Country Profiles: The Bahamas

The Bahamas is located in the Caribbean Sea. The islands were inhabited by Lucayan Indians before British settlement began in 1647. The Bahamas gained independence from the U.K. in 1973. With an area of 13,880 sq km, it is slightly smaller than the U.S. State of Connecticut.

The islands are surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. They are long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills.





People who live in the Bahamas are called Bahamian, which is also the adjective used to describe items from this country. As of July 2011, there are 313,312 people in the Bahamas. The official language of the Bahamas is English, though Creole is also spoken among the Haitian immigrants. Protestants make up approximately 68% of the population, with Catholics (14%) and other Christians (15%) also residing on the islands.

The official name of the Bahamas is the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The capital is Nassau, and the islands are made up of 31 districts. The constitution, which was drafted in 1973, can be located here. The current Prime Minister of The Bahamas is Hubert Ingraham. Information about the current leaders of The Bahamas can be found here. The currency of The Bahamas is the Bahamian dollar (abbreviated BSD), which stands at 1 BSD per USD as of 2009.





All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...

The Government of The Bahamas

The Bahamas, CIA World Factbook

Background Note: The Bahamas, U.S. Department of State

The Bahamas 2010 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, U.S. Department of State

You can also check out the Country Studies tab on our Fed Docs libguide here for more resources on all of the countries.


Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

60 Minutes (3/18/2012)

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Meet the Press (3/18/2012)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Face the Nation (3/18/2012)

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

President Obama's Weekly Address (3/17/2012)

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Washington Week (3/16/2012)

Watch March 16, 2012 on PBS. See more from Washington Week.

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Country Profiles: Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is located in the Middle East. Azerbaijan was briefly independent from 1918 to 1920 and regained independence in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. With an area of 86,600 sq km, Azerbaijan is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Maine.


Azerbaijan is bordered by Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Russia, and Turkey. Azerbaijan is large and flat with mountains in the north.





People who live in Azerbaijan are called Azerbaijani, which is also the adjective used to describe an item from this country. The population is composed mostly of Azeri (90.6%), with some Dagestani (2.2%), Russian (1.8%), and Armenian (1.5%). The official language of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani (90.3%), though Lezgi (2.2%), Russian (1.8%), and Armenian (1.5%) are also spoken. The population is mostly Muslim (93.4%), with some Russian Orthodox (2.5%) and Armenian Orthodox (2.3%).


The country's official name is Republic of Azerbaijan. The capital is Baku, and the country is divided into 59 rayons, 11 cities, and 1 autonomous republic. The Azerbaijani Constitution was drafted in 1978 and can be found here through Constitution Finder. The current president is Ilham Aliyev. Information about the leaders of the Azerbaijan government can be found here. The currency is the Azerbaijani manats (abbreviated AZN), which stands at .8035 AZN per USD as of 2010.





All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...

Azerbaijan Government Site

President of Azerbaijan Site

Azerbaijan, CIA World Factbook

Background Note: Azerbaijan, U.S. Department of State

Azerbaijan 2010 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, U.S. Department of State.

You can also check out the Country Studies tab on our Fed Docs libguide here for more resources on all of the countries.


Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

60 Minutes (3/11/2012)

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Meet the Press (3/11/2012)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Face the Nation (3/11/12)

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

President Obama's Weekly Address (3/10/2012)

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

March 12, 1912: The Girl Guides are founded in the US

Today is the 100th anniversary of the founding of The Girl Guides in America; they would later be renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA. Here are some Girl Scout-oriented resources...

Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts Solar System Exploration, NASA

Programs for Girl Scouts, National Park Service

Water Drop Patch Project, EPA



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Washington Week (3/9/2012)

Watch March 9, 2012 on PBS. See more from Washington Week.

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Country Profiles: Austria

Austria is located in Europe. Originally the center of power for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria dwarfed in size after being defeated in World War I. After being annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938 and occupied by Allies in 1945, Austria finally gained independence in 1955. With an area of 83,871 sq km, Austria is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Maine.

