World Geography & Culture Online

          CIA World Factbook

The producers of this site use over 100 information fields for each country they present. That makes this site a good foundation for any country report. Each article opens with a nice, printable map, the nation's flag, and a navigation bar to help you get to the information you choose. Written at a higher reading level than most.

U.S. State Department Background Notes

Information on geographic entities and international organizations. Updated as information is received from regional agencies. Focus of the information is government, economy, politics, and relations with other countries. Over 200 countries are profiled. Also check the State Department's home page under "Countries and Regions."

Lonely Planet--Destinations

Ready reference and travel information as well as history, culture, further reading, and related websites.

Atlapedia

The "Countries A to Z" section provides statistical data. The "World Maps" section has full color physical and political maps, and the "Resources" section includes links for further study or homework help. This is a commercial site, so your map may not be useable if you mind "Atlapedia.com" embossed across it. Otherwise, the information is good and reliable.

National Geographic Map Machine

Choose your map by theme and area, then zoom in or out to get just the map you want. Be patient--it takes some time to learn. The site also includes information on geographic entities, flags, etc.

International Data Base

The International Data Base (IDB) is a computerized data bank containing statistical tables of demographic, and socio-economic data for 227 countries and areas of the world. It is sponsored and maintained by the US Census Bureau.

NationMaster

This tool allows you to compare characteristics for two counties, find the top and bottom five countries for any characteristic, or summarize data for a particular country. Choose from over 80 characteristics. The information is drawn from the CIA World Factbook and other sources. Explore with the Compare, Rank, Summary, and Settings buttons.

Country Reports.org

"Country information from around the world. Over 23,000 pages on over 260 countries." Beautiful photography! This site charges a small subscription fee.

United States

Stately Knowledge

"Just the facts" on each state, along with some comparison charts. Links to encyclopedia articles and other state sites are found within each state article.

US50

More information on each state than Stately Knowledge. Includes historical figures of note, history, geography, and tourism.

US Geological Survey

Maps, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, storms, a national atlas, lots of photos, Click on a map to get information by state. "Picturing Science" features online tours of land forms and wildlife.

National Geographic Society

Special section for students offers geography challenges and learning activities. The entire site is valuable and offers some of the best interactive multimedia experiences. live events and exhibits o the Web. Try the Virtual Solar System.

The National Park System

The National Park Service is dedicated to the preservation and management of this country's outstanding natural, historical, and recreational resources. The National Park Service encompasses more than 360 sites across the United States and in Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands--and there is information on all of them at this site.

Maps

Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection

A large collection of maps arranged by continent. Sections include "Maps of Current Interest," "Historical Maps" and "City Maps." The maps are available in JPG and PDF. You'll need a graphics program to resize the large PDF maps to fit a page. Also includes links to many other good map sites.

Xpeditions Atlas

The National Geographic Society hosts this site. At the home page, choose a location from the pull-down menus, then specify what kind of map you'd like. Formats are GIF and PDF, and most will print on one page.

Outline Maps

Continent/hemisphere outline maps from Houghton Mifflin in PDF format. There are various types of U.S. maps (postal codes, political/social facts, physical characteristics, capitals, etc.).

Blank State Outline Maps

Each map has the capital and major cities indicated. All are in GIF format and each prints on a single page.

Also try Britannica encyclopedia. It features a map with each country article.