- PSA World Wide Web International Government Sites
Contains links to official Web sites of governments, online constitutions, and international organizations. Contains a clickable map that provides links to government information by region, making the site a potentially useful jumping-off point as long as the site's links are maintained well.
- African Studies at UPENN
Comprehensive directory of information, links, and resources on African studies. Extremely comprehensive and well developed, with annotated links to African resources divided by useful and intricate subject/topic categories. Government links provided as well. One of the major jumping-off points for African studies information.
- H-Africa Homepage
Megadirectory to links and information on African studies. Especially useful because it is primarily geared to academic and research concerns, with links to academic programs, documents, essays, syllabi, and dissertations, among other categories. Useful jumping-off point for African studies.
- ArabNet
Online resource for the Arab world in the Middle East and North Africa; the site maintains 1,610 pages. Country information is accessed by general, culture, history, business, and other categories. Very good resource and jumping-off point for Arab country information.
- Area Studies, Keele University Department of Political Science
Site offers links to country and regional information drawn from a variety of Web sites, plus links to official government sites. Many individual country pages have, in turn, a variety of links, some of which are more developed than others.
- Library of Congress Country Studies Area Handbook Program
Useful resource for selected country information. Each country link provides information on political, economic, social, and security institutions for the country concerned, written by a multidisciplinary team of social scientists. Site is not entirely comprehensive for all countries, but those that are covered are comprehensive. Useful resource base for background information in various issue areas for many countries.
- Ethnologue Database
Drawn from a corresponding publication, this online version of the Ethnologue Database provides information on some 6,500 languages spoken in the world, including alternate names, number of speakers, locations, dialects, linguistic affiliation, and other sociolinguistic and demographic data. Useful online resource for quick reference or more extensive research.
- EuroInternet
Large megadirectory of links to other sites, with information and resources related to European integration and European countries in general. Provides links to categories such as European resources for political scientists, databases on Europe, discussions and listservs, sites with EU-related documents, Web sites of EU institutions, and European research institutions. Good jumping-off point for anything European.
- Europa@Internet
Megadirectory to other sites that provide European information. Links to official Web sites of EU institutions, official information, electronic publications, EU directories, statistics, currency, EU programs, semi-official information, universities and education, Usenet newsgroups, EU-related databases, listservs on European-related topics, and maps of Europe and member states. The links within each major jumping-off point are themselves clearly organized and comprehensive, with some annotations. Useful jumping-off point for European politics.
- Europa
Well-organized, well-annotated, and well-maintained jumping-off point for information and links to sites on EU policies, documents, member and nonmember European government information, including official documents and other resources. Country information is well organized with very useful annotations. Entry points in numerous languages are available.
- IANWeb Resources: Area Studies
Like other parts of the IANWeb, this directory of area studies has useful annotations and explanatory icons to area studies programs, networks, and research institutes. Check complementary country information from IANWeb at: http://www.pitt.edu/~ian/resource/country.htm
For an eclectic (if not comprehensive) set of links to selected country information as well as national government links, see http://www.pitt.edu/~ian/resource/national.htm
Together, these three directories may not be the most comprehensive jumping-off points, but the annotation and icons make them useful links for periodic reference.
- Discover India
Award-winning site with good set of general links on India that would prove useful and interesting to anyone working on South Asian politics. Attractively maintained (hence the awards), but the coverage of a broad range of nonpolitical India-related topics might make it too unwieldy as a jumping-off point for those with more narrow interests in South Asian politics.
- Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library
One of the counterparts to the massive Social Science Coombsweb. This megadirectory is the only jumping-off point one would need for Asian Studies resources. As with other parts of the WWW Virtual Library network, the site provides links to topic-specific sites maintained around the world. Provides links to sites in such areas as the whole of Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Caucasus, Central Asia, South Asia, South East Asia, Pacific Ocean, and East Asia. Extremely good jumping-off point for information on any country in Asia.
- Country Studies
Maintained by Larry Schankman, this site offers excellent annotated links to country-specific information for countries around the world. Site is not comprehensive, but the extensive and clear annotations and the quality of the links that are maintained make it a valuable jumping-off point for official and unofficial country information. Although the page will no longer be maintained, it is still a useful jumping-off point in its present configuration.
- LawWorld
Site offers a lengthy set of links to sites and information on individual countries. Links are not annotated and contain varying results. For example, some have links to only the official Web site of the parliament of the country, whereas others provide links to a variety of Web resources on the country. Nonetheless, a fairly good reference point for country information.
- Soleiman M. Kiasatpour's Middle East Links
Site contains annotated links to Middle East Web resources. Site is somewhat eclectic, but the annotations make it a fairly good jumping-off point.
- OneWorld Country Guides
Each guide looks into the problems faced by developing countries by reference to poverty, human rights and governance.
- Yahoo: Regional: Countries
Although Yahoo can be a somewhat inconsistent and at times unwieldy jumping-off point, its links to official and unofficial Web country information are fairly comprehensive. Can be a useful starting point for country information.
- The Microstate Network
Excellent jumping-off point for a rather narrow concern: links to sites and information on microstates. Site maintains very good global and regional geographical links, with some useful and comprehensive annotations. Well organized and easy to navigate.
- University of Michigan Government Resources on the Web
Site provides comprehensive links to both U.S. and other government Web resources. Well organized by region, with both frames and no-frames points of entry. Extremely useful annotations, with excellent links to constitutions, statistics, embassies, and other information on governments around the world. A first-rate jumping-off point for government resources of all types.
- Ministries of Foreign Affairs Online
Maintained by Stefano Baldi of the Permanent Mission of Italy in Geneva. Site provides links to foreign affairs ministries online. Although the site is not comprehensive, it is a useful reference point that should expand as more foreign affairs ministries go online.
- Official Government Resources on the Web
Maintained by the Department of International Politics at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. Site offers comprehensive set of links to official Web sites and foreign affairs ministries of national governments. Some links are more comprehensive than others. Site is a good jumping-off point for official Web national government resources.
- Official Government Web Pages by Country
Maintained by the Department of Political Science at the University of Keele. Site lists official Web government resources, parliaments, and foreign affairs ministries. As with other official directories, this site is naturally not comprehensive, but it does offer a good jumping-off point.
- The Electronic Embassy
The Electronic Embassy maintains a long set of links to the official Web sites of various national embassies based in Washington, D.C. Site also maintains some related international and international organization links.