Learning About Your World: Selected Information Sources

Learn about the history, daily life and culture of the country you have selected as your research subject by visiting the links below. Are you unable to find the information you need after checking the resources included in this list? Please stop by the IMC, or send an email message (joanneokeefe@salem.k12.ma.us), to ask Mrs. O'Keefe for help.

CultureGrams
(Begin your research by using this terrific database!)
This comprehensive collection features information about the history, culture, and daily life of 187 countries and territories, including detailed statistics, maps, and much more. (Stop by the IMC to obtain the Username and Password you'll need to use this collection.)

SIRS Discoverer and Web Find
This collection includes newspaper and magazine articles, reference books, pictures, and recommended web sites. Just click on the "Countries" button to find an A to Z list of the world's countries, and click on the one you'd like to learn about. (Stop by the IMC to obtain the Login ID and Password you'll need to use this collection.)

Student Resource Center
This outstanding collection of full-text encyclopedia articles provides a wealth of information about each country, including: climate, geography, a detailed history, government, judicial system, cultural resources, people, politics, social development, and much, much more. Enter your country into the search field, and view your search results. Select any of the encyclopedia entries described as a "country overview" to locate a detailed article about your selected country. (Stop by the IMC to obtain the ID you'll need to use this collection.)

TradePort: Country Profiles from World Trade Press
Just click on a selected country for detailed statistical information.

The World Factbook
This helpful resource offers a detailed entry for each country. "Select a Country or Location" to learn about its background/history, economy, geography, government, people, find a map, and more. Other features include Rank/Order pages and Flags of the World.

Portals to the World: Links to Electronic Resources from Around the World
Visit this site for links to detailed information about nations and territories throughout the world, selected by Library of Congress Area Specialists and other staff members.

Infoplease.com
Enter your country into the search field, and search Infoplease's general almanac, encyclopedia and dictionary simultaneously. This resource includes a map of each country, and a wealth of useful information about its economy, government, history, land, people, and more. Or, go directly to Infoplease's list of "Countries of the World"

BBC News: Country Profiles
This site offers information about the history, politics, and economics of countries, territories and international organizations.

CountryReports.org: Cultural, Historical, & Statistical Country Information!
Visit this site to learn about the history, politics, customs and culture (including family life, socializing, sports & recreation, recipes and fashion) of the country you have chosen as your research subject. This site also features a nice photo gallery.

National Geographic Xpeditions Atlas
Visit this site for maps that you can print and copy.

List of Countries: from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Find your country in this comprehensive list, for information about its history, geography, languages, culture, and religions, as well as maps, images of landforms, and much more, including links to other information sources.

WorldAtlas.com
Find detailed maps, including landforms and major rivers, and information about your selected country at this site.

WorldClimate.com
Visit this site to find average rainfall, average temperature, and other information, for cities around the world.

PicturesOfPlaces.com

Pics4Learning: Countries

Europe Maps and Pictures
This EurAtlas collection includes a Physical Atlas of Europe and Europe Photos, a collection of more than 500 high resolution pictures of Europe and Mediterranean
landscapes.

SHOW ME (AND TEACH ME ABOUT) THE MONEY!: CURRENCIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Find images of banknotes from countries around the world, or convert various currencies to U.S. dollars and vice versa, by visiting the links below.

Banknotes.com: World Currency Gallery

Travel Channel Resources: Currency Converter

The Euro: Our Currency

World Paper Money: Image Gallery

Yahoo! Finance: Currency Converter

Animals: Selected Full-Text Collections and Other Sites

Use the full-text collections and selected sites below to find information about the animal you are researching. Are you having difficulty finding what you need? Please speak with Mrs O'Keefe, who will be happy to help you.
(NOTE: You will need a user name, ID or other password to log in to the full-text resources to which the IMC subscribes on behalf of the CMS learning community. Stop by the IMC to pick up a copy of "Full-Text Resources Available to the CMS Research Community", which offers this log-in information, as well as an overview of each of these full-text collections.)

All About Birds, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
This comprehensive site features a description, "cool facts", a sound audio clip, and other information about the habitat, food, and behavior of the many bird species included in its database. It also includes a terrific video gallery.

Animals A to Zoo: Your Online Reference to the World of Animals, from Animal Planet, by Discovery Communications.

Animals, from National Geographic.
(Also see the Animals Index.)

List of Animal Names, from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Search Wikipedia in English or in Spanish.

Did You Know?: Animals A B C, from didyouknow.org

Science & Nature - Animals, from the BBC.

Animal Photo Galleries, from the Smithsonian National Zoological Park.

Names of Males, Females, Babies, and Groups of Animals, from Enchanted Learning
What do you call a baby koala? A group of turtles? Find the answers to these questions and learn about a great many animals by visiting this fun and interesting site.

SIRS Discoverer and WebFind
Find information about the animals you are researching in the reference books, encyclopedias, magazines, and recommended web sites included in this outstanding collection.
(NOTE: You will need a User Name and Password to log in to this database.)

Student Resource Center
This fine collection features many reference information sources, including several science encyclopedias.
(NOTE: You will need a library ID to log in to this collection.)