General, Maps, and GIS Resources

Games

Geoguesser - can you figure out where these places are?

News Sources

• News and Information Sources for Geography and Geographers

Sources for Country Statistics

• Our World in Data - amazing, updated, sourced, data and graphs for all kinds of social science data.

• CIA World Factbook - everything the CIA can tell you and not have to arrest you if you talk.

• GapMinder.org  - U.N. data presented as interactive graphs and maps.

Cartography, GIS, and Maps

Planiglobe - quickly create overview maps for any region of the world. This can be done using Google Earth as well.

USGS--U.S. Geological Survey

Quantum GIS - open-source, free GIS application

Finding Your Way With Map and Compass - USGS explanation of topographic map reading. 

Map Projection Overview - University of Texas Dept. of Geography explains map projections.

Color Landform Atlas of the United States - nice shaded relief maps of all 50 states.

Google Earth - fantastic free software package that allows rapid mapping using satellite images of the entire earth.

Cartography Blog - excellent source of information about unique maps and professional cartography.

MapPros - good website for those interested in GIS, GPS, and Remote Sensing Careers

Blank Outline Maps - a long annotated list of blank outline maps for quizzes and studying place names.

General Purpose Maps - my list of links to some global map .jpg files from University of Texas.

The Geographer's Craft Project - a massive list of GIS resources.

Camping, Recreation, and Parks

• Local Hikes and Camping in the San Gabriel Mountains

• Bureau of Land Management - recreation pages from California office.

• National Park Service

• California State Parks

Publications

• National Geographic Magazine - the world's most popular magazine.

Photography

• Placeworld.com - California landscape photography and essays by "world-famous" journalist Matt Carroll.

Resources for Writing Research Papers

• • Mr. Reed's Geography Research Writing Essentials

  • Georgetown University's "How to Write a Research Paper" - one page of simple, important info.

  • Writing Persuasive Essays -  a simple guide to writing the kinds of short essays I often require.

  • The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing - a more detailed and sophisticated resource on all types of college writing.

  • How to Construct Research Posters for Humanities and Social Sciences

  • Plagiarism - what it is and how to avoid it.

  • Evaluating Web Sites - a guide to distinguishing the good from the bad in cyberspace.

  • Research Central: Geography - a huge list of geography links including physical, cultural, cartography - even clip art.

  • Citing Electronic Texts - how to cite web sources.