Researching A Country
You will need some basic research. Here are some logical steps to researching about your
country. You will need to get a map of your country, preferably one that also shows its neighbors
and relative position in the region.
Consulting web sites is an easily accessible research method. Here is a list of useful sites. Not
all need to be consulted. Some are specialist and would only apply to particular countries in
specific circumstances.
Most useful are:
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THIMUN www.thimun.org
THIMUN-Singapore www.thimunsingapore.org
CIA World Fact Book www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook
United Nations Organization www.un.org
UN Cyber School Bus www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus
Embassies Worldwide www.embassyworld.com
Missions at the United Nations www.un.org.Overview/missions.htm
CNN www.cnn.com
BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
Reuters www.reuters.com
Below you will see a list of items that you will want to learn about your country. Use the
headings and sub topics and create a country research report. This will become a very useful
tool for you.
Part One: Geography – physical
1. climate2. fresh water availability
3. ocean access
4. rivers
5. bordering countries
6. physical advantages / disadvantages of topography
Part Two: Geography – human
1. population
2. languages spoken
3. ethnic groups
4. religious groups
5. problems between ethnic groups
6. health data
a.
b.
c.
d.
7. education
Part Three Economics
1. Major sector of the economy (industrial, agricultural, service, diversified etc)
2. GDP
3. Population below the poverty line
Part Four: Human Development Index
1. your country’s ranking
2. compared to other countries
3. Per capita income
Part Five: Politics
1. formal name of country
2. type of government (ie. monarch)
3. political parties currently in power
4. country’s leader
5. other political organizations within the country
6.
independent sovereignty since
7.
joined the UN
8. Former colony?
9. corruption perceptions index (www.transparency.org)
Part Six Natural resources
1. commodities(goods) produced
2. petroleum resources
3. water
4. land
5. natural environment (ie. forests)
Part Seven International relations
1. friends and allies
2. must get along with
3. do not get along with
4. relations with neighbors
5. international criticisms
6. international problems
7.
History
1. General
2. very recent
Defense
1. military structure
2. dependency on other nations
3. size of military
4. recent military history
5. percent of budget or GDP spent on military
6. dependency upon military
Flag of your country