Does your student have to do a country report? When I had to write them, back in the stone age, the “World Almanac and Book of Facts” (2007 Alamanac at amazon.com) was an essential reference. It’s still a good book to have at home, but it’s not free. Two terrific (and free) online resources are Wikipedia and the CIA World Factbook.

Start with the CIA World Factbook. This easily digestible compendium includes essential facts about every country in the world, including an introduction, the geography, people, government, and more. It features maps and flags of the world too. The CIA World Factbook is frequently updated – most recently last week! As a bonus, many younger students will enjoy knowing they’re using a reference written by our nation’s spy organization.

Wikipedia is a little more free-wheeling. Entries are not necessarily consistent, and editing is a tad rough at times. Nonetheless, the information tends to be well-balanced and accurate. It links to dozens of other sources of information and includes a host of additional photos to illustrate the articles. Wikipedia tends to be too comprehensive for younger students, but is certainly useful for high school and some middle school students.