Country Profiles


Hornsby Shire Library & Information Service
Linking Lives to Learning and Leisure


Preparing for your Assignment

Before you start, ask yourself these questions:

When is the assignment due?

How long does your assignment need to be?

How many different ways can you present the assignment?
For example, are you designing a poster, making a model, or preparing a report?

Where is the country on the map of the world? Which countries are nearby?

What is the country like?
Describe the geography (e. g. landforms such as mountains, rivers, forests and lakes). What is the climate like?

What animals and plants would you find in the country?
Describe them.

What are the main cities and landmarks?

Can you find pictures of the flag and other emblems?

What money do the people use?

How is the country governed? Who makes the laws? How are the leaders chosen?

What information do you need?
Follow the questions on your assignment sheet. For example, are you looking for information on the geography of the country, or do you need information on history, culture or government?

Do you need pictures or diagrams?

How much material can you use from the Internet?
Search the websites and other online resources listed below.


Ebooks and Online Information

To use the Library’s specially chosen online ebooks and online information:

  • Go to Library Homepage
  • Click on Online Resources from Home or Online Resources @ the Library
  • If working from home, enter your library card and your PIN.
  • If you do not know your PIN, contact Hornsby Library on (02)9847 6614
  • Click on a subject from the subject list. To search for information on various countries, click on Environment, History, Geography, Newspapers & Journals, and Society & Culture.
  • Click on the title you want to search

WebFeat Search Engine
To search all our online information at once:

  • Go to Library Hormepage
  • Click on Online Resources from Home or Online Resources @ the Library
  • If working from home, enter your library card number and your PIN.
  • If you do not know your PIN, contact Hornsby Library on (02)9847 6614
  • Click on WebFeat Search Engine
  • Key in a keyword or a phrase – for example to look for information on ancient China, key in ancient China. You can use different search boxes to key in more than one word -- for example, China in the first box and History in the second box.
  • Tick the box labelled Full-text articles only
  • Tick the boxes next to the subjects Environment, Geography, History, Newspapers & Journals, and Current Events and Issues. You can also choose other subjects. For example, if you want information on the music of a particular country, choose Music from the subject list, and key in the name of the country in the search box.
  • Click on Search, and wait until the search is complete
  • In the Results display mode box, choose Relevancy-ranked or Clustered
  • Click on View to see the article


Websites

US Library of Congress Country Studies
This site is maintained by the Federal Research Division of the US Library of Congress. The Country Studies series presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world.

Global Education – Country Profiles
This site contains information on a range of countries as well as links to global issues of importance. The website is provided by EDNA, a network for students and teachers, maintained by the Australian education and training community.

U.S. Department of State
The U.S. Department of State provides background notes on countries of the world, including people, history, government political conditions, economy, defence, foreign relations

BBC News – Country Profiles
This is a profile of countries and territories, including demographic facts, historical overview, timeline of key events, and information about government, leaders and media. The site also includes links to related news stories, and audio and video clips from the BBC archives.

CIA Factbook
Lists population, government, military, and economic information for nations recognized by the United States.


Using the Online Library Catalogue

  • Go to Library Homepage
  • Click on Library Catalogue
  • For general information about a country, click on Subject Exact and key in the name of the country – for example, France in the Search box
  • For specific information on topics such as French art, click on Subject Keyword and key in France art in the Search box
  • Click on the subject you want from the results list
  • To go to the next page of subjects, click on the symbol at the end of the subject list

Searching the Library Shelves

You can search for these shelf numbers in:

  • the DVD collection
  • the reference collection
  • the junior lending collection
  • the adult lending collection – including the magazines
Subject Shelf Number
History 930 to 999
Travel 914 to 919
Art 709 and 759
Food 641

Need more help? Ask at the Information Desk, and remember to bring your assignment sheet with you.