Research Guides
- University of Washington Libraries
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- African Studies
- Country Profiles & Encyclopedias
African Studies: Country Profiles & Encyclopedias
Gateway to research resources for Africa
Encyclopedias help you figure out the who, what & where of a topic. Knowing the who, what & where of a topic is the first step in researching a topic and discovering the "how" and "why". Encyclopedias and dictionaries can provide background information and can be used to identify key people, events and dates which can then be used as search terms for finding additional information. Many also provide a jumpstart on your research by listing related readings.
Two online encyclopedia collections: Gale Ebooks & Oxford Research Encyclopedias
Country Profiles
- AtoZ World Trade This link opens in a new window
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Compilation of data sets, statistics & background information on topics relating to international trade
- BBC Country ProfilesGuide to history, politics and economic background of countries and territories.
- Countries and their cultures
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Includes discussion of geography, history, economy, political life, national identity, religion, and more
- EIU Viewpoint This link opens in a new window
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Reports on politics, economics and market-moving topics including macroeconomic data for nearly 200 countries - Europa World This link opens in a new window
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Political, social & economic information about countries & world regions
- World FactbookBasic information on history, goverment, econony & more for countries
Encyclopedias
- Africa : an encyclopedia of culture and society
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- African Folklore : An Encyclopedia
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- Encyclopedia of Africa
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- Encyclopedia of African colonial conflicts
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- Encyclopedia of African history
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- Encyclopedia of African Religions and Philosophy
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- Encyclopedia of Precolonial Africa
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- Encyclopedia of the Yoruba
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- Encyclopedia of twentieth-century African history
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- Historical Dictionary of Eritrea
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- Historical Dictionary of Ghana
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- Historical Dictionary of Kenya
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- Historical Dictionary of Lesotho
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- Historical Dictionary of Mozambique
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- Historical Dictionary of Nigeria
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- Historical Dictionary of South Africa
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- Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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- Historical Dictionary of the Sudan
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- Historical Dictionary of Uganda
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- Historical Dictionary of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa
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- Historical Dictionary of Zambia
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- Modern African Conflicts: An Encyclopedia of Civil Wars, Revolutions, and Terrorism
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- Modern Nigeria
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In-Depth Background
- Columbia Guide to Central African Literature in English Since 1945
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- Columbia Guide to East African Literature in English Since 1945
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- Columbia Guide to South African Literature in English Since 1945
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- Columbia Guide to West African Literature in English Since 1945
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- Companion to African Cinema
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- Companion to African History
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- Companion to African Literatures
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- Companion to the Anthropology of Africa
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- Oxford Handbook of Africa and Economics: Volume 1: Context and Concepts
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- Oxford Handbook of Africa and Economics: Volume 2: Policies and Practices
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- Oxford Handbook of African Archaeology
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- Oxford Handbook of Modern African History
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- Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Africa
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- Oxford Research Encyclopedia: African History
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- Palgrave Handbook of African Colonial and Postcolonial History
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- Palgrave Handbook of African Oral Traditions and Folklore
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- Palgrave handbook of African politics, governance and development
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- Palgrave Handbook of African Women's Studies
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- Palgrave Handbook of Bondage and Human Rights in Africa and Asia
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- Routledge Handbook of African Demography
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- Routledge Handbook of African Politics
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- Routledge Handbook of African Popular Culture
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- Routledge Handbook of Francophone Africa
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- Routledge Handbook of Pan-Africanism
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- Routledge Handbook of Public Policy in Africa
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- Routledge Handbook of Queer African Studies
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- Routledge Handbook of the Horn of Africa
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