Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, 4th Ed. Detroit: UXL, 2004. 10 vols. 3,088 p. ISBN 0-7876-9215-8.

This resource is adapted for late elementary school from the 11th edition of the Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations. Each article begins with the country names in three forms: the common form in English, official name in English and the name in the native language. Also provided are the capital, a description of the flag, the national anthem, the monetary unit (with May 2003 exchange rate to dollars) and holidays. Insert boxes include a geographic profile, a map, a biographical profile and photo of the leader of the country, and charts showing the yearly growth rate, the components of the economy and the yearly balance of trade. Articles have "Selected Social Indicators" including life expectancy, number of physicians and literacy rate, among other facts. Numerically listed sections cover location and size, topography, climate, plants and animals, environment, population, migration, ethnic groups, languages, religions, transportation, history, government, political parties, judicial system, armed forces, economy, income, industry, labor, agriculture, domesticated animals, fishing, forestry, mining, foreign trade, energy and power, social development, health, housing, education, media, tourism/recreation, famous people, and a bibliography. As these volumes age, students will need to confirm much of the information they find in a more recent resource. They will certainly need to revise the section on Zimbabwe immediately. This is recommended for elementary collections.