Inge
H. FertigInge H. Fertig
Nancy Brown
Doug Picirillo
Inge
H. Fertig1. Glacier Home -
Antarctica
http://www.glacier.rice.edu/
As I was visiting this site, I was thinking of Nancy and her reason for taking GEG101 via the Internet. This is an excellent teaching site, because it uses the question and answer approach in describing the Antarctica realm. It is written in easy to understand language and has a glossary link covering the geographical terminology used in this site that is 31 pages long! There are seven primary links including space, land, weather, oceans, invitation, expedition and earth systems all relating to Antarctica, with two of the links are still under construction. There are plenty maps and photographs in each link adding to the enjoyment of this site.
2.
Australia
http://www.wtgonline.com/country/au/index.html
My wish to actually visit Australia may never come true, but at least I had a chance to do so via the Internet. This informative site about the Australian realm includes information and maps of each region in Australia. For each link it provides geographic and climate information. In addition, it includes informative links that every travel would be interested in such as accommodations, business information, resorts and social activities.
3.
Germany
http://www.expedia.msn.com/wg/places/GermanyBGGEFS.htm
Since Germany is where I was born I wanted to include a visit to the state of Germany in the western region of the European realm. There is a geography link on this site and it describes the three major geographical regions that make up Germany and their topography. This site would be particularly interesting to someone who wants to visit Germany. It includes an almanac of interesting facts, Germany's ethnic composition, information on religion, government, history, arts and culture, and brief highlights about the major cities in Germany. Each link includes photographs of German landscapes, images and people. The only drawback on this site is that the background and written word contrast is poor which makes it a little difficult to read.
4. Japan
http://www.heiwa.com/NSGAWEB/menu.htm
This brief but entertaining site about the state of Japan in the region of the Jakota Triangle and the realm of East Asia has been put together by the Naval Security Group Activity located on Okinawa Island. Links include a map of Japan, Japanese geography, pictures of local currency, climate, suggested reading about Japan. The images of Japan link includes some interesting and enjoyable photographs.
5.
North
Korea
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~felsing/kstyff/nkshelf.html
This is a very in depth and informational site on the state of North Korea in the region of the Jakota Triangle and the realm of East Asia. Geographically related links include North Korea's geography and a variety of informational maps. The environment link has an article describing environmental issues in Northeast Asia, including air pollution, acid rain, radioactive waste dumping and marine oil spills, and regional economic integration. Images includes photographs of North Korea and the capital, Pyongyang. The History link traces Korean history from ancient times to post-war North Korea. There is an infrastructure and the general link contains, different articles and photographs including an article in German of a recent visit to North Korea that shows that the Democratic Republic of North Korea is not so "democratic" after all. For foreigners taking photographs of and associating with North Korean natives is a definite no-no. This North Korean site is a link of the CEAL (Council of East Asian Libraries) site which also includes external links to Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Macau, Japan and South Korea.
6.
Global
Change Bibliography - Article Abstracts
http://www.geo.appstate.edu/gelp/abstracts.html
If you are interested in climatology and the possible causes and effects of global warming and the greenhouse effect, this site is for you. It contains more than 100 abstracts of articles on this subject. Discussions include efforts to reduce emission of greenhouse gases, an analysis of the value of GIS systems that perform spatial analysis of landscape data, pro and con discussions on whether we really are experiencing global warming, the use of GCMs (General Circulation Models) to project future climates, the impact of overpopulation, large-scale colonization, tropical deforestation, industrialization and more.
7.a.
Maps
of the World
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/world_maps.html
For those of you that are interested in seeing maps of the realms and regions of the world, the opportunities on this site are endless. The world maps collection includes topographic and thematic maps of the world, continents, regions, countries, states and provinces, as well as maps on world gross domestic product per capita, world market size by gross domestic product and a map of standard time zones of the world. There are nautical charts, aeronautic charts, flood maps, city maps, highway maps, park and recreation maps. The United States map collection includes a wide range of topographic, base, shaded relief, historic and thematic state maps. One of the drawbacks is that some of the maps are large and allow viewing of one section at a time.
7.b.
EarthRISE
http://earthrise.sdsc.edu/earthrise/main.html
This site contains a large database of photos of the earth taken from space by astronauts out of the windows of the space shuttle. It contains photos taken over the past 15 years. The are three primary links: Form Search, Political Search and Topographic Search. Under the form search link one can search by typing in the name of a city, state or feature and the database will provide available pictures taken from space. Under the political link one can click unto a particular country and receive sub links of all the different photos that are available in that country. Under the topographic link one can search by clicking unto red marks on the world map. The red marks indicate photos centered at that particular latitude and longitude which can be brought in for a closeup view. There is also a question and answer link which contains a list of questions and answers regarding the data and photos.
