International History

This website contains the on-line versions of books previously published in hard copy by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Army. Because the original intent of the Series' sponsor 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. At present, 101 countries and regions are covered. Notable omissions include Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and other Western nations, as well as a number of African nations. The date of information for each country appears on the title page of each country and at the end of each secion of text.

About the Country Studies/Area Handbooks Program

The Country Studies Series 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 and examines the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors.

The books represent the analysis of the authors and should not be construed as an expression of an official United States Government position, policy, or decision. The authors have sought to adhere to accepted standards of scholarly objectivity. Corrections, additions, and suggestions for changes from readers will be welcomed for use in future hard copy editions (E-mail frds@loc.gov).

Information contained in the Country Studies On-Line is not copyrighted and thus is available for free and unrestricted use by researchers. As a courtesy, however, appropriate credit should be given to the series.

Hard copy editions of all books in the series (except the regional study on Macau) can be ordered from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office at the Online Bookstore.

Features Note:
Some countries lack graphic information because graphic files were not available or have not yet been converted for mounting on this site. Where appropriate links to graphics have been added, the names of the countries appear in bold type-face in the list of countries below.

New Country Studies:
Countries may be added without the photographs, maps, and charts. When all appropriate links have been added, the countries will appear in bold type-face.

Note on Timeliness:
Studies included here were published between 1988 and 1998. Information on some countries may no longer be up to date. See the "Research Completed" date at the beginning of each study or the "Data as of" date at the end of each section of text. Older studies, including some on countries that no longer exist in the same form, such as East Germany and the Soviet Union, may be retained because they continue to offer historical information of value to researchers.

Map Viewer Note: Maps and charts are in PDF format. These files require Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0

Browse Table of Contents of Country Studies