Research Guide: Geography
General
- Intute Geography Gateway
- Carefully selected and annotated list of high quality geography web sites. Searchable, but also includes subject guides.
- National Atlas
- Outstanding cross-referenced resource. Provides information and related links to maps and articles in the following categories: agriculture, biology, boundaries, climate, environment, geology, government, history, mapping, people, transportation, and water. The interactive Map Maker allows you to create a seemingly endless variety of maps by selecting criteria from twelve differentcategories. Dynamic and printable maps are other great features of this site.
- National Geographic
- Great source of fascinating information. Covers everything from cultures to nature to adventure and exploration. Go on a virtual adventure and explore Mt. Everest, investigate the Madagascar dry forest eco-region, or listen to the nightingale wren of the Amazon Rain Forest.
- Portals to the World, from the Library of Congress
- "Links to electronic resources from around the world...selected by Library of Congress subject experts." Links for each country are organized by topics such as business, geography, national security, society, and travel.
- Country Studies
- The Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress provides extensive information including a "description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of the countries throughout the world."
- CIA World Factbook
- Gives information on the historical background, geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for every country.
- NationMaster
- "A massive central data source and a handy way to graphically compare nations," this site uses colorful charts and maps to illuminate statistics and comparisons between countries. You can even make your own charts by choosing countries to compare and selecting categories such as agriculture, disasters, geography, or labor. The data from this site comes from the CIA World Factbook, the United Nations, UNICEF, and other such organizations.
- BBC News Country Profiles
- Provides concise and informative information on the history, politics, and economic background of each country and territory. Includes basic facts, leaders, and media (with links to press, television, and radio).
- Places OnLine
- Sponsored by the Association of American Geographers,this site "provides access to the world'svery best place-based Web sites."
Cultural Geography & Country Profiles
Physical Geography
- U.S. Geological Survey
- "Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment." Explore links related to geography, wildlife and human health, regional studies, and other topics under Our Science. Find maps, satellite and aerial images, and other materials under Publications. The National Map is a great interactive map service.
- Global Change Master Directory
- A searchable directory of over 15,000 descriptions of Earth Science data sets and services covering topics of agriculture, atmosphere, biosphere, climate indicators, cryosphere, human dimensions, hydrosphere, land surface, oceans, paleoclimate, solid Earth, spectral engineering, and Sun-Earth interactions.
Climatology
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Outstanding site with links to charts, climate, drought, lightning and other fascinating information on weather in the United States.
- Climate Diagnostics Center
- Extensive resource for all kinds of climate information, charts, maps, etc.
- Global Climate Change
- "At this Web site, you can explore scientific data relating to the atmosphere, the oceans, the areas covered by ice and snow, and the living organisms in all these domains."
- National Virtual Data System
- Climate data, both current and retrospective, including unedited local climatological data (by state and by station), edited climatological data, surface weather observations, and annual climatological summary. From NOAA National Data Centers. Ask at Reference Desk for username and password.
- Unisys Weather
- Providing information geared toward the weather professional, "the intent of this weather site is to provide a complete source of graphical weather information." Includes current analyses of satellite images, surface data, upper air data, and radar data. Various models of forecasts are also available, as well as hurricane data, image archives, and more.
Environmental Geography
- The Environmental News Network
- Terrific site for the latest environmental news. Over 40,000 articles from 1997 to the present. Topics include wildlife, ecosystems, sustainable economy, water resources, commentary, and much more.
- Earthweek: A Diary of the Planet
- "A weekly summary of Planet Earth's natural history," this site gives a brief synopsis of major events around the world.
- Planet Diary
- Similar to Earthweek's site, Planet Diary also give a weekly summary of environmental news, covering topics such as atmosphere, drought, fauna, floods, oil spills, and storms. Includes a searchable archive that goes back to 1999.
- The EnviroLink Network
- Non-profit organization "dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date environmental information and news." Offers news headlines, links to resources arranged by topic, and the interactive EnviroLink US atlas.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- The E.P.A.'s mission is "to protect human health and the environment," and their comprehensive site provides information on laws, regulations, and topics ranging from household waste to border issues.
- Soil and Water Conservation Society
- From the "nonprofit scientific and educational organization," whose mission is to "foster the science and art of national resource conservation."
- Envirofacts Data Warehouse
- "Your one-stop source for environmental information" from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Topics include waste, water, toxics, air, land, radiation, and compliance. You can search for reports and generate interactive maps with EnviroMapper.
GIS (Geographic Information Systems) & Remote Sensing
- SUNY Oneonta Geography Department's NCGE/RSTF Site
- Website of the National Council for Geographic Education/ Remote Sensing Task Force.
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Resources
- Provides links to background information and resources, data resources, and online maps.
- GIS.Com: Your Internet Guide to GIS
- "A portal to GIS information on the Web."
- GIS Dictionary
- An online dictionary which provides definitions for 980 GIS terms.
Maps, Atlases, & Gazetteers
- Milne Library Map Resource
- Extensive list of sites with map resources for New York State, the United States, and the world; gazetteers; and travel.
- Map History/History of Cartography
- Map collections, exhibitions, teaching the history of cartography, images of early maps, and more.
Miscellaneous & Just for Fun
- Association of American Geographers
- Provides information on membership and events, a nice overview of careers in geography, and various educational programs such as My Community, Our Earth: Geographic Learning for Sustainable Development.
- Second Nature
- Homepage of a non-profit organization whose mission is to bring about "the change in society that is vital to the success and livelihood of every current and future living being: a change for a just and sustainable future."
- How Far Is It?
- Useful in finding the distance between two places "as the crow flies."
- Geographia
- A travel network with information on a number of countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and Latin America.
- The START Natural Language Question Answering System
- Just type a question in the search box. "Currently, the system can answer millions of English questions about places (e.g., cities, countries, lakes, coordinates, weather, maps, demographics, political and economic systems)" as well as other topics such as science and history. While it does not know the answer to every single question, this site is still pretty impressive.
Page maintained by Kay Benjamin (benjamkd@oneonta.edu)