Social Studies/Geography Information Sites

All About the United States
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm
This site contains Web games that are a wonderful way to learn about our fifty states. Students learn state capitals, abbreviations, and locations. The games provide clues that include over 500 important and engaging facts.

Ancient Stones of Scotland
http://www.stonepages.com/ancient_scotland/

Arctic Studies Center
http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/index.html
Learn about the Alutiiq people in southern Alaska or research the Vikings within this site. For those grades whose curriculum involves the Western Hemisphere or the study of indigenous tribes, this is a good resource. To make cross curricular connections as students read about Alaskan Yup'ik masks, explore the "Archeology, Anthropology and other Sciences" in-depth student research, and choose from a number of online exhibitions on native peoples of the north. The "Exhibitions" link serves as a site map of sorts for students who wish to focus on a particular people.

Asia for Educators
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/
Teachers will like the organization of this website on Asia. Results can be found by viewing Subject Area, like geography, government, history; or File Type, like key points and central themes, lesson plans, maps; or Time Period from the beginning of Asian history to the present. There are also excellent units on the "Mongols in World History," "The Song Dynasty in China," and "Japanese Society and Culture."

Campus Tours
http://www.CampusTours.com
Campus Tours is for students who are planning ahead for college, or for people who just want to see what other places look like. Colleges are listed by U.S. state; links can lead to VR tours (Virtual Reality), streamed video, or a website.

Class Brain: State Report
http://www.classbrain.com/artstate/publish/
The perennial classroom project is a report on a U.S. state. Who of us hasn't had to do one? For today's students his site certainly makes the task easier to complete. Just click on a state to find Websites and information on a particular agriculture, capital city, current news, famous people, history, music, facts, symbols, and more.

Curating the City: Wilshire Blvd
http://www.curatingthecity.org/  
There are many who like to look at a city's primary arteries, such as Chicago's State Street, or in the case of this website, Los Angeles' storied Wilshire Boulevard. Stretching across 16 miles and moving through three municipalities, Wilshire Boulevard is known for such signature landmarks as Palisades Park in Santa Monica and the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Visitors will find the interactive map of the Boulevard quite a treat, as they are free to browse around by moving their mouse across a visually appealing map that offers highlights of the built environment on and around the area. Those who have their own personal memories of the Boulevard may wish to submit them in the site's Memory Book, which currently contains personal memories offered by Angelenos and others.

Degree Confluence Project
http://www.confluence.org/
"The project is an organized sampling of the world. There is a confluence within 49 miles (79 km) of you if you're on the surface of Earth. We've discounted confluences in the oceans and some near the poles, but there are still 12,555 to be found." They are taking pictures of all these confluences. So that means that there are tons of photos for you to browse through of these special places and from all over the world. If you are only interested in seeing different countries you can scroll down the page and go by the country listing. Just choose the country you want to view and it will take you to the pictures of the confluences in the those countries.

Desert Life in the American Southwest
http://www.desertusa.com/life.html
This online guide to the Southwest American desert presents information about plants, animals, and people. This is an excellent way for students to get an idea of what it might be like to visit the region and this correlates nicely with American geography and social studies curriculum.

Europe in 12 Lessons
http://europa.eu/abc/12lessons/index_en.htm
Everything you ever wanted to know about the European Union, from the rationale for its existence to its role in the future. A very thorough site presenting information in twelve separate lessons. which are also available as as a printed booklet. Appropriately, the site is available in 20 different languages, reflecting the diversity of the EU.

Everest
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/everest/index.html
This site was meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the initial climb of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953. However, it remains one of the best sites on the Web about Everest in that it captures the danger and adventure of an ascent. Click on everything it offers, but in particular, do not miss the "360° View from Summit" and the "Full Everest Anniversary Coverage" where you will find a "Sights & Sounds" feature box along the right hand side. Click there for the sights and sounds of the Sherpas and Sir Edmund Hillary.

