Also see our Maps page.

Background Notes - U.S. State Department
Background Notes include facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations of independent states, some dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty. Background Notes are updated/revised as they are received from the Department's regional bureaus.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/

Countries of the World
Every country listed here has its a profile on its geography, maps, flag, history, current ruler, area, population, languages spoken, economy, government, and much more. There are also links that take you to encyclopedia entries. From Fact Monster.
http://www.factmonster.com/countries.html

Country at a Glance
Find quick facts about countries.
http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/infonation/e_glance.htm

Country Profiles - Library of Congress
This series of profiles of foreign nations is part of the Country Studies Program, formerly the Army Area Handbook Program. The profiles offer brief, summarized information on a country’s historical background, geography, society, economy, transportation and telecommunications, government and politics, and national security. In addition to being featured in the front matter of published Country Studies, they are now being prepared as stand-alone reference aides for all countries in the series, as well as for a number of additional countries of interest. The profiles offer reasonably current country information independent of the existence of a recently published Country Study and will be updated annually or more frequently as events warrant. Note: The month and year in which each profile was created or most recently updated appear after each country name.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles.html

Country Reports
Choose any country from A to Z to get background information on its geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, national issues, and history.
http://www.countryreports.org/

Country Studies - Library of Congress
The Country Studies Series presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world.

Country Studies are the online versions of books previously published (1988-98) in hard copy by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Army. Because the original intent of the series' sponsor was to focus primarily on lesser-known areas of the world or regions in which U.S. forces might be deployed, the series is not all-inclusive. At present, 101 countries and regions are covered. The date of information for each country appears on the title page of each country and at the end of each section of text.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html#toc

Culture Quest
Choose one of the countries listed on this site for its holidays, games, crafts, folktales, and recipes.
http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/cquest/

Geography FAQ's
Find quick answers to your geography questions--like how fast does the earth spin? What is a topographical map? From About.com.
http://geography.about.com/library/faq/blqzindexgeneral.htm?once=true&

Geography World
Contains links on useful information about continents, countries, cities, maps, flags, and weather. The site also has geography games, puzzles, quizzes, and trivia.
http://geographyworldonline.com/

World Architecture
Contains names, locations, and sizes of notable buildings, towers, bridges, and famous U.S. monuments and structures. Each entry includes a brief history. From Fact Monster.
http://factmonster.com/ipka/A0772711.html

World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Simple format with a LOT of information including all the topics you expect and a little more. Sections cover geography, population statistics, government, economy, communications, transportation, military and transnational issues.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

World Geography
This site focuses on land areas and elevations, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, deserts, and caves, which all include information about their depths and sizes. From Fact Monster.
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0770414.html

World Maps
Choose a map from any part of the world. Includes an index of detailed maps.
http://www.factmonster.com/atlas/

The World Flag Database
Choose the first letter of a country name, then choose a country flag to view.
http://www.flags.ndirect.co.uk/

Last Updated: 06/30/2010