ESTIMATION PROCEDURE: NATIONAL CULTURES

 

All of the statistics reported are estimates. The procedure used to generate these estimates involved the following steps:

·    First, an exhaustive list of nations, dependencies, and territories was created in order to include all populated areas of the

·    For each of the variables reported, data were collected at the national level for as many countries as possible. For most of the geographic variables, which describe a country’s exogenous resources, relatively precise measures were available for all countries of the world (e.g. land areas). For many variables which cover more endogenous social and economic dimensions, as complete an enumeration as possible was conducted by combining various sources, listed in the references.

Given the volume of statistics, it should also be understood that errors are bound to have occurred during the collection procedure (though great pains were taken to proof-read and cross-validate the statistics). Given the original nature of most of the statistics reported, they should be seen, therefore, as estimates which may require external validation.

 

ESTIMATION TIMING

The statistics reported are based on the best estimates available during the calendar year 1994. However, in many respects, this timing should not be over emphasized . Rather the estimates should be seen as covering the countries during the period of the “early 1990s”, or, especially in cases for the economic and demographic variables reported, the “later part of the 20th century”. This perspective is motivated by the fact that data are often inconsistent across sources, or irregular in their availability for 1994 and were extrapolated. By combining various sources and extrapolating, the integrity of the variables was not compromised, though their exact timing (i.e. as required in time series analysis) is not exact. In cases when the variables do not reflect 1994 estimates, these are noted. A value reported as “.” signifies that estimates are unavailable.

 

REFERENCES: INTERNATIONAL STATISTICS

Many of the following references and sources were used in generating estimates.

 

Society, General

Bureau of Consular Affairs. Foreign Entry Requirements. Washington: US Department of State, 1991.

Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook. Washington: US Government Printing Office, annual.

Crystal, David, ed. The Cambridge Factfinder. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, annual.

Dorling Kindersdey. World Reference Atlas. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London, annual.

Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica World Data Annual. Chicago; Encyclopædia Britannica, annual.

Encyclopædia Britannica. The New Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 1989.

Encyclopædia Universalis. Payscope; Le nouveau paysage mondial. Encyclopædia Universalis France S.A., 1994.

Europa Publications. The Europa World Year Book. London: Europa Publications Limited, annual.

Frémy, Dominique, Michèle Frémy. Quid. Robert Laffont, S.A., et Sté des Encyclopédies Quid, annual.

International Directory of Non-Official Statistical Sources. London: Euromonitor Plc., 1990.

NBC News. World Atlas & Review. 1993, Rand McNally,1993.

Paxton, John, ed. The Statesman's Year-Book 1989-1990. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990.

The World Almanac and Book of Facts. Funk & Wagnalls, annual.

US Department of Health and Human Services. Health Information for International Travel 1991. Washington: US Government Printing Office, 1991

US Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs. Background Notes. Washington: US Government Printing Office, 1981-1991.

 

Geography and Climate

Financial Times International Yearbooks. Mining 1992. Chicago: St. James Press, 1991.

National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, North Carolina.

Rudolff, Willy. World Climates; with tables of climatic data and practical suggestions. Stuttgart: Weissenschaftliche, 1981.

Times Books. The Times Books World Weather Guide. New York; The New York Times Book Co., Inc. 1984.

US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines. Minerals Yearbook, vol. III. Washington: US Government Printing Office, annual.

World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.

 

Culture

Barreau, Daniel, ed. Inventaire des etudes linguistiques sur les pays d'Afrique noire d'expression française et sur Madagascar. Paris: CILF, 1978.

Comrie, Bernard. The Languages of the Soviet Union. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981.

Katzner, Kenneth. The languages of the World. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986.

Mann, Michael and David Dalby. A Thesaurus of African Languages. London: Saur, 1987.

O'Brien, Joanne, Martin Palmer. Atlas des religions dans le Monde. Editions Autrement, 1994.

Ruhlen, Merrit. A guide to the World's Languages. Volume 1; Classification, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1987.

 

Economics

International Monetary Fund. International Financial Statistics Yearbook. Washington: International Monetary Fund, various issues.

The World Bank. The World Bank Atlas 1990. Washington: Oxford University Press.

The World Bank. Stars. version 2.0, World Bank Data on Diskettes, Washington: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank, annual, various years.

 

Business

Consumer International. London: Euromonitor Plc., annual.

European Marketing Data and Statistics. London: Euromonitor Plc., annual.

International Marketing Data and Statistics. London: Euromonitor Plc., annual.

World Marketing Data and Statistics - on CD-Rom, London: Euromonitor Plc., annual.

World Tourism Organization. Yearbook of Tourism Statistics. Madrid: World Tourism Organization, annual.