Background on Africa

African Countries

Background Notes, U.S. Department of State

Facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations.

Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Publications

Guide explains accessing EIU publications (country reports, country profiles, etc.) through library subscription databases.

Foreign Government Resources on the Web, University of Michigan

Provides links to foreign government web sites and related foreign information. Includes links for international agencies, international simulations, and political science web pages.

Map Collection, University of Chicago Library

One of the largest university map libraries in North America. Has particularly strong collection of late 19th-/early 20th-century scholarly maps of Africa. Web site provides general information and links to internet sites with cartographic information, such as Northwestern University Library's 16th-20th Century Maps of Africa and the David Rumsey collection, which includes Historic Maps of Africa.

Maps for learning about Africa

Blank outline maps of African countries are available in the Africa section of About.com: Geography, and Shepard Software's All About Africa provides access to games with interactive maps.

New Encyclopedia of Africa U of C Library subscription

A Political Chronology of Africa U of C Library subscription

The Statesman's Yearbook Online U of C Library subscription

The World Factbook

Biographical Sources

World Biographical Information System (WBIS Online) U of C Library subscription