Best of the Web: Geography

An evaluative guide to a large number of geographical sources on the web, including geographical sites around the world. Only sites that are considered to be informative, reliable and stable have been included. The information given for each site includes: title, URL, owner/maintainer, server location, and a full description. Useful for libraries and general audiences. | Best of the Web: Geography is the first volume in the series, and is aimed at both the intending and practising geography student at all levels. It should also assist academics and laymen who wish to brush up their knowledge and see what the Web has to offer. The basic structure is an introduction to the subject, followed by a subject outline, where the main subject areas are subdivided into more manageable units, and the major sites for those units are listed alphabetically. Many of these resources could be listed under more than one heading, so the most likely heading has been selected for its place in the listings. Several entries are representative, for example in the organisations section; many countries have established societies for geography which cover a wide range of resources and activities, and some typical ones are listed to give a flavour of what is available. The majority of sites listed are free, but where a subscription is required, this is noted–check with your school/college/university/public library. Site and URL indexes are provided to give as many options as possible to help you locate the best information quickly and effectively. | Geography is a very broad church, and has always eluded a completely satisfactory definition of all its areas of study. Perhaps a quotation from the Royal Geographical Society (entry no. 46), founded in 1830 and the oldest geography-oriented body in the English-speaking world, will help set the framework: "Geography is the integrated study of the earth's landscapes, peoples, places and environments. It is, quite simply, about the world in which we live. It is unique in bridging the social sciences (Human Geography) with its understanding of the dynamics of cultures, societies and economies, and the earth sciences (Physical Geography) in the understanding of the dynamics of physical landscapes and environmental processes. Geography puts this understanding of social and physical processes within the essential context of places and regions–recognising the great differences in cultures, political systems, economies, landscapes and environments across the world, and the links between them. Understanding the causes of differences and inequalities between places and social groups underlie much of the newer developments in Human Geography. While each of the two broad areas of Human and Physical Geography exists in its own right, the subject also combines them to provide a much-needed capability to study and understand interactions between people, and between people and the physical environments in which they live and upon which they ultimately depend, both locally and globally. This is the core of Geography. In its role as an integrating discipline, Geography provides an ideal framework for relating other fields of knowledge. It is not surprising that those trained as geographers often contribute substantially to the applied management of resources and environments."