General Purpose
Basic overviews covering a range of topics -- politics, demography, economics, government, etc.
- BBC Country Profiles The British Broadcast Corporation prepares these overviews, designed to "provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries," including facts, leaders, and the media.
- CIA World Factbook"Information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities." (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency)
Focus on Politics and Government
Mostly political and government information, but other subject areas may be included.
- Political Risk -- Country ReportsHighly-regarded annually-published reports which review and forecast political and economic risks for countries of the world. (Provided here through the Business Source Complete database.)
Enter the name of the country in which you are interested in an empty search box near the top of the page. - Human Development IndicatorsFive annual measures of health, economic conditions, gender, and other aspects of "human development" for each country, compiled annually by the United Nations. Note data on gender development and gender inequality.
- Learn About Your DestinationCountry-specific information, travel alerts, and travel warnings. (U.S. Department of State)
- Nations in Transit"Comprehensive, comparative, and multidimensional study of reform in the former Communist states of Europe and Eurasia."
- Political Handbook of the WorldMost recent edition of this annually-published country-by-country guide to government and politics around the world, covering recent history, current issues, political parties and institutions, and more. Also provides information on about 50 international governmental organizations.
- Strategic SurveyAnnual overview of strategic developments throughout the world. This has long been the essential one-volume analytical encapsulation of the year's key events in international relations for government policy-makers, journalists, business leaders and other leading think-tanks. (International Institute for Strategic Studies)
Focus on Economics and Business
Mostly economic and business, but other subject areas may be included.
- Statista -- Country Outlook"Current key figures and forecasts on the economic and social development of a country," drawn from the Statista database.
- Country Commercial GuidesReports on foreign countries' commercial environments. (U.S. Department of Commerce)
- Country Information -- EnergyInfo "by country, region, and commercial group (OECD, OPEC) for 219 countries including total and crude oil production, oil consumption, natural gas production and consumption, coal production and consumption, electricity generation and consumption, primary energy, energy intensity, CO2 emissions and imports and exports for all fuels." (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
- OECD Economic Surveys This link opens in a new windowIn-depth reviews of nearly 50 major countries' economies.