Country Information : General Background

• Country Studies -- book length works covering the history, politics, geography, and economy of individual countries. To locate the these resources in print, search the CAT under Area Handbook Series . Some are available on the Web at the Library of Congress
• Europa World Year Book -- contains brief background discussion of countries and international organizations, including history, government, poltics, etc. Also provides brief statistical information.
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• Country Background Notes -- short (4-5 page) overviews of the government and politics of various countries. Prepared for Department of State personnel in dimplomatic missions.
• Political Risk Yearbook . -- Country Reports on 106 countries-each giving political and economic risk analysis. Each Country Report focuses specifically on political and business information: finding developing markets, determining currency movements, preparing for capital investments, or making judgments about corporate security.
• Political Handbook of the World -- Annual survey of government, regional issues, and international organizations. Good source for background information on countries and organizations and for an overview of the year's political events. Includes some statistics.
• Export.gov -- Includes market research reports and other trade information for the United States.
• World Factbook -- Quick facts and figures for each country.

Trade Barriers

• National Trade Estimates of Foreign Trade Barriers - The U.S. Trade Representative completes an annual report on trade barriers. Not every country is covered, and countries covered vary from year to year. Try this site for several years to see if your country is covered.
• U.S. Commercial Service. Market Research Library - access to the U.S. Commercial Service Market Research Library containing more than 100,000 industry and country-specific market reports, web sites, events, and trade directory listings.
• U.S. Trade Information Center - Lots of useful info by country and region with links to other sites that can help