8.
Thunderlizards
http://www.thunderlizards.com/index.htm
This not-so-useful sites about dinosaurs is my favorite. It was the only site that included sound (right out of Jurrasic Park). The index includes a Dinosaur section which has pictures and descriptions of popular dinosaurs (i.e. Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Brachiosaurus). The Warm vs. Cold section discusses the cold vs. warm-blooded theory pertaining to dinosaurs. Under Dinosaurid thee is discussion of Darwin's theory of evolution and survival of the fittest. The Just for Kids section provides opportunities to color and create dinosaurs and the In the News section has dinosaur-linked news clips. The geography link on this site is under Extinction. One of the theories of extinction discusses the process of continental drift which separated Gondwanaland and Laurasia roughly into the continents that we know today. It is thought that these geological shifts may have caused critical changes in the earth's atmosphere and the weather. Winters may have become severe, changed rainfall patterns may have changed swampy areas into deserts. It is thought that this change in environment may have been too quick and drastic for the dinosaurs to adapt. There is also the theory of an asteroid hitting the earth creating so much dust that the sun was blocked our killing green plants and interrupting the food chain resulting in the starvation of the dinosaurs.
9.
The
Story of Plate Tectonics
http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/dynamic.html
Those of you who are as fascinated by the story of plate tectonics and the theory of continental drift as I am will enjoy this online edition of This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics by W. Jacquelyne Kious and Robert I. Tilling. This site has a eight internal of links including the historical perspective, understanding plate motions, some unanswered questions, developing the theory, "hotspots": mantle thermal plumes, to plate tectonics and people. Each link has many maps and drawings, as well as satellite views for a full dimensional understanding. In addition there are many sub links and side bars that one can visit throughout each internal link. The plate boundary concepts of divergent, convergent, transform and plate boundary zones are clearly explained and the explanations are supplemented by excellent drawings. Reading this story finally has put meaning behind such terms as ring of fire, tsunamis, faults. Bring lots of time when you visit this site because it will be hard to tear yourself away.
10.
Volcanoes
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vw.html
This is another site that is an excellent tool for teaching about volcanoes and plate tectonics. The site provides a research and information link that provides various information about volcanoes of the world including volcano video clips. There is a stories, games, quizzes and activity link for kids, a teaching and learning link for teachers that includes lesson plans, a news and current events link and much more. It even includes comments from other readers and the opportunity to send comments. The plate tectonics link which includes many detail drawings and maps has lessons, key concepts and lesson outcomes, as well as a list of references and a list of activities and teaching suggestions.
Nancy
Brown1.
Cambodia
http://members.aol.com/cambodia/index.html
This site takes an in-depth look at the country of Cambodia in the Southeast Asian realm. In it, viewers can learn about the historical and cultural characteristics used to define the realm. It includes photos, Khmer art work, written histories, letters from victims of land mines, etc.
2. East Asian Realm
http://www.askasia.org/
This exciting website offers a lot of educational and cultural information about the East Asian Realm including comic strips about teenagers’ lives, photos, information, news, and lectures that involve interaction.
3.
Chechnya
http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~hqurba1/Chechnya.html
This site gives information about the balkanization of the Russian Federation. in the Russian realm. It focuses on the fight for independence in the autonomous republic of Chechnya. The site is made up of news articles, pictures, and opinion statements about the war in Chechnya.
4. Ethiopia
http://rs6.loc.gov:80/et_00_00.html
This website provides detailed information about Ethiopia in the sub-Saharan Africa realm. One example of a topic from the site is information given about physical geography, describing where the population lives (elevation and climate) and why (relating to agriculture). The cultural geography information is also useful, especially statistics about population density, and birthrates as related to religious beliefs that encourage large families.
5. Sub-Saharan
Africa Realm
http://www.usafricaonline.com/
This is a homepage called US Africa. It is a source of articles, editorials, pictures, and maps giving detailed information about the Sub-Saharan Africa Realm, especially related to current events. I read an article by former president, Jimmy Carter, about the historical geography of Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
6. Northern
Ireland
http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/index.html
Although this website is still under construction, it does give some important information about the historical geography of the conflict in Northern Ireland of the European Realm. The article explains how the conflict acts as a centrifugal force in both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
7.
