J. Mueckenheim – Countries of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook (2008)

Автор: J. Mueckenheim
Название книги: Countries of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook (2008)
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Политология и Социология
Страницы: 2805
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

Events in all parts of the world—Europe, Asia, the Americas,
and Africa—demonstrate the dynamic changes that
quickly change the world’s political and economic structures.
This 2008 edition continues the tradition of Countries
of the World in meeting the need for current
information by monitoring and presenting pertinent U.S.
government publications. The U.S. Department of State
(State Department) and Central Intelligence Agency publications
present current basic information available on
the countries of the world, their leaders, and U.S. embassies
worldwide. Key government reports from these and
other federal agencies have been gathered together in
these volumes.
Beginning with the 2004 edition, Countries of the World
has been re-structured to make the information more
accessible to the reader. In past editions, separate sections
were devoted to:
• Key Officers of Foreign Service Posts
• Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign
Governments
• Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets
from U.S. State Department
The information in these sections was presented country
by country. In this edition, the individual country information
in these sections has been moved to each country’s
“Background Note.”
Beginning in the 2006 edition, general sections on “International
Adoption” and “International Parental Child
Abduction” were added and country specific information
concerning international adoption and international
parental child abduction was included in the appropriate
country “Background Notes.”
For this 2008 edition, all 200 “Background Notes” from the
previous publication of Countries of the World 2007 have
been updated and a separate entry was added for the newest
independent state of Montenegro. In addition, the sections
on International Treaty Organizations and Foreign Travel
have been updated as new information has been made
available through the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Customs,
the Office of U.S. Trade Representative, and the Center
for Disease Control and Prevention. Country specific
information on international adoption procedures and
international parental child abduction has been updated as well and can again be found within the “Background
Notes” of those countries to which this information is
pertinent.
ORGANIZATION
The two volumes in this set contain four sections:
• Status of the World’s Nations
• Background Notes
• International Treaty Organizations
• Foreign Travel
A comprehensive index is included at the end of volume
two.
Status of the World’s Nations
This section begins the set by providing tables listing the
independent nations of the world and the dependencies
and areas of special sovereignty. Also included are alphabetical
and chronological checklists of new nations since
1943.
Background Notes
This section contains the “Background Notes” on the
countries of the world compiled by the State Department.
These concise guides provide information on a country’s
leaders, politics, economy, and relations with the United
States. “Background Notes” appear on the State
Department’s web site at http://www.state.gov/www/
background_notes. The maps appearing in the
“Background Notes” were created by Maryland
Cartographics, Inc., and were added by the editors to
supplement the government information. They were not
part of the original government publication. In this
edition, the “Background Notes” have also been
supplemented by the editors with the following additional
State Department information: Principal U.S. Embassy
Officials; Principal Government Officials; and Travel
Warnings and Consular Information Sheets.
Principal U.S. Embassy Officials
This section contains information from the State Department’s
report Key Officers of Foreign Service Posts. The address and telephone number of each embassy, consulate,
or foreign service post are listed. Names and assignments
are shown for principal U.S. embassy officials to aid in
making direct inquiry International Treaty Organizations
This section provides information in “Background Note”
format on important international organizations of which
many of the world’s nations are members.
Foreign Travel
This section provides useful information on travel to the
countries of the world. Information is provided on customs,
visas, health concerns, vaccination requirements, tips on
traveling to specific regions of the world, doing business
abroad, international parental child abduction laws, international
adoption regulations, and numerous other travel
related topics. Also included in this section is important
U.S. government advice on global terrorism and its prevalence
in countries and regions of the world. The final section
includes U.S. government advice for those wishing to
do business in foreign countries.
Government Advice:
How and Where to Seek the State Department’s
Assistance When Doing Business Abroad
This section provides explanation of the U.S. government
services available to those engaged in business activities in
other countries. Information on who to contact, and how to
make contacts by mail and telephone, is outlined. In addition,
contact information for the state and regional offices
of the U.S. Department of Commerce devoted to international
trade is provided.
Country Reports on Terrorism: 2006
This section, previously called Patterns of Global Terrorism
(in the 2006 edition), presents a summary of the status
of the U.S. government’s efforts to combat international
terrorism and summarizes the acts of terrorism recorded
during 2005. It also provides descriptions of terrorist activities
in the regions of the world and profiles active terrorist
organizations.