Though the world holds nearly 200 countries, most of us haven't visited more than a few. Knowledge of our home nation comes easy, but have you ever wondered about the culture, society, or history of other countries?

We've gathered a set of websites for learning about any country you have interest in. Whether you want to brush up before you travel or just want to pick up some new information, you'll learn something new and useful with these.

1. CountryCode.org: Calling Codes

This site provides at-a-glance basic information about the world's countries. On the homepage, you'll find the Country Code for placing calls to that region. It also includes ISO (International Organization for Standardization) codes for each country. Concluding the basic info, you'll find the country's area and GDP.

Search for a country using the top bar to open more details about it. This includes the current time and time zone, weather, currency, and what languages are spoken in that country. You'll even see the type of electrical plugs they use!

Overall, CountryCode.org provides a great quick reference for any country. It's a must-visit when you plan on calling internationally for the first time.

2. GeographyFieldwork.com: World Capitals

This simple page collects the capital cities of the world's countries into an easy-to-search table. Simply scroll through the list or use Ctrl + F to open your browser's Find menu to locate the country you're interested in.

By default, the list sorts in alphabetical order by country. You can click the Capital City heading to sort by those instead. Use the Switch Columns button if you'd like to change the order.

If you're trying to memorize all the world capitals, creating flash cards is a good way to study them.

3. Geology.com: World Maps

Geology.com's World Maps page lets you examine the map of any region.

Click a region on the main map to jump to a list of countries in that area. Once you select a country, you'll see its political map showing major roads, boundaries, and cities. Continue scrolling for satellite images, natural resources, and other information.

If you select the United States, you can pick an individual state to view its counties, as well as maps of elevation, rivers, and more.

This might seem elementary, but many people don't even know where some countries are located. Learning where they are in relation to others can help you become a more cosmopolitan person.

For more interesting charts, check out some mesmerizing real-time world maps.

4. Countries-of the-World.com: Country Flags and More [No Longer Available]

When you watch the Olympics, you probably see several flags you're not familiar with. You can get acquainted with the flags of the world using this page. Like others, you can use Ctrl + F to search since everything is on one page.

A country's flag is an important symbol, and often contains elements from its history. Learning to recognize flags is fun!

But this site isn't limited to just flags. It contains pages on world currencies [No Longer Available], world time zones [No Longer Available], and even country website domains [No Longer Available]. It's a well-rounded resource.

5. OfficeHolidays.com: World Holidays

Everyone is familiar with the days they get off in their country, and your calendar might even include holidays from different regions. But there are a lot more holidays to learn, and this site is a great place to do so.

At the top, you'll see holidays occurring today, if any. Below, a slideshow highlighting some major holidays plays. The home page concludes with a calendar of the current month's festivities.

Use the search bar or countries page to see all the holidays for a particular nation. They're all listed with comments or regions where appropriate. You can even change years to see when holidays fell last year or will occur next year.

6. Commisceo Global: Culture Guides

A lot of what we've covered so far is cold factual information. But what if you want to get a feel for what society is like in a different country? You need to check out the country guides from Commisceo Global.

It provides basic informational guides for more than 80 countries around the world. Each one contains big points like culture, food, etiquette, and business practices. Of course, these are only guidelines and can't cover every little aspect of a culture.

It's fascinating to read about life in another country, and this can provide vital information if you're planning to travel to another region soon.

7. CIA World Factbook: Statistics Galore

The CIA's World Factbook page includes a lot of the information we've mentioned from other sites, like maps and flags. Its most interesting feature, though, is the Country Comparisons page. This allows you to see how the world's countries compare in a variety of areas.

Expand a category, like People and Society, and you'll see a variety of entries inside, such as Median age. This allows you to see how the countries stack up in all sorts of ways.

Select a country, and you can view its page with even more info. Expand categories like Government, Energy, and Geography to see the country's ruling structure, energy usage, and land information.

Learn More About the World: Languages

The world is a vast place, and there's always something new to discover outside the region you live in. Use these resources to decide where you want to visit next, or just learn a few basics to familiarize yourself more on a global scale.

You can learn a lot more about the world if you can communicate with its residents. The best language learning apps can help you speak a new language and enable you to talk with so many more people.