In these volumes, 310 alphabetically arranged articles range in length from 500 to 3,500 words and cover 198 regions (''including every independent nation and several territories'') as well as international courts, supranational institutions, concepts central to understanding political organization and human rights, and key individuals who have had positive and negative impacts on the evolution of citizens' rights and responsibilities. Country entries describe the system of government and the political evolution, with emphasis on the twentieth century and on issues related to the relationship between government and citizen. Each signed article concludes with a bibliography. The credentials of the authors (mostly academicians) are provided in the directory of contributors. Sidebars and black-and-white maps and illustrations break up the text. Same-page definitions in the margins of terms (such as ethnic cleansing, guerrilla, and republic make the information more comprehensible, as does the glossary, which is repeated at the end of each volume. In addition, each volume includes a cumulative index and a thematic outline of topics so that users can easily locate information on relevant persons, documents, legal issues, and concepts, as well as country-specific data and history, and teachers can plan correlated assignments. Another useful feature is the filmography, which is arranged by country. Entries are complemented by volume-specific selections of primary documents (for example, Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, and Convention of the Rights of the Child).