European
Community
http://www.premier-ministre.gouv.fr/ENG/HIST/HISTUE1.HTM
This website explains the background of the supranationalism that initiated the European community in the European Realm. It includes descriptions of the flag as well as pictures and background information about the historical geography, events leading up to the founding of the EC.
8. U.S.
Cultural Geography
http://www.essential.org/gis/demograph.html
This is a website which focuses on the demographics of U.S. regions in the North American Realm. It shows maps of ethnicity and socioeconomic patterns.
9.
Brazil
http://lonelyplanet.com.au/dest/sam/bra.htm
This is an excellent website providing information about Brazil in the South American realm to potential travelers. Facts at a Glance are provided about the country’s history, government, economy, environment, etc. A slide show can also be viewed which incorporates visual images of the country including revelers during Carnival, beach scenes, city scapes of the primate city, Sao Paulo, etc.
10.
Belgium
http://www.adci.gov/cia/publications/nsolo/factbook/be.htm
This detailed site provides information about the country of Belgium in the Western Europe region of the European realm. From the information provided about the split population of French and Flemish speakers, it can be inferred that this country has ethnic divisions. No wonder it is not considered by H.G. de Blij to be a good example of a nation state.
Doug
Picirillo(Some descriptions are copied from the named sites. [Vocabulary terms are in brackets.])
1.
Railroad
[infrastructure / transporation]
http://pavel.physics.sunysb.edu/RR/maps.html
"The World's Most Complete Collection of RAILROAD, SUBWAY, AND TRAM MAPS" Currently, the collection features about 248 maps (101 maps showing railroads, 31 -- trams, 136 -- subways, and 2 -- other transportation systems).
2.
SAKHALIN
RAILROAD
[infrastructure / transportation]
http://pavel.physics.sunysb.edu/RR/USSR/sakhalin/
Description of the rail system on Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East with discussion of proposals for connecting this system with either the Russian mainland or Japan.
3. The International
Association of Ports and Harbors Experimental Site
[infrastructure]
http://www.cyberplus.ca/~iaph/
The IAPH is a worldwide association of ports and harbors founded in 1955. Contains links to member sites many with detailed harbor maps.
4. The University of Queensland
LINKS TO LANGUAGE AND
LINGUISTIC SITES ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
[languages; literacy]
http://www.cltr.uq.oz.au:8000/links/
Here is a list of Web sites relating to languages, linguistics, and many related topics. These have been collected from many sources, from the Internet, colleagues, the Web, and books and journals. Includes links to such interesting regional language sites as the Catalan Institute.
5. RADIO PRAGUE
[devolution; Czechoslovakia; news from a region with volatile
political geography]
http://www.prague.org/
News (and real audio, if you have it) from the Czech Republic.
6. BRAMA - Ukrainian
Gateway
[Ukraine, former part of USSR]
http://www.brama.com/index.html
Information about arts, culture, business, news, government, etc. in the Ukraine. Also, lots of maps and travel / tourist information.
7. CATALONIA:
Spain's Industrial Heartland; Europe's New Center of
Development
[devolution; Spain; economic development]
http://www.catalonia.com/cidem1.html
Site built by CIDEM, an independent agency funded by the Government ofCatalonia established to assist, confidentially and free of charge, investors who wish to take advantage of the many competitive advantages of Catalonia, an autonomous region in the northwest corner of Spain.
8. Welcome
to Chile;
[general country info.]
http://sunsite.dcc.uchile.cl/chile/list.html
Information about Chile. TOPICS: Sensitive Map, Official Servers, Economy, Government, Internet in Chile, Laws, Miscellaneous, News, Science, Tourism. A Polyconomics top 200 international research site.
9. Polyconomics
Inc. Tops 200 International Research Sites
[economic development]
http://www.polyconomics.com/megalink.htm
Links to country information sites and investment and economics information sites.
10. Instituto Nacional de
Investigación Agropecuaria URUGUAY
[agricultural /economic development]
http://www.inia.org.uy/
I need my dictionary handy for this one but its pretty interesting. Its all about modernizing agriculture in Uruguay.
El objetivo del INIA es que todas las acciones contribuyan a cumplir la misión del instituto en generar tecnología para el desarrollo del sector agropecuario uruguayo. En el mundo actual, esto significa comunicación, actualización y búsqueda permanente de nuevos avances y desafíos del conocimiento científico y tecnológico. Concientes de la necesidad de abrirnos al mundo cada vez más para lograr estos objetivos es que creamos este espacio, el cual esperamos cada día mejorar con su apoyo.