Geography
Whether it’s understanding the cause of tsunamis or the reasoning behind why many roads and railroads are built in river valleys, geography is important for understanding our world and dealing with issues ranging from pollution to international trade. Geographers not only use maps to study the physical landscape but also study land formations and climate to predict the path of a tornado or use surveys and census reports to discover patterns of population growth. Discover how geography encompasses not only the physical landscape but also how people live and how they interact with their environment through the direct links on The Times Launch Point Web site: https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint
Level 1
Geo/Net Games: Do you know not only the names of places but also how geography can be used to understand such problems as erosion? Try this game where you must prove to aliens that you know enough geography to take care of the planet.
https://www.eduplace.com/geo/
Family XPeditions: Geographers not only observe the physical world, but they also study different cultures and how they live where they live. Experience how geographers study the world through activities ranging from mapping the regions of a grocery store to studying cultural diffusion by discovering how many cultures a person experiences in the course of a day.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/familyxpeditions/share/archive.html
Geography for Kids: Whether you’re interested in the average rainfall in Rio de Janeiro or a map of Azerbaijan, this site’s many resources can help you research your geography questions.
https://geography.miningco.com/education/scilife/geography/msub72.htm
Level 2
State Department: Geographic Learning Site: A country’s natural resources and ability to transport goods to foreign markets are important geographical factors that affect its prosperity. Learn about other ways geography plays an important role in the world, from negotiating a country’s borders to global warming.
https://geography.state.gov/htmls/chal8frame.html
Where Is That?: How well do you know your world? Find out how well you can identify countries through seven games that challenge you on five levels of knowledge.
https://www.funbrain.com/where/
Discovery School Geo Game: Geography influences history, including why ancient civilizations chose certain locations and structures in which to live. Explore geographic regions through a historical and cultural context in this beautifully designed site.
https://school.discovery.com/specials/geogame/index.html
Level 3
Mining Co: Geography: Geography not only consists of studying the physical landscape but also such areas as cultural geography, which examines how people have modified their environment and how these modifications affect them. This site offers extensive geographical resources ranging from online maps and atlases to census data, photos, articles and weekly geography quizzes.
https://geography.miningco.com/education/scilife/geography/
GeoGlobe Interactive Geography: Where is the highest waterfall in the world? How do plants survive the harsh temperatures of the tundra? This collection of six games tests your knowledge of the world, including landmarks, cities, seas, layers of the Earth and how animals have adapted to their environment.
https://library.advanced.org/10157/
The Library of Congress Country Studies: From Albania to Zaire, learn about 100 countries through these detailed reports that describe each country’s geography, history, government, economy and culture.
https://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/
EXPLORER’S QUEST
The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.
What function does the earth’s water, or the “hydrosphere,” perform?
CLUE: See Family XPeditions
Find What You Need to Know: Have a project on California history? Need help doing a math problem? Launch Point now covers more than 100 topics for getting your schoolwork done. Go to https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/ for the full list of subjects and direct links to the best Internet sites.
Answer to last week’s Quest: Only high-ranking officials, noblemen and the emperor could enter the Forbidden City.
Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This column was designed by Anna Manring.
