Subject Expert
Background & Overviews of Countries
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Library of Congress Country Studies80 books published in the 1980s-90s. "Present a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of select countries throughout the world. Each book was written by a multidisciplinary team of social scientists, who sought to adhere to accepted standards of scholarly objectivity."
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CIA World FactbookBrief information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for countries around the world.
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BBC News Country ProfilesThe portal to these country profiles is broken, so this one is an example for Mexico. To find other countries, use the search box and type "country profile" [name of country].
Offers a brief overview of the politics, the media, and a timeline of the country.
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Countries of the World and Their Leaders YearbookISBN: 9781569958537Publication Date: 20142014 edition of this compilation of information about a country from the US State Department. Why not just use the State Department's website? Because it isn't as easy to find all of this information in one spot. The current State Department's country profile information is much more bare bones than what you can find here. "A compilation of U.S. Department of State reports on contemporary political and economic conditions, government personnel and policies, political parties, religions, history, education, press, radio and TV, climate, and other characteristics of selected countries of the world." -
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily LifePublication Date: 2009Covers cultural groups in Asia, Europe, the Americas and Africa. Each volume is organized by continent, covering history, politics, customs, religion, education, human rights issues, etc. -
Encyclopedia of Latin American History and CulturePublication Date: 20086-volume set with over 5,700 entries. Provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary view of Latin American history and culture from prehistoric times to the present. Covers cultural issues and includes numerous biographical profiles of important figures in politics, letters and the arts. -
New Encyclopedia of AfricaISBN: 9780684314549Publication Date: 20075 volumes - "Addresses the entire history of African cultures from the pharaohs and the ancient civilizations of the south through the colonial era to the emergence of 53 independent countries, some of them newly emergent in world commerce and others deep in conflict. Covers issues facing the continent such as global development, the AIDS crisis, and international terrorism."
Living in Country X
The internet being what it is, if you do a search living in [country], there are various forums or individual opinion blogs on living in specific countries, from expatexchange.com to reddit communities by country. I would encourage you to use these as one data point among many, and if it is a blog by a particular person, pay attention to who they are and what their qualifications are. I would also examine the website - there are many websites for companies that are clearly trying to sell you something, not an objective source of information.
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Peace Corps Country GuidesOffers practical advice for Peace Corps volunteers, from living conditions to what to pack.
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Country Insights - Global Affairs CanadaOffers a local and a Canadian living in country X observations about working in that country, from public displays of emotion to decision-making in the workplace.
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UK Foreign Travel AdviceGoes into some detail about what dangers a British person on holiday might encounter. For the US, it discusses terrorism, crime, wildfires, and hurricanes. One would be tempted to never leave the house...
Human Rights in Country X
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Amnesty InternationalPortal to Amnesty International reports, and relevant news articles and other reports, arranged by country. Amnesty International is a British nongovernmental organization that was founded in 1961. They research human rights abuses and advocate/lobby governments around the world.
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Freedom HouseUS based nongovernmental organization founded in 1941, funded mainly by the US government. Rates every country on a scale of free, partly free, or not free annually, with an overview of the political rights and civil liberties of each country.
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Human Rights WatchNews and reports, can search by country. Since 1978, Human Rights Watch is a nonprofit whose mission is to investigate and report abuses around the world.
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UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human RightsPortal for all the UN human rights reports for each country.