Research Guides: Latin America : Background Information

Information Sources Online

Europa World
Contains country profiles and information on world-wide affairs including Latin America.

Maps
Includes Latin America
BBC News: Americas Country Profiles
Brief country profiles for North and South America
CIA World Factbook (U.S. Central Intelligence)
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Profiles of every nation in the world. Each profile includes demographic, political, and economic data.

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Statistical information on each country includes land and water area, boundaries, elevations, population, birth & death rates, life expectancy, ethnic groups, GDP, inflation rate, unemployment rate, exports, imports, transportation, the military and more.
Guide to Countries of the World (Oxford U. Press)
This invaluable global handbook provides a wealth of information for every country in the world.
World Digital Library
The WDL makes available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from all countries and cultures.
LAPOP (Latin American Popular Opinion Poll)
The Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP), initiated over two decades ago at Vanderbilt University.

Reference Print Sources [Very Selective List]

Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture by Jay Kinsbruner; Erick Detlef Langer
Call Number: REF F1406 .E53 2008 (6 vols.)
ISBN: 9780684312705
Publication Date: 2008-05-09

Strives to organize knowledge of the region. Contains nearly 5,300 separate articles. Most topics appear in English alphabetical order.
Encyclopedia of Contemporary Latin American and Caribbean Cultures by Mike Gonzalez (Editor); Daniel Balderston (Editor); Ana López (Editor)
Call Number: REF F1406 .E515 2000 (3 vols.)
ISBN: 041513188X
Publication Date: 2001-01-16

This encyclopedia features over 4,000 entries on more than 40 regions in Latin America and the Caribbean from 1920 to the present day.
Statesman's Yearbook 2015 by Barry Turner (Editor)
Call Number: REF JA51 .S7
ISBN: 1137323248
Publication Date: 2014-08-06

Statistical and historical annual of the states of the world. One of the most authoritative sources.
Notable Twentieth-Century Latin American Women by Cynthia Margarita Tompkins; David William Foster
Call Number: REF CT3290 .N68 2001
ISBN: 0313311129
Publication Date: 2000-11-30

Contributions from 72 of the most noteworthy Latin American women covering many fields.
Latin American and Caribbean Artists of the Modern Era by Steve Shipp
Call Number: REF N6502.4 .S45 2003
ISBN: 0786410574
Publication Date: 2003-01-22

This is a comprehensive reference book to more than 12,700 painters, sculptors, graphic artists and architects in Latin America and the Caribbean region active during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.