currency, health conditions, location of U.S. Embassies or Consulate, etc.

United Nations
Homepage for the United Nations, with background information, news releases, organizational information, etc. See also the United Nations Statistics Division for statistical information on a broad range of topics.

United Nations Scholars’ Workstation
This site is compiled by Yale Law Library and the Social Science Statistical Laboratory and contains an excellent collection of texts, data sets, maps and references.

World Bank
Homepage for the World Bank.

World Trade Organization
Homepage for the World Trade Organization with information on trade agreements, statistical data, news, etc.

Yearbook of Immigration Statistics
Annual data on immigration on the US Department of Homeland Security Web site, including statistics on the country of origin, gender, age, marital status and  occupation of foreign nationals, and categories of admission including permanent residence, temporary residence, asylum and refugee status, and naturalized citizenship.