About Our Data

Learn more about the country context surrounding our data and data collection methodologies by selecting a country from the following list:

You can also find information about recent data updates here.

For more information about how FEWS NET’s data is structured, see the Metadata Standards pages.

Wikipedia as a Data Source for Geographic and Administrative Information

While Wikipedia may not be appropriate for all research contexts, it serves as a valuable and often irreplaceable source for certain types of information where collaborative editing and real-time updates are important.

For country subdivision changes, Wikipedia often provides the most current and comprehensive information available. The platform's global contributor network ensures that local changes are documented quickly, often by individuals with direct knowledge of administrative modifications. This makes Wikipedia particularly valuable for tracking boundary changes, new administrative units, and political reorganizations that may not yet appear in official government publications or academic sources.

For rapidly changing administrative data where timeliness is critical, Wikipedia's strengths in currency and coverage often outweigh the limitations typically associated with user-generated content. For this reason, FEWS NET sometimes uses Wikipedia as a source for our Country Data Books.