Flags of the World
http://fotw.fivestarflags.com 
Flags of the World (FOTW) is the Internet's largest site devoted to vexillology (the study of flags). Here you can read more than 26,000 pages about flags and view more than 48,000 images of flags. The site is fed with news and images posted to the FOTW mailing list and with other contributions from interested readers and visitors. Flags of the World is produced and maintained by an Editorial Staff of unpaid volunteers and the contents of these pages are offered freely to the Internet community.

Gift of the Indus
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/pakistan/default.htm
The Kennedy Center provides a wonderful set of integrated resources that ties the people, the land, and daily life of Pakistan to its artistic and cultural traditions. Learn about Pakistani music, theater, dance, painting, sculpture, calligraphy, architecture, and decorative arts. This is an excellent site for examining art within a specific geographic and cultural context.

Indigenous Geography
http://www.indigenousgeography.si.edu/
From the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian comes this bilingual site designed to explore themes from the Native communities throughout the Western Hemisphere. Study the views of indigenous ways of life and issues affecting contemporary indigenous peoples. Hear some words and phrases spoken in Native languages.

Kid Info Reference Resources: The World
http://www.kidinfo.com/Geography/The_World.html
Young people interested in learning more about the world will want to bookmark this site. The links here include categories such as Countries of the World, Currencies of the World, Costumes, Famous Landmarks, Flags, World Holidays and Festivals, Maps, and Trivia.

Kid’s Web Japan
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/
Whether you use this site to teach your kids about Japan, or use it yourself to learn about Japan, you will find that it is a real delight. Sections include Explore Japan, Culture Corner, Cookbook for Kids, Kids Life, Say it in Japanese, Hi-Tech Japan, and Kids Travel Agency. Lot's of information!

National Geographic: Egypt Pyramids
www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html
Laid out in a timeline from the first pyramid to the last, this National Geographic site makes excellent use of multimedia to explore the pyramids individually and place them within a historical context. When visiting each pyramid page, place your mouse over the photo of the pyramid to view a diagram of its internal structure. Most of the featured pyramids also have additional photos available; click the Images button in the upper right-hand corner to view them.

National Geographic's Top Ten Stories of 2006
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/061211-top-stories.html
Far from being stuffy or overly scientific, this round-up of National Geographic's top 10 articles of the year gleams with all the romance and wonder of a world where anything seems possible. "Bog men" from 2,000 years ago slick gel into their hair to appear more menacing. A monster rabbit pillages villages of northeast England; locals dub the marauding beast "Bigs Bunny." Noah's Ark possibly washes up in Iran, a "lost world" reveals itself in the South Pacific, and the family of planets bids adieu to poor Pluto. Human quadrupeds and the horrifying death of a beloved crocodile hunter round out the selection. But one story gloms up a record two spots, including the distinction of being the magazine's most popular article of 2006. We'll let you unearth that one for yourself. Enjoy.

National Geographic WildWorld
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/
Through this site, your students can learn the latest about the rarest and most endangered areas on earth, as well as fragile ecosystems in their own region. Sights and Sounds brings interviews and information about specific regions of the world.

Nation Master
http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php
The Nation Master is an excellent resource for finding out current details about just about any country in the world. For easy reference, the main Web page features the most frequently requested stats, such as televisions and military expenditures per capita. Nation Master also allows visitors the option of creating their own graphs in order to effectively compare different nations. The site also has links to national profiles. Additionally, the site has a search engine, and a place where visitors can read short facts on the different countries. Apart from being interesting to browse through, the site will be helpful for students looking for basic statistics on the world's different countries.

Netstate.com
http://www.netstate.com/states/
Almost anything you want to know about the individual states of the United States can be found at this site. For a good overview of a state, click on its entry under Almanacs. Other sections cover state symbols, famous people, state forums, state news, geography, cool schools, and state size.

