The following Web sites will help complement information in the text.
- National Imagery and Mapping Agency
Maps are a basic medium for recording geographic information as well as organizing it. This is the site of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency of the U.S. Defense Department. Through this site and its links, you can find a lot of information about mapping, geography, official names of places, and other geospatial basics.
- European Space Agency (ESA)
As noted in the text, geography is the study of people and places and the interaction between them. One of the ways we study about places in modern times is through remote sensing. This is the Web site of the European Space Agency (ESA). It is a valuable site for those who are pursuing interests in remote sensing and the underlying information that supports some of today’s geographic studies, or those who just have an interest in space technology.
- International Forum on Globalization
The International Forum on Globalization (IFG) is an alliance of scholars and activists critical of current trends in globalization. Focusing on global issues such as widening inequity between the world's rich and poor, the IFG provides thoughtful analysis of the social, economic, and political (and, of course, geographic) consequences of globalization.
- International Monetary Fund
Along with the World Bank and the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a key institution involved in globalization. The IMF eloquently advocates globalization and reminds nations that the most effective and long-lasting economic development must be accompanied by increasing democracy and recognizing the necessity for social change.
- United Nations Home Page
From this page you can find a great deal of information about different countries, international programs, and international organizations. While not the only source for much of this content, it can be a good starting place.
- Population Reference Bureau: World Population Data Sheet
United States is the only major industrial country to continue experiencing population growth. Everywhere else in the world, population growth is still happening fast in poor or less developed countries but has slowed or stopped entirely in wealthy or more developed countries. Investigate the implications of these data with regard to economic productivity, environmental consequences and public health.
- Big Mac Index
Created by The Economist magazine as a joke in 1997, the Big Mac Index has become a serious tool for comparing Purchasing Power Parity among countries and regions. Now expanded to include a Coca Cola Map of the world and the Starbucks Tall Latte Index (since not everyone eats Big Macs but almost any global citizen drinks Coke or coffee), the Economist's comparative surveys help bring complex indicators of economic or social development into clearer focus, making them (ahem) more digestible to people who are not economists.
