U.S. Federal Information on Foreign Countries: General Sources

Full profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics, and economic background of countries and territories, and background on key institutions. They also include audio and video clips from BBC archives.

The directory is intended to be used primarily as a reference aid and includes as many governments of the world as is considered practical, some of them not officially recognized by the United States.

The CIA World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 world entities. Our Reference tab includes: maps of the major world regions, as well as Flags of the World, a Physical Map of the World, a Political Map of the World, and a Standard Time Zones of the World map. Archived issues are available back to 1990

Alphabetical listing of countries and links to their constitutions.

CFR is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource to help better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.

Select Countries and Areas from the menu at the top of the page.

Gateway to information on the European Union.

Information on natural resources, economic situation, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and global issues for each country. News articles and relevant publications for country are linked.

The page provides links to the official websites of international governments.

A non-profit organization devoted to bringing the insights of scholarship to bear on the development of policies that advance U.S. national interests. Publications include a quarterly journal, bulletins and books.

International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance’s Voter Turnout Database tracks the number of registered voters, total voter turnout, voting-age population, and associated metrics for elections in more than 200 countries, some going as far back as 1945

Government Gazettes, which are published by federal governments worldwide, are the means through which the government can communicate to officials and the general public. Gazettes are useful as primary sources in research.

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.

Only those countries where a National Parliament exists are included in the alphabetical list.

The World Bank’s official open access repository for its research outputs and knowledge products. The site comprises resources from 2005 to present, including reports, journals and working papers.

This site contains lists of heads of state and heads of government (and, in certain cases, de facto leaders not occupying either of those formal positions) of all countries and territories, going back to about 1700 in most cases.

This yearbook is divided into three parts: world tables, statistical tables for individual countries, and institutional tables for individual countries. Detailed statistical tables are presented on central government revenue, expenditure, leading minus repayments, financing and debt for 120 countries. Covers 1984-2007.

Statistical and historical annual of the states of the world.