Useful Websites
http://www.geographyalltheway.com
This is a wide-ranging site which includes good coverage of the content of the 0460 IGCSE Geography syllabus, which will be useful both to teachers and students. The approach is lively and there is basic no-nonsense text as well as some good photos, maps, diagrams, links to YouTube and even a few worksheets.
Link to Revision Checklist: Population dynamics and general
http://www.nationmaster.com
A useful website to compare different LEDC and MEDC countries using a wide range of statistics. You can choose which countries or continents to compare and select different statistics including population, economy, agricultural information and environmental pollution data. A bar graph is drawn to show the chosen statistics and the results are mapped. There are further links on your chosen countries giving further information.
TIP: You can find case study data from this site by choosing five countries when you start your IGCSE course. As each topic is completed you can visit this website and collect the relevant data.
Link to Revision Checklist: Structure (2.1) and inter relationships of physical and human geography (2.3)
http://www.usgs.gov
This is a USA based site and has a lot of good, up to date information on the structure of the earth and the hazards of Volcanoes and Earthquakes. On the home page, go to the alphabetical index and find ‘volcanic activity’ or ‘earthquakes’. The FAQs are good for revision or further explanation. The hazards section provides useful case study information. The most exciting feature of this website is the links for daily monitoring of volcanoes and earthquakes i.e. to see what seismic activity is going on at that precise moment. You can follow the links for a specific US area e.g. Alaska or select a world map of seismic activity at http://www.earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/. By clicking on the map you can obtain further information about the depth and magnitude of the recent earthquake.
Link to Revision Checklist: general for all three themes
http://www.georesources.co.uk
This is a ‘portal’, i.e. a site which contains useful links to other sites but with a comment on how useful it might be to your studies. It is a very easy site to use. Follow the GCSE link to a list of topics. Select the topic you are studying to find additional information or case study material. This is an English based site and the case studies are often from the UK but it does contain many worldwide examples.
The ‘Virtual Fieldwork’ section is worth visiting (especially in preparation for Paper three or four). This is particularly useful if you have not experienced river studies or are not familiar with coasts or glacial landscapes. The photo gallery is also good. If you need any outline maps of any country then they can be downloaded from here.
Link to Revision Checklist: general to all three themes
http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk
This is more like an on-line Geography textbook. Many of the IGCSE topics are included under the GCSE Geotopics section. The information is presented in an easy to read style with plenty of photographs and diagrams to help you understand. The ‘Activities’ section contains some useful quiz questions in different styles to help you learn the information. There is also a revision section as a summary and a few additional links to other websites.
Link to Revision Checklist: Population Dynamics (1.1)
http://www.census.gov
This home page contains the world population clock which constantly updates the number of people in the world. To find and use population pyramids of different countries, follow the link under ‘people’ to ‘international’ and then International Data Base (IDB) and ‘population pyramids’. Select a country e.g. Namibia and submit the query to show the 2000, 2025 and 2050 expected pyramids. You can also choose a specific date for a pyramid but the most interesting feature is the dynamic pyramid which shows how the population changes over time. Choose MEDC and LEDC countries, i.e. those with different birth and death rates or at different stages of economic development to compare population structures.
Link to Revision Checklist: Population and Settlement (theme 1) and Economic development and the use of resources (theme 3)
http://www.globaleye.org.uk
This is the website for the magazine ‘Global Eye’ which looks at global development issues. There are three sections for each issue aimed at students aged 11-15. The first is a specific country, the second is on a theme and the third ‘on camera’ which is an interesting set of linked images.
The website contains lots of articles which are full of case study material. The ‘Index’ section divides all the articles into themes or countries. Browse through the themes to find case studies on water resources, tourism, urbanisation, migration or flooding for example. The ‘Teachers’ Notes’ give supplementary resources and websites for the latest edition of ‘Global Eye’ and are useful if wanting to investigate the given country or theme in more detail. This website changes often, so it is worth checking regularly.
Link to Revision Checklist (for 2006 addition of sustainable development): Economic development and the use of resources (theme 3)
http://www.stepin.org
This website is concerned mainly with the use of sustainable technology throughout the world in agriculture, industry and energy resources. It is easy to navigate and provides useful and interesting case studies with photographs. Some of the information is about technical design but a lot of useful case study examples are included which would not be found in textbooks.
Link to Revision Checklist: general for all three themes.
http://igcsegeog.wikispaces.com
This website has IGCSE Geography resources shared by teachers. Click on a topic on the left hand side of the page and then click resources. Included are clips from You Tube of geographical processes, for example earthquakes and floods.