Northern Canada Research Portal
http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/northern/content?pg=menu&ap=1&ln=en
Students K thru 5 can find information on the People of the North, meaning Northern Canada. There are exhibits on "Life in a Northern Town," "Plants and Animals," and "Transportation in the North." Excellent photos of community life, art, and culture are available as well as primary sources such as historic books, pictures, and documents.

Panoramas.dk
http://www.panoramas.dk/index.html
Students will enjoy geography when they can actually step into a "panorama" of the place they are visiting. Visitors actually feel as if they are in the most exciting, beautiful, historic, and remote parts of the earth through these panoramas. The site suggests its newest and most sought after panoramas like the Moon, Mars, Mt. Everest, and the Eiffel Tower, but students can also search for specific countries or places in the news. This is a great way to get students involved in world geography.

Picture Australia
http://www.pictureaustralia.org/index.html
Picture Australia is a well-done searchable database allowing users to look for specific historical and contemporary images. Students might want to take a trail, where images are grouped by category. Olympic images are featured, as well as Antarctic expeditions, wildflowers and birds of Australia, and art. The trails are very easy to navigate.

Pyramids: The Inside Story
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/
"Have you ever dreamed of exploring the pyramids of Egypt? If so, enter here, wander through the chambers and passageways of the Great Pyramid, and learn about the pharaohs for whom these monumental tombs were built. You can also follow the 1997 field season of a team of archaeologists as they excavated the bakery that fed the pyramid builders."

Rainforest
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/rainforest/rainforest_overview.html
Explore African rainforests at this richly illustrated and informative site from PBS. Learn about the people, customs, and economy of these dense forested zones.

Sands of the World
http://www.chariho.k12.ri.us/curriculum/MISmart/ocean/sandintr.html
Sands of the World is the work of fourth grade students in the M.I. Smart! Program (Multiple Intelligences Program) in the Chariho Regional School District of Rhode Island. In order to expand knowledge about sand, site visitors are invited to send sand from a local beach to Charlestown, Rhode Island with specific labeling instructions. The sample is to be accompanied by a drawing or photographic of the beach from which the sample is taken. In a display of reciprocity, there's an offer to send site visitors Rhode Island sand. An interesting Home Page offers links to all kinds of sand for study. This exploration of sand offers ideas for pursuing sand studies through multiple intelligences with links to a sand museum, and the option to join a sand project with students of other schools. Lesson plans for teachers are also available for download.

States and Capitols
http://www.50states.com/

Welcome to Israel (Embassy of Israel)
http://www.israelemb.org/kids/
Created by the Embassy of Israel to educate English-speaking children about Israel. "Srulik," a well-known Israeli cartoon character hosts the virtual field trip which will introduce the national language, currency, geography, and food of Israel. Requires Flash. Will appeal to younger learners. Includes a quiz game.

World Atlas
http://www.graphicmaps.com/aatlas/world.htm
More than just another online atlas, this site provides loads of general geographic information about the countries of the world. Particularly helpful is the List, which provides comparative information about the countries of the world in such categories as area, age, gross national product, and population.

WorldAtlas.com
http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/world.htm
Click on a continent, then click on a country to find a map of that country. Other information includes Currency Conversion, Current Time, Distances, Equator, Bodies of Water, Flags, and much more.

World Heritage
http://whc.unesco.org/
UNESCO designates natural and man-made sites of "outstanding universal value" around the world as World Heritage sites to protect them for future generations. Students can zoom in on a world map to discover Heritage sites close to them as well as in far away places. This organization faces the challenge of protecting historic buildings and places such as Iran's ancient City of Bam and the Ruins of Songo Mnara in Tanzani. Natural sites like Mammouth Cave are also on the list to be preserved for the future. This is an excellent site to use for World Culture studies as it discusses conservation, diversity, conflict and cooperation, and many other geography standards.

Zoom Explorers
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/
This is one of the more comprehensive overviews of exploration, covering not only the explorations of the Earth's surface, but also expeditions beneath the sea and into outer space. Suitable for grades K-8.