Countries: A PCL Pathfinder

Whether your research takes you to a city in your own country or one around the world, the resources listed below will help you identify geographic names, statistical data, business and cultural information, and basic facts like major religions, population, country songs, and symbols. The materials below will help beginning researchers as well as those looking for more comprehensive coverage. The terms and phrases listed in the subject headings below can be used to search for more materials in the library's catalog and research databases. If you need further assistance, please ask a librarian.

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The Columbia Gazetteer of North America
http://www.bartleby.com/69/
With 50,000 entries, this most comprehensive encyclopedia of geographical places and features will prove invaluable to anyone for whom places hold fascination and who require accurate data about them. It covers every incorporated place and county in the United States, along with several thousand unincorporated places, special-purpose sites, and physical features, as well as Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

U.S. Gazetteer
http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/gazetteer
Searchable database, by name or state abbreviation, or 5-digit zip code. Contains geographic information, maps and census data.

USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)
http://geonames.usgs.gov/
A gazetteer and more! Retrieves detailed information (if available) about a specific place or point of interest (even libraries and parks) in the U.S., territories, and Antarctica. Includes: Elevation, Population, Description, History Notes, Variant Names, and USGS 7.5' Map Names. Can query by Feature Name, County, State, or Feature Type. And, you can bring up maps from the U.S. Census Bureau's Tiger Mapping Service. From the U.S. Geological Survey.

Background Notes. Washington, DC : U.S. Department of State. REF 910 BAC
www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/
Factual publications that contain information on all countries throughout the world with which the United States has relations including facts on the country's land, people, history, government, political conditions, and economy.

World Leaders . Washington , DC : National Foreign Assessment Center . Monthly. ISSN: 01622951.
www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/index.html
Includes governments of the world, some of them not officially recognized by the United States or with which the United States has no diplomatic exchanges.

Country Studies. Washington, DC : Federal Research Division, Library of Congress.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
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. Covers 102 countries and regions.

Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets. Washington, DC : U.S. Department of State.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html
Issues travel warnings, location of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate, unusual immigration practices, health conditions, minor political disturbances, unusual currency and entry regulations, crime and security information, and drug penalties.

The World Factbook. Washington , DC : Central Intelligence Agency, 1981– . Annual. ISSN: 02771527.
www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
Covers the following categories: geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.

UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund)
www.unicef.org
Provides health care, clean water, improved nutrition, and education to children in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East .

The United Nations
www.un.org
Established in 1945 to preserve peace through international cooperation and collective security. Composed of six main organs: General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice.

Lands and peoples.-- Danbury, Conn : Grolier, 1972, 2001.
vol. 1 : ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm. J REF 910 LAN 2001

Maps on file.-- Began in 1981.-- New York, N.Y : Facts on File, c1981-
v. (loose-leaf) : ill ; 30cm. REF 910 MAP

Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary, 3rd ed. Springfield , MA : Merriam-Webster, 1997. ISBN: 0877795460.
Contains key data about the countries, cities, and natural features of today's world. More than 48,000 entries and 252 maps provide population, size, economic data, historical notes, and more.

The National Geographic desk reference.-- Washington, D.C : National Geographic Society, 1999.

The world almanac and book of facts 2002.-- New York, NY : World Almanac Books : Distributed to the book trade by St. Martin's Press, c2002.
1008 p. : col. ill ; 21 cm.
Includes indexes.
Summary: Offers comprehensive facts, figures, and explanations of the events, people, and places in the news, with original articles on recent issues and topics.

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MapMachine, National Geographic http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/index.html
Browse and search the world by name of. Includes a variety of maps.

Peace Corps
www.peacecorps.gov/
Learn about life in other countries.

The United States Commercial Service
http://www.ita.doc.gov/cs/
Provides market research for many countries including trade shows, exporting information, and commercial business guides.

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