Q. Who writes CultureGrams?

A. Each World Edition report undergoes an extensive peer review process. All new texts are written initially by a country native or long-term resident in coordination with a CultureGrams editor. Writers are selected on the basis of their writing, language, and observational skills; experience with different regions and socioeconomic groups; recent residency in the country; and access to current information. Our writers have included Fulbright scholars, academics, health professionals, educators, Peace Corps volunteers, and other qualified individuals. Once an acceptable draft is prepared, in-country reviewers with similar qualifications but varying backgrounds provide additional perspectives and insights before the new text is submitted to a CultureGrams editor for consensus and publication. More information on our writing process is available on our submissions pages, accessible at http://www.culturegrams.com/submissions.

Q. How often do you update CultureGrams, and what is the most current edition?

A. CultureGrams is updated annually and released in August. Each report is updated with the latest statistics and current events information, and approximately one-fifth of the CultureGrams series is reviewed by independent in-country reviewers annually, ensuring that every report in the series is revised on a five-year cycle. Our 2009 edition is the most current.

Q. Are new countries added each year?

A. We generally add three to five new countries to the World Edition each year. Although we plan on adding more CultureGrams reports in the future, we are also involved in creating other products that will benefit our customers.

Q. Do you offer a CultureGrams report for every nation in the world?

A. The World Edition has texts for 204 countries. These reports include all 192 members of the United Nations as well as Taiwan, West Bank and Gaza, and several foreign dependencies (American Samoa, French Polynesia, etc.). We may develop texts for additional foreign dependencies if qualified writers and reviewers become available. The Kids Edition includes 89 countries. Our future plans include increasing this product’s comprehensiveness to cover even more of the world. Reports for countries not included in the series will be developed as soon as qualified writers become available.

Q. What countries have recently been added to CultureGrams?

A. In 2008, New Caledonia and Vatican City were added to the World Edition. Iceland, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Laos were added to the Kids Edition in January 2008. Cambodia, Costa Rica, Lithuania, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Portugal, and Sudan were added to the Kids Edition in August 2008.

Q. How do I reference CultureGrams in a bibliographic citation?

A. First, you must determine which style guide you want to use. If you are publishing, you will use The Chicago Manual of Style. For academic writing, you will use MLA, APA, Turabian, or another style. For news writing, you might use AP style. These style guides will tell you what kind of information to use and how to cite it. They are usually available in the local library. If you just need something generic, simply include all the information needed for a person to find the source. Here are two MLA example citations:

“ Morocco .” CultureGrams 2009 World Edition. loose-leaf ed. Provo, UT : ProQuest. 2 (2008): 117–120.

OR

“ Peru .” CultureGrams World Edition. 2009. ProQuest. 19 May 2009 <http://online.culturegrams.com/world/world_country.php?
contid=7&wmn=South_America&cid=125&cn=Peru>.

Adapt these examples to other CultureGrams products.

For printed items, citation information typically includes

1. The name of the country (e.g., Indonesia )
2. The name of the publication (e.g., CultureGrams Kids Edition)
3. Format of publication (e.g., loose-leaf)
4. The volume name and number, when applicable
5. The publisher (e.g., ProQuest)
6. The place of publication (if available)
7. The year of publication (see the copyright page or statement)
8. Page number, when applicable

For electronic items, this information typically includes

1. The name of the country
2. The name of the product (e.g., 2009 World Edition)
3. The format (e.g., internet, PDF)
4. The publisher (e.g., ProQuest)
5. The year of publication (see copyright or publication information on the product)
6. The date accessed and the URL (for Internet sources)

Q. If I am a foreign language teacher, how can I know in which countries my language is official, prominent, or spoken by a significant minority of the population?

A. Arabic: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, West Bank and Gaza, Yemen

English: American Samoa, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Canada, Dominica, Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Montserrat, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Niue, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe

French: Algeria, Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo-Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo), Congo-Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Djibouti, France, French Polynesia, Gabon, Guinea, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Monaco, Morocco, New Caledonia, Niger, Rwanda, St. Lucia, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Vanuatu

German: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Namibia, Switzerland

Portuguese: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe

Spanish: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela

Russian: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Q. Is there a CultureGrams logo or image that we can use to link our site to the CultureGrams Online Database?

A. Yes. Download the CultureGrams images now.