The Internet, a vast network of computers joining together electronically millions of people and thousands of organizations and institutions throughout the world, has become in its multimedia component, the World Wide Web, or WWW, an important tool for academic research and general information gathering. There are numerous Internet resources for geography and many of its "websites" present more current information in ways not possible with traditional printed sources. For your guidance, each chapter of this text contains a boxed "On-Line" section discussing World Wide Web sites that may themselves be data sources of value in expanding topics of the chapter or be linked to other websites concerned with those chapter topics.

        For those interested in professional geographic associations and activities, the home page of the Association of American Geographers at www.aag.org/ is a good starting point; it offers information about the association itself, its publications and "specialty groups" (complete with e-mail addresses), and, importantly, gives access to a revealing discussion of "Careers in Geography." It also provides links to such other organizations as the Canadian Association of Geographers, the National Council for Geographic Education, and the National Geographic Society.

        Are you interested in furthering your geography education or in learning about geography programs worldwide? A good starting point is the Ryerson University geography department list at www.geo.ryerson.ca/. A valuable general set of lins and references to a variety of geogaphy (and related) resources may be found on the University of Colorado's CU Resources for Geographers site at www.Colorado.edu/geography/virtdept/resources/contents.htm. Be sure also to scan that site's "Starting Places" section (http://www.colorado.edu/geography/virtdept/resources/startplc/start.htm) for quick access to search engines, lists, and libraries to help you in browsing the Web for geography interests. The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Internet resources guide at www.uwsp.edu/geo/internet/geog_geol_resources.html is valuable, and Michigan State University maintains a useful guide to Geography Related Web Links at www.geo.msu.edu/wlinks.html

While each chapter's "On-Line" report has references to subject-specific sites, some general background sites useful for all chapters also exist. For example, a deeper understanding of "Geography for Life: the National Geography Standards" can be found through a tutorial conducted by the National Council of Geography Teachers: www.ncge.org/publications/tutorial/. Check out as well the wide variety of popular and scientific departments linked to the home page of the National Geographic Society at www.nationalgeographic.com/ The CIA's World Factbook is a useful annually updated collection of information about the geography, climate, people, customs, and governments of the world organized by region and country. Consult it as an on-line reference at www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook. Finally, a visit to the Geography site at About.com is a good starting point for searching out many geography interests. It features a comprehensive topical set of "NetLinks" to selected geographical resources, on-line maps, data, and weekly articles, along with a chat room and bulletin board: geography.about.com/science/geography.