As of May 2012, Background Notes are no longer being updated or produced. They are in the process of being replaced by Fact Sheets that focus on U.S. relations with each country. The link to each document from anywhere on www.state.gov or on any other site, as a bookmark, etc., will remain the same, whether it appears as a Background Note or when it is replaced by a Fact Sheet.
Background Notes listed below are the most recently published versions. Previous editions are available in our archive section.
Afghanistan (2012-09-06)
Albania (2012-04-05)
Algeria (2012-08-17)
Andorra (2012-04-20)
Angola (2012-04-25)
Antigua and Barbuda (2012-03-22)
Argentina (2012-03-12)
Armenia (2012-03-22)
Aruba (2012-07-09)
Australia (2012-07-23)
Austria (2012-07-11)
Azerbaijan (2012-03-23)
Bahamas, The (2012-08-10)
Bahrain (2012-08-28)
Bangladesh (2012-03-06)
Barbados (2012-06-04)
Belarus (2012-01-27)
Belgium (2012-03-22)
Belize (2012-06-20)
Benin (2012-02-17)
Bermuda (2012-07-23)
Bhutan (2012-07-03)
Bolivia (2012-03-08)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (2012-03-14)
Botswana (2012-07-11)
Brazil (2012-08-15)
Brunei (2012-07-03)
Bulgaria (2012-01-27)
Burkina Faso (2012-05-07)
Burma (2012-08-01)
Burundi (2012-09-07)
Cambodia (2012-06-13)
Cameroon (2012-08-07)
Canada (2012-06-29)
Cape Verde (2012-09-07)
Cayman Islands (2012-03-22)
Central African Republic (2012-07-24)
Chad (2012-07-23)
Chile (2012-06-29)
China (2012-06-05)
Colombia (2012-03-06)
Comoros (2012-05-07)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2012-04-30)
Congo, Republic of the (2012-08-02)
Costa Rica (2012-04-09)
Cote d'Ivoire (2012-09-10)
Croatia (2012-03-31)
Cuba (2012-06-21)
Curacao (2012-07-09)
Cyprus (2012-03-22)
Czech Republic (2012-04-25)
Denmark (2012-06-15)
Djibouti (2012-09-07)
Dominica (2012-03-22)
Dominican Republic (2012-03-05)
Ecuador (2012-03-08)
Egypt (2012-08-22)
El Salvador (2012-09-10)
Equatorial Guinea (2012-08-07)
Eritrea (2012-07-23)
Estonia (2012-04-10)
Ethiopia (2012-04-02)
Fiji (2012-09-10)
Finland (2012-04-10)
France (2012-08-24)
Gabon (2012-03-12)
Gambia, The (2012-07-03)
Georgia (2012-04-02)
Germany (2012-03-19)
Ghana (2012-07-05)
Greece (2012-03-22)
Grenada (2012-03-22)
Guatemala (2012-08-09)
Guinea (2012-06-05)
Guinea-Bissau (2012-09-10)
Guyana (2012-07-09)
Haiti (2012-08-20)
Holy See (2012-03-01)
Honduras (2012-06-19)
Hong Kong (2012-07-03)
Hungary (2012-08-14)
Iceland (2012-06-15)
India (2012-04-17)
Indonesia (2012-07-31)
Iran (2012-08-22)
Iraq (2012-09-07)
Ireland (2012-06-15)
Israel (2012-02-22)
Italy (2012-08-14)
Jamaica (2012-08-14)
Japan (2012-03-05)
Jordan (2012-06-29)
Kazakhstan (2009-04-20)
Kenya (2012-05-07)
Kiribati (2012-02-13)
Kosovo (2012-01-11)
Kuwait (2012-03-13)
Kyrgyzstan (2012-03-29)
Laos (2012-08-02)
Latvia (2011-11-18)
Lebanon (2012-06-29)
Lesotho (2012-03-06)
Liberia (2012-02-17)
Libya (2012-08-17)
Liechtenstein (2012-09-06)
Lithuania (2012-06-06)
Luxembourg (2012-04-30)
Macau (2012-07-03)
Macedonia (2012-06-08)
Madagascar (2012-05-07)
Malawi (2012-05-04)
Malaysia (2012-03-02)
Maldives (2012-03-29)
Mali (2012-01-03)
Malta (2012-06-06)
Marshall Islands (2012-03-14)
Mauritania (2011-09-01)
Mauritius (2012-05-07)
Mexico (2012-06-25)
Micronesia (2012-04-09)
Moldova (2012-06-14)
Monaco (2012-06-05)
Mongolia (2012-08-01)
Montenegro (2012-04-18)
Morocco (2012-09-11)
Mozambique (2012-06-13)
Namibia (2012-06-21)
Nauru (2012-03-13)
Nepal (2012-03-05)
Netherlands (2012-03-22)
New Zealand (2012-03-14)
Nicaragua (2012-08-31)
Niger (2012-02-06)
Nigeria (2012-04-19)
North Korea (2012-04-04)
Norway (2012-03-07)
Oman (2012-08-17)
Pakistan (2012-08-10)
Palau (2012-02-07)
Panama (2012-03-26)
Papua New Guinea (2012-04-23)
Paraguay (2012-03-15)
Peru (2012-08-28)
Philippines (2012-09-10)
Poland (2012-03-22)
Portugal (2012-08-14)
Qatar (2012-08-17)
Romania (2012-03-22)
Russia (2012-03-19)
Rwanda (2012-10-11)
Saint Kitts and Nevis (2012-03-22)
Saint Lucia (2012-07-12)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2012-03-22)
Samoa (2012-09-10)
San Marino (2012-03-08)
Sao Tome and Principe (2012-07-24)
Saudi Arabia (2012-06-29)
Senegal (2012-04-05)
Serbia (2012-06-19)
Seychelles (2012-07-23)
Sierra Leone (2012-07-23)
Singapore (2012-07-03)
Slovakia (2012-04-18)
Slovenia (2012-08-29)
Solomon Islands (2012-06-12)
Somalia (2012-04-20)
South Africa (2012-07-24)
South Korea (2012-04-12)
South Sudan (2012-07-11)
Spain (2012-09-24)
Sri Lanka (2011-04-06)
Sudan (2012-08-22)
Suriname (2012-07-09)
Swaziland (2012-10-16)
Sweden (2012-04-05)
Switzerland (2012-09-06)
Syria (2012-03-09)
Taiwan (2012-08-20)
Tajikistan (2012-01-24)
Tanzania (2012-07-12)
Thailand (2012-07-31)
Timor-Leste (2012-07-03)
Togo (2012-09-10)
Tonga (2012-06-12)
Trinidad and Tobago (2012-07-12)
Tunisia (2012-08-17)
Turkey (2012-03-20)
Turkmenistan (2012-01-23)
Tuvalu (2012-06-12)
Uganda (2012-04-06)
Ukraine (2012-01-04)
United Arab Emirates (2012-06-29)
United Kingdom (2012-03-22)
Uruguay (2012-04-02)
Uzbekistan (2012-01-31)
Vanuatu (2012-06-13)
Venezuela (2012-04-06)
Vietnam (2012-08-01)
Yemen (2012-08-21)
Zambia (2012-08-20)
Zimbabwe (2012-10-16)