EMBASSY DIRECTORY

Putting together a comprehensive and standardized directory of all 180+ foreign ambassadors to the United States is a daunting task. To accomplish this, we had to call each embassy to get CVs and photos, then condense the information into one-paragraph biographies in a tightly written, consistent manner. Much of this information can already be found scattered all over the internet, but it is neither consistent nor complete. For example, ambassadors’ names can take different styles. Questions abound, such as how to address an ambassador who’s also a monarch, like Her Highness Princess Lalla Joumala of Morocco, or Saudi Arabia’s Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud.

The structures of names vary according to region. In Latin America, the mother’s maiden name becomes a person’s “segundo apellido,” or second last name, but that’s often dropped on second reference or not used at all. For example, Honduran Ambassador Luís Fernando Suazo Barahona is referred to “Ambassador Luís Fernando Suazo” — omitting “Barahona.” Likewise, in Asian countries names may be reversed. For example, Japanese Ambassador Tomita might be listed as “TOMITA Koji,” even though “Tomita” is his last name.

Some publications have offered abbreviated versions of a directory, but they are not nearly as extensive as ours. We took on this challenge to compile not only embassies but also government agencies, business organizations and other useful information into the best directory of its kind you will ever find. With that in mind, please remember that no directory will ever be 100% accurate. By press time, some ambassadors will have left their posts, a few embassies may have moved, and other details could be outdated.

For that reason, we promise to update this directly annually. If you see an error, please notify us at directory@washdiplomat.com. We will immediately publish corrections online. Finally, to access this directly online, or to purchase extra copies, please go to our website: www.washdiplomat.com.

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