Austria shares a border with Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, and Switzerland. It is mostly mountainous in the west and south (Alps) and flat or gently sloping in the east and north.





People who live in Austria are known as Austrians, which is the adjective used to describe items from that country. German is the official language (88.6%), but Turkish (2.3%), Serbian (2.2%), and Croatian (1.6%) are also spoken. Most Austrians are Catholic (73.6%), but there are Protestants (4.7%) and Muslims (4.2%) in Austria too.


Austria's official name is the Republic of Austria. The capital is Vienna, and Austria is divided into 9 states. The current president of Austria is Heinz Fischer. More information about the leaders of Austria's government can be found here. The currency in Austria is the euro (abbreviated EUR), which stands at .755 EUR per USD as of 2010.





All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...

Federal Chancellery of Austria

Austria, CIA World Factbook

Background Notes: Austria, U.S. Department of State

Austria 2010 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, U.S. Department of State.

You can also check out the Country Studies tab on our Fed Docs libguide here for more resources on all of the countries.



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

60 Minutes (3/4/2012)

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Meet the Press (3/4/2012)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Face the Nation (3/4/2012)

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

March 6, 1967: Joseph Stalin's daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva defects to the United States

Today is the 45th anniversary of the defection to the U.S. of Svetlana Alliluyeva, the daughter of Joseph Stalin. For more information about Svetlana and this historical account, check out these resources...

Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Ambassador to the Soviet Union (Foreign Relations of the U.S., 1964–1968: Volume XIV, Soviet Union, Document 205), Office of the Historian, U.S. Dept of State

Meeting Svetlana, 200th Anniversary of U.S.-Russian Diplomatic Relations, Embassy of the U.S. in Russia

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

President Obama's Weekly Address (3/3/2012)

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

March 6, 1857: The Supreme Court of the United States rules in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case

Today is the 155th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford. The decision, delivered by Chief Justice Roger Taney, declared that slaves were not citizens of the U.S. and, therefore, could not sue in Federal courts. The decision also declared the Missouri Compromise to be unconstitutional, stating that Congress did not have the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories. This decision was overturned by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution.

For more information, check out these resources...

Primary Documents in American History: Dred Scott v. Sandford, Library of Congress

Missouri's Dred Scott Case, 1846-1857, Missouri State Archives

Transcript of Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), Our Documents

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), Our Documents



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Washington Week (3/2/2012)

Watch March 2, 2012 on PBS. See more from Washington Week.

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Country Profiles: Australia

Australia is a country and a continent. Though aboriginal settlers arrived from SE Asia 40,000 years before European settlers, the country was first claimed in 1770 by Capt. James Cook in the name of Great Britain. With an area of 7,741,220 sq km, Australia is slightly smaller than the U.S. contiguous 48 states.


Australia is surrounded by the Indian Ocean. It is composed of mostly low plateau with deserts. There are fertile plains in the southeast.





People who live in Australia are called Australians, which is also the adjective used for items from this country. English is the most-spoken language in Australia at 78,5%. Chinese (2.5%), Italian (1.6%), Greek (1.3%), Arabic (1.2%) and Vietnamese (1%) are also spoken. Most of the population is Protestant (27.4%), followed closely by Catholic (25.8%). Eastern Orthodox (2.7%), other forms of Christianity (7.9%), Buddhism (2.1%), and Islam (1.7%) are also practiced.


The country's official name is the Commonwealth of Australia. The capital is Canberra, and the country is composed of 6 states and 2 territories. The Constitution was written in July 1900 and took effect in January 1901. It can be found here through Constitution Finder. The current leaders of Australia are Governor Gen. Quentin Alice Louise Bryce and Prime Minister Julia Eileen Gillard. Information about the current leaders of Australia's government can be found here. The currency is Australian dollar (abbreviated AUD), which stands at 1.0902 AUD per USD as of 2010.





All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...

Australia Government Site

Australia, CIA World Factbook

Background Note: Australia, U.S. Department of State

Australia 2010 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, U.S. Department of State.

You can also check out the Country Studies tab on our Fed Docs libguide here for more resources on all of the countries.

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering