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Country Background
Sources recommended include cultural, economic, historical, political, and statistical background.
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CIA World FactbookBrief history of each country along with geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.
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U.S. Department of State Fact SheetsFact Sheets on U.S. relations with other countries.
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Country Studies/Area HandbooksAs the original intent 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.
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International Monetary Fund Country InformationPortal includes IMF reports and publications arranged by country.
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International Programs at the U.S. CensusDemographic and socioeconomic statistics compiled by the Census Bureau's International Programs Center (IPC) for 227 countries and areas with current populations of 5,000 or more going back to 1950.
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International Statistics AgenciesCountry list includes links and any language restrictions.
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OECDSelect the Countries tab. Portal covers member countries extensively.
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OffStatsLinks to statistics from official sources and non-governmental research organizations by country, region, or subject. Some are only in the national language, but most have an English option.
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World Bank Countries & RegionsPortal includes data and research along with project and program information.
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World Trade Organization Documents & ResourcesPortal to official documents, trade statistics, economic research, WTO publications, videos, audio and photos.
Databases for International Business & Country Research
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Business Source Complete This link opens in a new windowUse Business Source Complete to find country reports- under the Publications tab.
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Nexis Uni This link opens in a new windowUse LexisNexis Academic to search for country information. Select search by content type, country information is located under People, Places and Things.
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PrivCo This link opens in a new windowFind business and financial research on non-publicly traded corporations, including international unlisted companies. (Click on the green direct access button on the left-unless you'd like to create an account- and then begin searching in the search box at the top of the screen.)
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Statista This link opens in a new window
Statista is one of the leading statistics companies on the internet. With a team of over 200 statisticians, database experts, analysts, and editors, Statista provides users with an innovative and intuitive tool for researching quantitative data, statistics and related information.
This database includes an AI powered tool. For more information see the Statista Research AI information page.
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Statistical Abstracts of the World This link opens in a new windowUse ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the World to find data not easily found elsewhere on the social, political, and economic conditions of 40 countries. Global and regional statistical compendia issued by international organizations and research firms are included.
Doing Business
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Country Commercial Guides via export.govMarket conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business customs for over 125 countries prepared by trade and industry experts at U.S. embassies worldwide.
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globalEdgeLearn more about the history, government, economy, and culture of almost every country in the world. Each country's page also provides external resources, trade statistics, rankings of corporations with headquarters in that country, and indices for a range of factors such as Ease of Doing Business and Global Competitiveness.
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Doing Business: Benchmarking Business RegulationsThe Doing Business project provides objective measures of business regulations for local firms in 190 economies and selected cities at the subnational level.