Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
and nutrition. An impressive supporting cast of subjects includes contemporary information on sus-
tainable development, desertification, ethics in food and agriculture, gender and food security, bio-
technology in food and agriculture, and other important items related to economic development and
human well-being. In addition to these regular menu clickables, the homepage typically contains at
least one “in-depth focus” essay on a timely topic (such as how the African AIDS epidemic is threat-
ening agricultural production and future sustainable development) and current news items related to
food production in different countries.
The U.S. Department of State's Geographic Learning
Site (GLS)
Devoted primarily to political geography, this Web site (
http://www.geography.state.gov
) is typical
of the genre that is designed with teachers and students in mind. From the home page, you can go
to sections on traveling and living abroad, facts and information about countries and regions, current
international topics and issues, and history and culture around the world. Interactive and historical
maps are available, as well as topical ones that complement the sections mentioned. When you tire of
the serious stuff, you can try your hand at one of the games or quizzes. Also, check out the links that,
in addition to literally giving you the world, lead you to a host of statistics on demographics, trade,
and business at home as well as abroad.
The Virtual Geography Department
Based at the University of Colorado, this site (
http://www.colorado.edu/geography/virtdept/con-
tents.html
) is designed to help college and university geography departments share a wide range of
information including the structure of their degree programs, course syllabi, modules and materials
for classroom use, and online courses. For the novice geographer who may be considering “taking it
to the next level,” this is a great place to peruse the content of academic geography to see whether or
not it looks right for you. Think of it as an online catalog for the potential college geography student
or geography major.
Worldbank.org
The official Web site of the World Bank (
http://www.worldbank.org
)
is a great source of information
about conditions and trends in developing nations. From the main menu you can navigate to a series
of tabular data on individual countries or the regions of which they are part. You can also read up on a
number of regional initiatives — perhaps the most intriguing of which is the Indigenous Knowledge
