Country Information
Before you choose a study abroad location or depart for your study abroad experience, you may wish to find background information on a country or countries. Here are some resources that you can use to find facts, statistics and general information about different places.
Background Information
Study Abroad Resource Finder
Search our library resources using our handy study abroad map. Travel guides, language tools, foreign films, and more are available.
CIA World Factbook
Country profiles for 267 world entities. Profiles include basic information about a country's population, history, geography, government, economy and transportation.
Background Notes/Country Fact Sheets (U.S. Department of State)
Brief overviews covering geography, people, history, government, economy, political conditions, defense, relations with the United States and travel and business.
BBC News Country Profiles
Brief overviews of country history, media, and general facts. Profiles also list local radio stations, television stations, and newspapers and provide access to related audio and video clips from the BBC's archives.
eHRAF World Cultures [UNC only]
A cross-cultural library database that contains information on all aspects of cultural and social life.
Film & Media
Interested in watching films in the language of your host country? UNC Libraries' Media Resource Center provides access to a wide range of foreign language media.
MRC Filmfinder
The Media Resources Center, located in the R.B. House Undergraduate Library, is home to a robust and ever growing collection of feature films and documentaries. The MRC Filmfinder, a searchable database, enables you to browse by country or language.
Ethnographic Video Online [UNC only]
This library resource contains streaming video of full length documentary and educational films. Browse by location or cultural group.
FMG Master Academic Collection [UNC only]
This library resource contains streaming video of full length documentaries. Browse by World Languages, Anthropology, Area Studies, etc.
The Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies
The Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies houses a collection of films that may be borrowed free of charge.
