Culture Crossing · The Country Guides
The Culture Crossing Guide was a community built resource for cross-cultural etiquette and understanding: a database of information about countries all over the world, shared by people from all walks of life to help others navigate an increasingly borderless world with savvy and sensitivity.
The information in each country guide was submitted by people who are natives or residents, or former residents, of the featured country. Over the years it was added to by community members who had lived, worked, studied or traveled there. All of it was vetted by a Culture Crossing staff member and checked for credibility by cross referencing with at least two other sources.
The guides provide only generalized information, and there are always exceptions to the rule. The purpose of offering this generalized and abridged version is to introduce people to some of the cultural tendencies of a place, not to reduce anyone to them.
The hope is simply that being alert to these tendencies helps avoid unnecessary miscommunication. And that in reading about the variety of tendencies in the world, people become more aware of how their own culture shapes the way they act, react and interact with everyone else.
Every country page follows the same structure, so the same topic can be read side by side across countries.
The guides are no longer updated. They are kept online and free because schools, universities and libraries still use them. Country names have been brought up to date and a small number of sections that had aged past usefulness were removed. The observations themselves are presented as they were contributed.
Culture Crossing continues as a consulting and speaking practice at culturecrossing.net.