Geography, states, governments and politics:

Please bear in mind that linking to these sites is not meant to be an endorsement of their content or that of sites to which they provide further links. It is not possible for us to check every link these pages provide, and it is not our goal to present or ignore any political, religious or other point of view which might exist on the web.

Maps, country information, politics, policy, governments, law, etc.:

Maps:

The University of Chicago Map Collection holds more than 10,000 maps of the Middle East. More than half of these are topographic maps, government-produced maps that show place names, settlement patterns, infrastructure, and physical geography accurately and in great detail--and that bear a believable date. Especially significant are the very substantial holdings of French, British, and Italian "topos" from between the wars, along with German editions of these. There are also scattered pre-World-War-I sheets. Since World War II, most Middle Eastern countries have restricted the distribution of their topographic maps, but the Collection does have most of the publications of the exceptions (Israel and, to a limited extent, Turkey and Syria). It also has very good holdings of American topographic maps of the Middle East from the 1950s and 1960s and Soviet sets for Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Egypt from the 1970s and 1980s. The Collection also holds maps of many other types. There are particularly strong holdings for late 19th-century Algeria and Palestine; there are urban maps for most large cities and many small ones; and there are thematic maps of all kinds, including geology maps. The Collection's greatest strength lies in its late 19th- and 20th-century materials, but there is also a scattering of earlier titles. The sheet-map holdings are supplemented by atlases, reference books, and a modest guidebook collection. There are also facilities for the production of digital maps.
Only about 40% of the Collection's sheet-map holdings are cataloged. Because virtually all the cataloging records have been derived from other libraries' records, few unique titles are noted in the online catalog. To find out what is in the Map Collection, you must visit, telephone, or email. The Map Collection is located in Regenstein 370. Hours are Monday-Friday, 12-5.
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/su/maps

University of Texas Middle East Network Information Center (MENIC): Maps offers links to a wide variety of map sites, with contemporary, historical, technical and other sorts of maps available.
http://menic.utexas.edu/menic/Reference/Maps/

Map Libraries on the World Wide Web linked from The John R. Borchert Map Library at the University of Minnesota.
http://map.lib.umn.edu/map_libraries.phtml and http://map.lib.umn.edu/

Maps of the Middle East
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/middle_east.html

Regional map and maps of individual countries, with links and statistics.
http://www.graphicmaps.com/webimage/countrys/me.htm

Japanese maps Not relevant to the Middle East, but interesting as maps and as a model project. The New York Times (April 10, 2003) wrote: "FOR half a century, a rare and extensive collection of historical Japanese maps spanning hundreds of years have been stored in the East Asian Library at the University of California, revealing their secrets only to those few who had received permission to handle them. Now, through state-of-the-art imaging technology, anyone can view these fragile maps online, at www.davidrumsey.com/japan.
"So far, 210 maps - some dating back almost 400 years - from the 2,300-piece collection are online. The collection, which will be available for viewing in its entirety within two years, includes 252 maps of the city of Edo (now Tokyo), 79 maps of Kyoto and 40 maps of Osaka spanning the years 1600 to 1867. Many are woodblock prints on handmade paper. The collection also includes a map from 1710 depicting the center of the world as the source of four great rivers of India, and a 40-foot scroll map of the roads of Japan in 1687."
http://www.davidrumsey.com/japan

Country information:
(Sites are listed in no particular order.)

The Silk Road and Central Asia On the World Wide Web
http://depts.washington.edu/reecas/outreach/silklink.htm

EurasiaNet (updated daily) "provides information and analysis about political, economic, environmental and social developments in the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as in Russia, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia," as well as "newsmaker interviews, book reviews and a discussion forum. Based in New York, EurasiaNet advocates open and informed discussion of issues that concern countries in the region. The web site presents a variety of perspectives on contemporary developments, utilizing a network of correspondents based both in the West and in the region. The aim of EurasiaNet is to promote informed decision making among policy makers, as well as broadening interest in the region among the general public. EurasiaNet is operated by the Central Eurasia Project of the Open Society Institute."
http://www.eurasianet.org

Google Web Directory -- Regional/Middle East
http://directory.google.com/Top/Regional/Middle_East/

MidEast Web is a Trilingual-Arabic, English and Hebrew-site provides history, culture, and geographical information for all ages.
http://www.mideastweb.org

ArabNet provides cultural information and statistical data for Arab countries.
http://www.arab.net

the CIA World Factbook site contains geographic, demographic, social and political data for all (or most) countries of the world, provided by the U.S. government.
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

The Middle East North Africa Internet Resource Guide, compiled by Joseph Roberts of the University of Utah Department of Political Science, "was created to serve the needs of scholars, students, and interested individuals in finding and using internet resources dealing with the Middle East." It features links arranged by states, academic disciplines, religions, and more.
http://www.cc.utah.edu/~jwr9311/MENA.html

The Journal of Historical Geography
http://www.academicpress.com/jhg
To search all issues’ abstracts and references, and to download articles in PDF format, go to http://www.idealibrary.com/servlet/useragent?func=showAllIssues=17186

