The State Department web site below is a permanent electronic archive of information released prior to January 20, 2001.  Please see www.state.gov for material released since President George W. Bush took office on that date.  This site is not updated so external links may no longer function.  Contact us with any questions about finding information. NOTE: External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.

U.S. Department of State Background Notes: Western Hemisphere A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z *Background Notes not available Antigua and Barbuda (4/00) Argentina (10/00) Bahamas, The (7/00)) Barbados (8/00) Belize (4/00) Bolivia (11/00) Brazil (7/00) Canada (7/00) Cayman Islands (5/96) Chile (10/00) Colombia (8/00) Costa Rica (6/00) Cuba (11/99) Dominica (3/98) Dominican Republic (10/00) Ecuador (10/00) El Salvador (8/00) Grenada (4/00) Guatemala (5/00) Guyana (8/00) Haiti (3/98)) Honduras (10/99) Jamaica (6/00) Martinique* Mexico (01/01) Netherlands Antilles* Nicaragua (9/00) Organization of American States (05/00) Panama (1/00) Paraguay (7/99) Peru (3/00) St. Kitts and Nevis (8/00) St. Lucia (3/98) St. Vincent and The Grenadines (6/00) Suriname (3/98) Trinidad and Tobago (2/00) Uruguay (5/00) Venezuela (12/99) [end of document] All Background Notes | Western Hemisphere | State Department