Country and Currency Info
All good study abroad students want to learn as much as possible about their destination prior to departure. Here is a pre-departure challenge to help prepare you for arrival in your study abroad locale.
Country Information
For official facts and information, consult
- the CIA World Factbook
- the Library of Congress Country Studies
- InfoPlease Country Information
To learn about current events in your destinations:
For more in-depth information:
- the Lonely Planet, Footprint, Rough Guide and Let’s Go publications are useful
- the Culture Shock series provides a good introduction to customs and etiquette in selected countries or cities (no web site; you can order through your local indie bookstore)
- Planeta.com provides good information on Latin America and eco-tourism
- The British Council provides advice for US students planning to study in the UK.
- Budget Britain is a website created by American students for American students planning to study in Great Britain.
Currency
It’s advisable, prior to departure, to have a good sense of how the US dollar relates to the currency of the nation where you plan to study. Good currency sense will prevent rude financial awakenings later in the term. For a user-friendly way of determining exchange rates, refer to the currency converter.
The currency converter run by Travlang.com provides pictures of the currency you’ll soon be calling your own. Familiarize yourself with the different bills and their worth.