Digital Egypt for Universities, University College London, is "an exploration of Egypt from Aswan to the Mediterranean across all periods." Topics include archaeology, communication, art and architecture, cultures, sciences, technology, social history and religion. The site provides guided tours of various periods, with all sorts of information and links incorporated. It has separate pages for absolute beginners and for people with more knowledge.
http://www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk/digital_egypt/Welcome.html

The University of Delaware libraries offer a useful starting point with Middle East: A Research Guide.
http://www2.lib.udel.edu/subj/pols/resguide/mideast.htm

Middle East Week in Review is a weekly summary of major events in the region, sent out by e-mail by The Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation.
http://www.centerpeace.org

The Jerusalem Forum "is an Amman-based non-governmental organization geared to educating, and exposing the human dimension of the Palestinian people and their attachment to their land; past and present. Its Internet site intends to tell the story of the Palestinian people in the hope of helping to build a growing database of documented, credible information for posterity. It will become interactive with the world, pass on the Palestinian message to a worldwide audience-- scholars and general interest readers alike-- and expose them to the existence of Palestinian culture, life, and history."
http://www.jerusalemites.org

The National Library and Archives of Egypt "is a government research and cultural non- profit authority, whose main concern is to render library services throughout Egypt and the Arab The National Library and Archives of Egypt is a government research and cultural non- profit authority, whose main concern is to render library services throughout Egypt and the Arab World." Requires a browser which can properly view Arabic text.
http://www.darelkotob.org/

Afghanistan Online
http://www.afghan-web.com/

The Institute for Palestine Studies "includes access to their publications and to their online catalog. The IPS library is the largest in the Arab world specializing in Palestinian affairs, Judaica, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. It holds over 50,000 volumes in Arabic, English, French, and Hebrew."
http://palestine-studies.org/final/en/index.html

Central Eurasian Studies World Wide is an excellent source of information. It "is not only a website, but an integrated network of information gathering and distributing functions, including list servers such as the Central-Eurasia-L Announcement List for Central Eurasian Studies, and the reference publications such as the Guide to Scholarly Resources for the study of Central Asia."
http://cesww.fas.harvard.edu/index.html
The Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS) "is a private, non-political, non-profit, North America-based organization of scholars who are interested in the study of Central Eurasia, and its history, languages, cultures, and modern states and societies.  We define the Central Eurasian region broadly to include Turkic, Mongolian, Iranian, Caucasian, Tibetan and other peoples.  Geographically, Central Eurasia extends from the Black Sea region, the Crimea, and the Caucasus in the west, through the Middle Volga region, Central Asia and Afghanistan, and on to Siberia, Mongolia and Tibet in the east."
Website features include The Central Asian Studies Review in PDF and HTML formats (available to members and non-members alike), links, and much more.
http://cess.fas.harvard.edu/
http://cess.fas.harvard.edu/CESSpg_links.html#Resources

Official United Nations site
http://www.un.org

Yahoo country sites have thousands of links. See also for political, cultural, language, religion, news, institutions, and more.
http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries
Some specific countries that might be of use:
Afghanistan http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Afghanistan
Algeria http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Algeria
Armenia http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Armenia
Azerbaijan http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Azerbaijan
Bahrain http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Bahrain
Brunei http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Brunei
Cyprus http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Cyprus
Djibouti http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Djibouti
Egypt http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Egypt
Georgia http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Georgia
India http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/India
Indonesia http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Indonesia
Iran http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Iran
Iraq http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Iraq
Israel http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Israel
Jordan http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Jordan
Kazakhstan http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Kazakhstan
Kuwait http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Kyrgyzstan
Lebanon http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Lebanon
Libya http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Libya
Mali http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Mali
Mongolia http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Mongolia
Morocco http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Morocco
Nigeria http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Nigeria
Oman http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Oman
Pakistan http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Pakistan
Qatar http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Qatar
Saudi Arabia http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Saudi_Arabia
Spain http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Spain
Sudan http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Sudan
Syria http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Syria
Tajikistan http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Tajikistan
Tunisia http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Tunisia
Turkey http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Turkey
Turkmenistan http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Turkmenistan
United Arab Emirates http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/United_Arab_Emirates
Uzbekistan http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Uzbekistan
Western Sahara http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Western_Sahara
Yemen http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Yemen

Politics, policy, governments, law, etc.:
(Sites are listed in no particular order.)

Kurdistan Web "offers cultural, historical and political information."
http://kurdweb.humanrights.de or http://www.kurdistanweb.org

Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs, Jerusalem. "PASSIA is an Arab non-profit institution located in Jerusalem/Al-Quds with a financially and legally independent status. It is not affiliated with any government, political party or organization. PASSIA seeks to present the Palestinian Question in its national, Arab and international contexts through academic research, dialogue and publication." Site contents include: Palestine facts and info, Publications, Seminars and conferences, Links, news sources on the web, and more.
http://www.passia.org

The Negotiations Affairs Department "(NAD) is an institution of the PLO that was established in 1994 in Gaza in order to follow up on the implementation of the Interim Agreement signed between Israel and the PLO. Since its establishment, the NAD has been headed by Mr. Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), Secretary of the PLO Executive Committee. The NAD office in Gaza includes various units dealing primarily with Israeli Affairs, Israeli violations of signed agreements, Israeli settlement activities, and refugees.
http://www.nad-plo.org/

