Remember spinning a globe with your eyes closed to see where your finger would land? Now you can spin a journey around the Web to the farthest corners of the earth. Where will you land today? [Editor's Note: An updated version of this topic can be found here: Geography]
Using a database of world cities to find latitude and longitude, "How Far Is It?" will calculate the distance between any two locations. It also displays a map of each locale, using the Xerox PARC Map Server. How far is it from San Diego to Hong Kong? 7350 miles.
What does a cartographer do? Make maps. Why? So we can find our way. Join map maker Will Fontanez as he explains his work and learn how Peter Pan found his way to Never Never Land. Follow the hyperlinks for definitions and examples of basic cartographer's terminology, from azimuthal equidistant to weather maps.
What desert covers roughly the same area as the United States? Questions (and answers) from the National Geography Bee are posed daily at this web version of the popular "National Geographic" magazine. You'll also find an online version of the kids' magazine "National Geographic's World", but don't limit yourself to the "kid stuff". The rest of the site is too outstanding to miss. Highlights include the Map Machine Atlas (currently covering only North America, but still growing), and the Visions Gallery featuring works from those incredible National Geographic photographers . The answer, by the way, is the Sahara.
The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
50 StatesCIA World Fact Book | Geo-Globe |
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