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Countries & Cultures
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Reference Desk (413) 774-1509 |
Selected Reference Sources
Use reference sources to choose a topic, understand terminology, locate background information, and identify good search terms.
- The Statesman's Yearbook, R320.05 S797
- Countries and Their Cultures, R306.03 C855
- Encyclopedia of World Geography R 910.3 E56
- World Geography R 910.3 W927
- Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia R 910.3 G342
- Large sets and individual volumes on the history of specific countries, including modern history, are located in the 900's
- Europe--940's
- Asia--950's
- Africa--960's
- North America--970's
- South America--980's
- and other areas--990's
Finding Books (and more) in the Online Catalog
- Search the catalog by subject for the country of interest and browse the alphabetical subheadings under the subject for more specific information about the country.
- Common subheadings such as Economic Conditions, History, Politics and Government, Social Life and Customs are used after the names of countries: France--Social Life and Customs
- Subheadings are also often subdivided by dates or century: Germany--History--20th Century
- View the call number for the book, or its location in the library, by looking at the record for the book.
- For complex searches with more than one concept, create a keyword search using Boolean logic: afghanistan and war.
Finding Articles in Research Databases
(go to DA Orgs/Library for off-campus access)
- CountryWatch (full text)
Provides information on each of the 192 recognized countries of the world including:
CountryReviews--demographic, political, economic, business, cultural and environmental information;
CountryWire--daily news coverage and a news archive;
CountryWatch Forecast--a five-year macroeconomic forecast;
CountryWatch Energy Forecast--a 20-year forecast of energy demand, supply, and pricing;
Also features CountryWatch Data (statistics), the CountryWatch Map Gallery, CountryWatch@School (curriculum based resources), and the weekly Global News Update. - World Conflicts Today (full text)
Explores unresolved world conflicts, occurring in: Afghanistan, Basque country (Spain and France), Chechnya, Colombia, Darfur (Sudan), Iraq, Jammu and Kashmir, Korean Peninsula, Northern Ireland, and Palestinian Territories--synthesizes information found in news articles, primary sources, books, and opinion pieces - Encyclopaedia Britannica Online (full text)
Includes country information from the complete encyclopedia and the Britannica Student Encyclopedia, plus the Britannica Book of the Year--also includes 300,000 links to websites selected by the editors - CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online)(full text)(1991-present)
A comprehensive source for theory and research in international affairs--includes "working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, proceedings from conferences, books, journals and policy briefs"--also includes teaching materials and course packs of background readings for history and political science classes - General Databases such as Academic Search Premier and General OneFile will include current articles about countries and their cultures--search by subject and browse the subheadings under the subject for specific information or use a keyword search--for older articles, try JSTOR or the Readers Guide
- See Current Issues databases for major issues of the day relating to countries such as terrorism, Iraq War, etc.--CQ Researcher Plus Archive database goes back to 1923
- History Databases such as History Reference Center or History Study Center include information about the countries of the world plus primary documents
- Lexis-Nexis provides current news about countries--under General News, browse the source list for the titles of foreign newspapers indexed by this database--or try:
- Newspaper Source--full text for major national and international newspapers
- Use a news directory on the Internet to search other foreign newspapers online: ABYZ News Links, Online Newspapers from Around the World, or World Newspaper.com
Selected Internet Resources
(Websites should always be evaluated for authorship, accuracy, and currency)
- Background Notes (U.S. Dept. of State)
- Country Profiles (United Nations)
- BBC News: Country Profiles
- Portals to the World (sites selected by the Library of Congress)
- World Fact Book (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency)
- Nations of the World (Law Library of Congress)
- Country Resources (Development Gateway Foundation)
- INCORE (International Conflict Research) Internet Country Guides
- WWW-Virtual Library International Affairs Resources
- WWW-VL History Central Catalogue (see links by continent)
- Regions of the World (Librarians' Index to the Internet)
- NationMaster (compare nations)
- GESource World Guide: Country Guides (high quality resources on geography and the environment)
- Country Studies (Library of Congress)
NOTE: The information contained in these studies is dated, but according to the Library of Congress, "they continue to offer valuable historical information and perspective on the world of today"--they provide "background analysis on a country's history, geography, society, economy, political system, foreign policy, and national security"
Europe
- Europa: Gateway to the European Union
"Up-to-date coverage of European Union affairs and essential information on European integration"--includes activities by subject, documents, statistics, opinion polls, etc. - Euronews (in 7 languages)
- European Countries (from Europa)
- European Digital Library Treasures (from the European Library)
- Europeana: a European digital library, museum and archive (prototype launches Nov. 2008--will provide direct access to some 2 million digital objects , including film material, photos, paintings, sounds, maps, manuscripts, books, newspapers and archival papers)
- European Integration History Index (from the Historical Archives of the European Union)
"Provides Internet resources on the History of Europe after WWII in all languages" - North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
"An alliance of 26 countries from North America and Europe committed to fulfilling the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty signed on 4 April 1949" - WWW Virtual Library: Russian and East European Studies
Asia
- AsiaSource (from the Asia Society)
- The Middle East (from PBS)
Governments
- Constitution Finder (U. of Richmond)
- Foreign Government Resources on the Web (U. of Michigan)
- Political Database of the Americas (major source of information on elections, political parties, and constitutions)(available in English, Spanish, and French)
- Websites of U.S. Embassies, Consulates, and Diplomatic Missions
Statistics
- Statistical Sites on the Web (from the Bureau of Labor Statistics)(includes international statistical agencies)
- OFFSTATS (Official Statistics on the Web)
- Global Statistics (United Nations)
- UNDate: the World of Information (United Nations)
- GeoHive: Global Statistics (data on population, historical growth, projections, life expectancy, fertility, gender, urban/rural distribution)
- The World Bank (includes statistical information by country)
- Population Reference Bureau: Country Data (population, health, environment)
- International Database (U.S. Census Bureau)(demographic and socioeconomic data for countries of the world)
- National Statistics (official United Kingdom statistics)
- International Statistical Agencies
Links to the official statistical agencies of countries around the world - InfoNation
Provided by the United Nations and includes recent statistics for its member nations
Need help with citing sources?
MLA Citation Style Guide
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