These Web sites have been carefully reviewed and selected to provide useful and appropriate links to on-line resources to support your curriculum. Because Web sites change from time to time, Nystrom cannot guarantee or be responsible for their content or the possibility that their addresses (URLs) may also change.

 

Physical WorldGeneral Information

CIA World Fact Book
This site offers maps and geographic, population, governmental, economic, communications, transportation, and military data for every country

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
This is a tremendous site for photos of cultures and data on topics related to agriculture, nutrition, fisheries, forestry, and food quality.

 

Physical WorldBiomes

Biomes of the World
World map showing biome regions. The map key links to definitions and photos of biomes.

What's It Like Where You Live?
Explorations of rainforest, tundra, taiga, desert, temperate, and grasslands biomes. Great photos.

Rainforest Heros
This site offers a great deal of information and photos about rainforests, the native people and animals that inhabit them, and efforts being made to preserve these regions.

Rainforest Database
This site provides information about the ecology and people of the rainforest. It includes a searchable database that is fairly extensive.

 

Physical WorldEarthquakes

EQINET: Earthquake Information Network
Data on the most recent quakes and maps to pinpoint their locations.

USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Earthquake Central, with a database and good general information.

Geology: Plate Tectonics
Animation of land movement over the past 750 million years as a result of plate shifting.

 

Physical WorldEnergy Sources

Clean Energy 101
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory offers basic facts on renewable energy resources and technologies.

Energy Story
On-line book about energy sources-including the ocean.

Nuclear Energy
This US Nuclear Regulatory Commission site provides information about nuclear reactors and energy planning.

 

Physical WorldMountains

America's Roof
Names and locates the highest point in each state.

Mountains around the World
Includes a continent-by-continent photo gallery of mountains around the world.

 

Physical WorldOceans

Corals and Coral Reefs
SeaWorld has created an informative site, offering maps and diagrams to explain the creation of reefs and the reef ecosystem.

Surface Ocean Current Map
Map of major oceanic surface currents.

Dive and Discover
This site created by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute includes virtual sea expeditions from around the world.

Tsunami: WWW Information Resource
Great source of information and data, includes animation.

 

Physical WorldRivers

River Systems of the World
Tabular data on major river systems.

Rivers Seen from Space
Maintained by an archaeological journal, this site features satellite and aerial photos of the world's major river systems.

RiverLinks
For the study of individual rivers, this is a rich source of links organized in an alphabetical index of selected world rivers.

 

Physical WorldTime

Calendars Through the Ages
This site includes calendars throughout history and from around the world.

Leap Years and Our Calendar
History and explanation of leap years.

A Walk through Time
Describes the evolution of time measurement over the last 5,000 years.

WorldTime
This site shows a globe with the current night/day sides of the earth delineated. The globe can be rotated to see any part of the world. There is also information on local times as well as sunrise and sunset times for hundreds of cities.

 

Physical WorldVolcanoes

Michigan Technological University's Volcanoes Page
Historic and current information on active volcanoes around the world. Many photos.

Volcano Hazards Program, USGS
This site describes the types and effects of volcano hazards and gives examples of different types of volcanic eruptions. It includes many pictures and illustrations.

Volcano World
The University of North Dakota's volcano site contains a fantastic and extensive collection of photos, maps identifying the locations of volcanoes, FAQs, and a volcano search engine.

 

Physical WorldWeather/Climate

World Climate
Type in any location around the world on this site and find out what its climate is like.

Cloud Boutique
This site features explanation and pictures of different cloud forms.

EPA Global Warming Site
Information on what global warming is, its potential impact, and what can be done about it; also includes diagrams, graphs, and maps.

History of Climate Change
Descriptions of ice ages and what caused them, illustrated with line graphs.

National Weather Service
Current international weather warnings, observations, and forecasts.

The Weather Channel
National and international weather forecasts. Radar and satellite displays available.

Natural Disasters: Destructive Forces of Nature
This site, developed by students, includes information about and pictures of tornadoes, volcanoes, lightning, earthquakes, droughts, tsunamis, and hurricanes.

Glaciers
Join an expedition to Antarctica to study the environment and learn how it affects all of the Earth's systems.