Every now and then, Learning Enrichment (LE) gets an e-mail from a student, asking for help in researching a country in today's world. True, we publish on-line study units for U.S. high schools, and those units do focus on other nations. (You can link to LE's units from our Home Page.) But — we're truly sorry! — LE's staff isn't set up to handle such e-mail requests.

Still, those students got us thinking....

Why not offer teens some general tips for researching countries, on the Internet?
Why not match those tips to questions that are asked in social studies courses?

A.   WHERE IS THIS COUNTRY? (Geography)
B.   WHO ARE ITS PEOPLE? (Sociology, Culture Studies)
C.   WHAT TYPE OF GOVERNMENT DOES IT HAVE? (Political Science)
D.   HOW STRONG IS THIS COUNTRY'S ECONOMY? (Economics)
E.   WHAT ARE THE COUNTRY'S INTERNATIONAL PRIORITIES? (International Relations)

A.   WHERE IS THIS COUNTRY? (Geography)
Not a bad question to start with! Geographic factors influence people's lives and decisions in many ways. (We all know why Antarctica isn't highly populated....) Here are just two ways to begin learning about your country's geography:

A1.   Build a mental map. Go to Graphic Maps' "WorldAtlas.Com List".


• Click on "Countries of the World."
  
• Find your country's name, together with the names of its capital city and the continent on which it is located ("EU" for Europe, etc.).
  
• Return to the "Continents" list on the "WorldAtlas" page, and click on the continent you've just identified.
  
• When the next map opens, find your country, then take note of its shape, size, and the nations and/or bodies of water near it. Doing this will prepare you to understand your country's relations with its neighbors — and maybe even some of its economic concerns (access to trade routes, for example).

A2.   Get the basic "geofacts." For one of the best on-line sources of info on the world's countries, try the Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th edition, at Bartleby.com's "Great Books Online".


• Select "Columbia Encyclopedia" in the first Search slot.... Enter the name of your country in the second Search slot.... Click on "Go."
  
• On the page that opens, select the entry that shows the name of your country, followed by the Encyclopedia's name.
  
• On the next page, look for your country's climate, resources, etc. You may find this information under the label "Land" or "Land and People"….

B.   WHO ARE ITS PEOPLE? (Sociology, Culture Studies)
This question sounds so simple.... People on every continent tap into the Internet, turn out for soccer games, and tune into the latest pop hits. Doesn't that prove that all people are the same? Yes, in terms of our capacity to search, learn, hope — and yell when our team wins. But people within each country also share unique characteristics — their cultural heritage and common goals, for example. How can you begin to research your country's heritage and priorities?

B1.   Explore the country's history. As you read through these sources, ask yourself: Who were the ancestors of this country's people? What language, religion, and common experiences did they share? What were their proudest achievements?

B1a.   Survey that history. For a brief account of your country's history, try the Information Please Online ... Encyclopedia.


• Enter the country's name in the first Search box, and select "Encyclopedia" in the box to its right.
  
• When the next page opens, select the link that begins with your country's name and ends with the term "(Encyclopedia)."
  
• On the new page, scroll until you find the paragraph(s) dealing with the country's early development. In some cases, this section is labeled "History."
  

B1b.   Look for various viewpoints. The site known as About. The Human Internet is one good place to start. But it has so many links, you'll need to refine, or limit, your search. Here's how….

• In the Search box on the opening page, enter the name of the country you're researching, plus the term "history." Your search entry might look like this: +Norway+history
• When the next page opens, select several links to read. Ask yourself: What does each writer seem to think are the most important features of this country's history: Its people's cultural heritage? Its success or defeat in past wars? Its economy? Do they agree, or disagree, with one another?

B2.   Search for examples of that culture today. Every unique culture has its own arts, music, literature, cuisine, and — most important — its system of values and beliefs. Many of the sources in these "Guidelines" contain information on such topics. (See the sources cited in A2, B1b, and especially C1.) But there are other ways to tackle this research topic, particularly if you want to sample your country's modern-day cultural environment.

B2a.   Do an open-ended search on the Internet. Start with a particular cultural topic — religion, for example. Open the Search box for your favorite Internet browser, and enter your country's name and the term "religion." Follow your browser's "Search Hints" to set up the query. For example, if LE used All the Web, All the Time's "FAST Search", to look up information on religions in India, we would specify   +India+religion    As you follow your research topic, compare what different sites report. Try to decide which sites seem to be both objective and respectful of the people's culture.

B2b.   Try to find newspapers and/or magazines from that country. Here's one Internet site that can keep you in daily touch with world neighbors! OnlineNewspapers.com provides links to newspapers in over 150 countries. And a good many papers are available in the English language....

