Hello everyone!

It seems like just when we start getting up again, we run into another holiday!

Postings will resume on January 6th! In the meantime, please check out our Twitter account, which will remain active over the break: https://twitter.com/feddocs

Happy Holidays!


Sonnet Ireland
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Country Profiles: Cuba

Cuba is located in the Caribbean and is part of Central America.

The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from the US in 1902 after which the island experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of his younger brother Raul CASTRO. Cuba's communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country faced a severe economic downturn in 1990 following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Cuba at times portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source if its difficulties. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the US's southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard interdicted 1,275 Cuban nationals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in 2012.
CIA World Factbook

With an area of 110,860 sq km, it is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.

Cuba shares a border with the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay. The Guantanamo Naval Base has an area of 29 km. It is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba. It is mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast.

People who live in Cuba are called Cubans, which is also an adjective used to describe something from this country. As of July 2013, there are 11,061,886 people in Cuba. The ethnic groups that reside in Cuba are mostly white (65.1%), with some mulatto and mestizo (24.8%) and black (10.1%). The official language of Cuba is Spanish. Roman Catholicism makes up approximately 85% of the population, while Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jewish, and Santeri make up the rest.

The country's official name is the Republic of Cuba. The capital is Havana, and the country is made up of 15 provinces. Cuba gained independence from Spain on May 20, 1902. A constitution was drafted in 1976. The constitution can be found here through Constitution Finder. The current president and Council of State is Raul Modesto Castro Ruz. Information about the leaders of Cuba's government can be found here. The currency is the Cuban pesos (abbreviated CUP), which stands at 1 CUP per USD as of 2012.

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

Cuba, CIA World Factbook

Cuba, U.S. Department of State

2012 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Cuba, 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, Microforms, & Analog Media
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Liaison Librarian:

Accounting; Economics and Finance;
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Country Profiles: Croatia

Croatia is located in Europe.

The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands, along with a majority of Croatia's ethnic Serb population. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998. The country joined NATO in April 2009 and the EU in July 2013.
CIA World Factbook

With an area of 56,594 sq km, it is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of West Virginia.

Croatia shares a border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, and Slovenia. It is geographically diverse with flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline, and islands.

People who live in Croatia are called Croats or Croatians; Croatian is also an adjective used to describe something from this country. As of July 2013, there are 4,475,611 people in Croatia. The ethnic groups that reside in Croatia are mostly Croat (89.6%) with some Serb (4.5%) and other (5.9%), including Bosniak, Hungarian, Slovene, Czech, and Roma. Croatian (96.1%) is the official language, but Serbian (1%) and other/undesignated (2.9%), including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German, are spoken there. Roman Catholic make up approximately 87.8% of the population, while Orthodox (4.4%), other Christian (0.4%), and Muslim (1.3%) make up most of the rest.

The country's official name is Republic of Croatia. The capital is Zagreb, and the country is made up of 20 counties. Croatia gained independence from Yugoslavia on June 25, 1991. The constitution can be found here through Constitution Finder. The current president is Ivo Josipovic. Information about the leaders of Croatia's government can be found here. The currency is the kuna (abbreviated HRK), which stands at 5.8503 HRK per USD as of 2012.

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

Croatian Government Site

Croatia, CIA World Factbook

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

2012 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Croatia, 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, Microforms, & Analog Media
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Liaison Librarian:

Accounting; Economics and Finance;
Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism;
Law; Management; Marketing

Country Profiles: Côte d’Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire is located in Africa.

Close ties to France following independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment all made Côte d’Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the West African states but did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Côte d’Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular protest forced him to step aside and brought Laurent GBAGBO into power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002 that developed into a rebellion and then a civil war. The war ended in 2003 with a cease fire that left the country divided with the rebels holding the north, the government the south, and peacekeeping forces a buffer zone between the two. In March 2007, President GBAGBO and former New Forces rebel leader Guillaume SORO signed an agreement in which SORO joined GBAGBO's government as prime minister and the two agreed to reunite the country by dismantling the buffer zone, integrating rebel forces into the national armed forces, and holding elections. Difficulties in preparing electoral registers delayed balloting until 2010. In November 2010, Alassane Dramane OUATTARA won the presidential election over GBAGBO, but GBAGBO refused to hand over power, resulting in a five-month stand-off. In April 2011, after widespread fighting, GBAGBO was formally forced from office by armed OUATTARA supporters with the help of UN and French forces. Several thousand UN peacekeepers and several hundred French troops remain in Côte d’Ivoire to support the transition process. OUATTARA is focused on rebuilding the country's infrastructure and military after the five months of post-electoral fighting and faces ongoing threats from GBAGBO supporters, many of whom have sought shelter in Ghana. GBAGBO is in The Hague awaiting trial for crimes against humanity. CIA World Factbook

. With an area of 322,463 sq km, it is slightly larger than the U.S. state of New Mexico.

Côte d’Ivoire shares a border with Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Mali. It is mostly flat to undulating plains with mountains in the northwest..

People who live in Côte d’Ivoire are called Ivoirian, which is also an adjective used to describe something from this country. As of July 2013, there are 22,400,835 people in Côte d’Ivoire. The ethnic groups that reside in Côte d’Ivoire are mostly Akan (42%), with Voltaiques/Gur (17%), Northern Mandes (16%), Krous (11%), and Southern Mandes (10%). Though French is the official language, 60 native dialects are spoken - Dioula is the most widely spoken. Muslims make up approximately 38% of the population, while Christian (32%) and indigenous (12%) make up the rest, save the 16% that have none.

The country's official name is Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. The capital is Yamoussoukro, and the country is made up of 12 districts and 2 autonomous districts. The Côte d’Ivoire gained independence from the French on August 7, 1960. The current president is Alassane Dramane Ouattara. Information about the leaders of Côte d’Ivoire's government can be found on the Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments site (CIA). The currency is the Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF), which stands at 510.29 XOF per USD as of 2012.

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

Côte d’Ivoire, CIA World Factbook

Côte d’Ivoire, U.S. Department of State

2012 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Côte d’Ivoire, 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, Microforms, & Analog Media
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Liaison Librarian:

Accounting; Economics and Finance;
Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism;
Legal Research; Management; Marketing

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents, Microforms & Analog Media
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Liaison Librarian:

Accounting; Economics and Finance;
Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism;
Law; Management; Marketing