Guides: Nations of the World: Web Resources

Web Resources

Best of the Web -- Countries
General data on many countries worldwide.
BBC Country Profiles
Carleton University. Country Indicators for Foreign Policy (CIFP)
Provides country rankings, on-line presentations and a mapping component, risk assessments, regional conflict analysis, early warning research, and open-source data, measures of domestic armed conflict, governance and political instability, militarization, religious and ethnic diversity, demographic stress, economic performance, human development, environmental stress, and international linkages. "Our database currently includes statistical data measures for over hundred performance indicators f
Constitutions of the Countries of the World
English translation of constitutions; some are accompanied by text in the original language. Location: Ref. JF 95 .B538
more...less...
Location: Ref. JF 95 .B538
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.
Country Analysis Briefs
(US Energy Information Administration) Country reports provide a general country profile and more specific information and data on energy production and use, with an emphasis on oil, natural gas and electricity.
Country Statistical Agencies
This UN site offers links to the the government statistical agencies for individual countries. Such sites may include the latest statistics on economic indicators and categories relevant to a particular country. Not every country has a government Web site. Lauinger Library also has statistical handbooks for selected countries. The most current ones are in Reference, with older volumes on the 4th Floor, call number ranges from HA1171 to HA4631.
Ethnologue: Languages of the World
Lists languages geographically, by continent and country, with statistics of speakers.
GeoHive
GeoHive provides demographic and economic statistics for all countries, at both the national and subnational levels. The site is divided into four main parts. One dealing with the whole world and its regions, a second with the major regions, a third with all major countries separately and a fourth with rankings (the most, largest, longest, wealthiest, etc.).
Global Distribution of Poverty
Subnational, spatially explicit, poverty data sets. These are available for selected proxy measures of poverty, at global and national scales.
Information Please Almanac - Flags From Around the World
Convenient reference showing images of national flags.
International Crisis Group
"The ICG is a private, multinational organisation committed to strengthening the capacity of the international community to understand and respond to impending crises. ICG's approach is grounded in field research ... and advocacy." Includes a Conflict Histories database, a Map database, and a monthly CrisisWatch newsletter.
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.
International Monetary Fund Country Information
IMF operations — which involve surveillance, financial assistance, and technical assistance — have developed to meet the changing needs of its 184 member countries in an evolving world economy.
International Monetary Fund Publications
Fulltext of official IMF publications, documenting and supporting the activities of the IMF in promoting international monetary cooperation, exchange stability and orderly exchange arrangements, forsting economic growth and high levels of employment, and providing temporary financial assistance to countries to help ease balance of payments adjustment.
International Social Survey Program (ISSP)
The ISSP is a continuing annual program of cross-national collaboration on surveys covering topics important for social science research.
Nations
Governments of nations. Library of Congress.
Nations Online
Nations Online is a destination guide with many aspects of the nations and cultures of the world: geography, economy, science, people, culture, environment, travel, etc.
One World: Nations Online
(Nations Online Project) Portal of gateways to the countries, cultures and nations of the world.

Population Reference Bureau This link opens in a new window
Maintained by the Population Reference Bureau. You can search by topic or through its clickable world map. Topics include Demographic Statistics, Economics, Education, Environment, Gender, Policy and Reproductive Health.

Portal to Asian Internet Resources
Searchable catalog of more than 6000 annotated internet sources. You can search both by keyword, region or subject.
WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources
This section of the WWW Virtual Library system is a frequently updated Internet directory of over 2000 annotated links to high-quality English-language sources of information and analysis in a wide range of international affairs, international relations, international studies, global studies, and global education topics.
Woman Stats Project
"The WomanStats Project is the most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of women in the world. The Project facilitates understanding the linkage between the situation of women and the security of nation-states. We comb the extant literature and conduct expert interviews to find qualitative and quantitative information on over 260 indicators of women's status in 174 countries."

World Bank Data Catalog This link opens in a new window
The World Bank's Open Data initiative is intended to provide all users with access to World Bank data. These resources include databases, pre-formatted tables and reports.
The data catalog is a listing of available World Bank data sources. This listing will continue to be updated as additional data resources are added.
Each of the listings includes a description of the data source and a direct link to that source. Where possible, the databases are linked directly to a selection screen to allow users to select the countries, indicators, and years they would like to search. Those search results can be exported in different formats. Users can also choose to download the entire database directly from the catalog.
World Digital Library This link opens in a new window
UNESCO's World Digital Library (WDL) makes available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from countries and cultures around the world.
The principal objectives of the WDL are to:
1. Promote international and intercultural understanding;
2. Expand the volume and variety of cultural content on the Internet;
3. Provide resources for educators, scholars, and general audiences;
4. Build capacity in partner institutions to narrow the digital divide within and between countries.

World Factbook
This annual publication of the Central Intelligence Agency provides profiles of countries throughout the world. Each country profile begins with a brief historical background and includes information about geography, population, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues. -- CIA.
World Flag Database