• Scroll down the home page, until you come to the alphabetical groupings of country names. Select the name of your country.
• On the new page, find the list of your country's newspapers. Is there one in a language you can read? Click.
• Skim through the paper's articles and features for any references to the country's museums, theaters, sports, customary holidays, etc. Plan to re-visit the paper over a few days. As you read, try to build an answer to this question: What interests and values do the people of this country seem to feel are important?

C.   WHAT TYPE OF GOVERNMENT DOES IT HAVE? (Political Science)
Almost any almanac will give you a brief description. But here's a good approach for solid Web-site research:

C1.   Look at how the country's government defines itself. Link to Embassy.org's "Foreign Embassies...." page.

• Select your country's name....
• Then — on the page that opens — find and click on the URL for its embassy (5 or 6 lines from the top). (If there's no URL, select the "CountryWatch" profile.)
• Once you've reached the embassy site, look for a link to "Basic Facts" or any similar heading under which the site provides a description of your country's government.
• Select that label, and discover: Is your country a monarchy? a republic? a communist state? Does it have a constitution? an elected legislature?

C2.   Find out how the USA describes that country's government. Visit the U.S. Department of State "Background Notes" page.

• Select the name of your country.
• On the page that opens, scroll until you reach the entry for "Government." Look for a label similar to those suggested under "C1," above.

C3.   Check out the country's record on democracy.The Freedom House (FH) report "Freedom in the World" assigns a "freedom rating" to each world nation. These FH ratings are based on the people's access to political rights (PR) and civil liberties (CL) — with "1" representing the highest rating and "7," the lowest.

• From the report's title page, scroll until you reach the "Table of Independent Countries...."
• Find the name of your country on this table, then check its "PR," "CL," and "Freedom" ratings. (Scroll to the end of the list for explanations of the numbers and symbols used in the FH ratings.)

D.   HOW STRONG IS THIS COUNTRY'S ECONOMY? (Economics)
Economists and politicians debate this question endlessly. So the best advice, when you're researching your country's economy, is to keep an open mind. And avoid the trap of thinking that a higher number always indicates "better performance." A nation may have a big gross domestic product (GDP) — but a big debt, too.... On the Internet, try these leads:

D1.   Search for reliable economic statistics. Every country publishes its own economic data. But, unless you're an expert in the exchange-value of foreign currencies, such publications can be hard to interpret. For a U.S. source that is consulted by many specialists, visit the CIA World Factbook. (NOTE: Various parts of this source, including its country profiles, are updated throughout the year. Check the opening page of any profile to see when it was last updated.)

D1a.   Get the "big picture" first.

• On the Factbook's home page, select your country's name.
• When the next page opens, scroll to the "Economy" segment. In the short introduction to this segment, you'll find brief comments on at least three key topics: (a) What type of economy does this country have? (free-market? government-controlled? a mix of both?) (b) How well is the economy doing today? And (c) Is it doing better or worse than in recent years?....

D1b.   Draw inferences from data. As you scroll through the rest of the Factbook's segment on your country's economy, pay special attention to these data: GDP (gross domestic product), GDP real growth rate, GDP per-capita, Inflation rate and Unemployment rate. They can be big clues to the health of an economy. (Just as taking your temperature might be, for you.).... Then think about what the following five entries reveal: GDP, GDP composition by sector, Industries, Exports, and Export commodities. What kinds of human activity does your country's economy seem to depend on?

D1c.   Check definitions.... Compare findings. The first two icons next to each entry ("field") in the Factbook's profile of your country will help you to pin down the meaning of that entry.

• Click on the "open-book" icon, and you'll find a definition of the entry, or field.
• Select the other icon, and you'll see how your country compares with others in that field.
  
Let's suppose you're investigating your country's "GDP real growth rate." When you click on the field icon for that entry, the page that opens will list the growth rate for every other country profiled in the Factbook. Scroll to the names of your country and its regional neighbors. Is your country's economy growing faster — or slower — than others in its region? Try to ask similar questions about other fields where you make such comparisons.

D2.   Learn how world economists evaluate the country. This tip might be considered an "extra-credit" step, since it leads to some pretty heavy reading material. But in the age of globalization, it's important to have an idea of what such groups say. Here are two good sources. (Note: You may find your country listed on just one of these sites. Only a handful of nations are profiled on both.) As you read the report, try to decide: What will/should this country's economic priority be, over the next 2, 5, 10 years?

D2a.   Consult the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD publishes regular reports on nations that are democracies with free-market economies.

• If your country is listed on the OECD's Site, select its name and look for the most recent report on its economy.* Note: Some reports are available to OECD subscribers, only.

D2b.     ...Or explore the World Bank Group's "Countries and Regions" page.

• Scroll to the "All Countries" tab. Find and select your country's name.
• The page that opens may contain the World Bank report on your country, or you may have to look for and select another link.

© Learning Enrichment, Inc.