Countries & Cultures

• Background Notes from the U.S. Department of State See also Background Notes archives.
• Country Studies Area Handbooks from the Library of Congress
• Country Watch (subscription database) - maps, overviews, and information on economics, politics, society, environment.
• The Economist/Countries - lists countries including economic and background information. Up to date.
• NationMaster: World Statistics and Country Comparisons - massive central data source and a handy way to graphically compare nations
  Lonely Planet Travel Guides
• 1. Select a region of continent in the first box
  2. Then select a country in the second box
  3. Click GO button.
• Portals to the World - From the Library of Congress, list of links to country information.
• UNESCO Photobank (10,000 digitized images including cultural topics from the United Nations - allows searching by country)

Try searches on specific countries with a search engine such as Google.

NOTE: You may need to narrow your Web search to the country name or culture and aspects of culture (e.g., Italy religion, Cuba arts, etc.)

1. Country name, region, or continent "description"
   Example: Mexico description
2. Country name, region, or continent "customs"
   Example: Cuba customs
3. Country name, region, or continent "culture"
   Example: Asia culture

If you get few results, use a Keywords Anywhere search with the same terms suggested in 1, 2, or 3 above.

To find videos, use a Keywords Anywhere search and add the word "videorecording to any of the above search term combinations.

Example: France culture videorecording

• Area Handbook Series (individual volumes cover different countries)
  U.S. Documents D 101.22:
• Do's and Taboos Around the World
  HF 5387 .D66 (also in REF collection)
• The Do's and Taboos of Hosting International Visitors
  HF 5389 .A98
• Encyclopedia of World Cultures (organized by ethnic groups, not countries)
  REF GN 307 .E53
• The Europa World Yearbook
  REF JN1 .K855
• Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in Sixty Countries
  REF HF5389 .M67 1994
• Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations
  REF G63 .W67 1998

• International newspapers by country at onlinenewspapers.com

To find articles from newspapers and magazines about a specific country, try a search in an online database on or off-campus such as:

• ProQuest
• Academic Search Complete

National Geographic may provide the best magazine-based cultural information on a country. You will need to locate which issue features the country/state you have chosen via the National Geographic Indexes on the 2nd floor index tables. Then locate the magazine issues on the 2nd floor periodical shelves.

If you need additional help, please feel free to contact a librarian during open hours.

Or call us at: 281-618-5707. Our email is nhc.libweb@LoneStar.edu