To familiarize yourself with the basic facts of a country and its culture, encyclopedias can be a great place to start. Encyclopedia entries provide succinct and factual information which will help you continue your research with more knowledge.
Credo is the Library's database of approximately 100 digitized encyclopedias. Titles include Britannica Concise Encyclopedia, Chambers Dictionary of World History, Encyclopedia of African History, Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture, and the Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology.
To begin your search, simply type the name of the country into the Basic Search bar and choose an entry to read.
Know that you can switch the drop down menu from Basic Search to Image Search to look for related images.
Credo reference has a tool called Mind Map, which will produce a visual presentation of keywords related to your topic. This can be very helpful when you are not familiar with your topic and need a handful of additional keywords to continue in your research:
All entries and images in Credo include a citation at the bottom of the page. Don't forget to cite your sources!
The NYSID Librarians have compiled a list of websites you can access for verifiable country data. In general, government or non-profit websites which end in either .gov (government) or .org (non-profit organization) will tend to have more authoritative information, as opposed to the .com (commerce) sites on which you can buy products. This is not always the case, so you will have to use your judgment when assessing the veracity of the information you find on any website, but to get you started, here are a few sites:
Country Data from the World Bank
The World Bank an intergovernmental organization which focuses on the financial health and assessment of countries across the globe. It has collected and analyzed a variety of statistical information on each country. Access the site, choose your country, and then look to the left-hand side for the Country Profile.
https://data.worldbank.org/country
The World Factbook from the CIA
From the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook features comprehensive and succinct profiles on each country in the world, including information on population, history, society, and geography. Choose your country in the drop-down menu to the right.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
UNData Country Profiles
The United Nations has compiled country profiles for countries across the globe. To choose a country, go directly to the Country Data Services module on the homepage and click on the arrow icon next to the country's name.
http://data.un.org/