U.S. Middle East Policy Database is a collection of articles annually reviewing U.S. Middle East policy.
http://meria.biu.ac.il/

The Archive Site for the US State Department, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs contains only information from before January 20, 2001, and is not updated. The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs deals with U.S. foreign policy and U.S. diplomatic relations with the countries in the Near East and North Africa regions.
The current site is at http://www.state.gov/index.cfm/. For Middle East content, click on "Countries and regions." There is also a useful list of 191 independant countries in the world, and a list of many independent or autonomous regions.
http://usinfo.state.gov/ has US policy information, briefings, press materials, and more.
http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/nea.htm has the latest briefings and statements on the Middle East, including some in Arabic and Persian.

Lobbies:
The American Israel Public affairs Committee (AIPAC) presents an Israeli viewpoint.
http://www.aipac.org
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) presents Palestinian and Iraqi viewpoints.
http://www.adc.org

Barry Rubin’s US Policy Database is an annual report on American policy in the Middle East (available from 1979 to the present). Includes a timeline of changes in American policy and cites sources for more information.
http://www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/meria/us-policy/policy.htm

Council on Foreign Relations provides analysis and news, as well as other resources, and publishes Foreign Affairs magazine.
http://www.cfr.org and http://www.foreignaffairs.org

The Brookings Institution has pages on Foreign Policy, Economics, and Governmental Studies.
http://www.brook.edu

RAND National Security Research and Analysis Program
http://www.rand.org/natsec

The Foreign Policy Institute of The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) "was established in 1980 to unite the worlds of scholarship and public affairs in the search for realistic answers to international issues facing the United States and the world.
http://www.sais-jhu.edu/centers/fpi/index.html

The Henry Stimson Center focuses mainly on weapons of mass destruction and regional security issues.
http://www.stimson.org

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy focuses specifically on US Middle East policy.
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org

Political Studies Association Middle East site with general and country-specific pages, as well as relevant links.
http://www.psa.ac.uk

The Western Policy Center focuses on policy issues involving Greece, Turkey and Cyprus
http://www.westernpolicy.org

LibanVote, a detailed Lebanese election archive including data since the first Lebanese Parliament (1927).
http://libanvote.com/lebanese9296

Law Library of Congress - Israel links
http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/israel.html
Law Library of Congress - Egypt links
http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/egypt.html

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry
http://www.mofa.gov.sa

The Kuwait Information Office, Washington DC, includes Current Issues, Newsroom, FAQs, Factsheets, The Gulf War POWs, Scholars Corner
http://www.kuwait-info.org

Saudi Press Agency (Arabic)
http://www.spa.gov.sa

Israel Insider features news and opinion pieces by right-wing, left-wing, religious and secular authors.
http://www.israelinsider.com

Palestine government and Politics Guide
http://www.arabji.com/Palestine/govt.htm

The Middle East Intelligence Bulletin "(MEIB) is a free monthly publication, sponsored by the United States Committee for a Free Lebanon, dedicated to providing informed analysis of political and strategic developments in Lebanon, Syria & the Middle East."
http://www.meib.org/

Digital National Security Archives, "contains the most comprehensive collection of primary documents available: The database contains more than 35,000 of the most important, declassified documents that led to the policy decisions."
http://nsarchive.chadwyck.com

The United States Committee for a Free Lebanon "is a non-profit, non-sectarian think tank, founded in 1997 by prominent New York based investment banker and financier Ziad K. Abdelnour, along with 56 other Lebanese American activists, to educate the American public as to Lebanon's strategic and moral significance as an ally of the United States and an outpost of Western values in the Middle East."
http://www.freelebanon.org

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives official information about Israel from the Israeli government.
http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il
It is more accessible than The State of Israel site, which is completely in Hebrew.
http://www.knesset.gov.il/israel.htm

MERIA's March 7, 2000 newsletter has a "Guide to Researching Iran and its recent elections," which compiles a number of links, both political and non-political in nature.
http://www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/meria/news/2000/00news7.html

Nashrat al-Hijra al-Qasriyya "is an Arabic language website for information exchange and debate on issues facing refugees and the internally displaced. The magazine, published by the Refugee Studies Centre in Oxford, is available online. All previous issues can be accessed, as well as the current one."
http://www.hijra.org.uk

Harvard's Contemporary Islamic Legal Thought: Law, State, and World Order is a site "dedicated to the study and discussion of contemporary Islamic legal thought. Although it is associated with a course being taught at Harvard Law School during Spring 2002, the site is intended for everyone interested in a scholarly discussion of the topic. It is jointly sponsored by the Islamic Legal Studies Program and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society." The resources page has links to glossaries of Islamic legal terminology and commonly encountered Arabic words, hadith and Qur'an sites, sites relating to specific thinkers, and more.
http://eon.law.harvard.edu/islamic/

The Iran NGO Initiative, a collaborative project bringin to gether non-governmental organizations in Iran.
http://www.iranngos.org