Geography and GIS

Explore the City-Regions Dataset from FAO

FAO’s global dataset maps access to towns and cities of all sizes within realistic travel times, highlighting patterns of urban interconnectedness.

GIS and Geospatial Technologies

Mapping Migration to Twin Falls From Other U.S. Citie, 2016-2020. Data: U.S. Census Bureau, Natural Earth. Map: Caitlin Dempsey.

Spatial Analysis

How to Create a Radial Flow Map Using QGIS

Learn how to create a radial flow map in QGIS to visualize migration using metro-to-metro data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

A soft color map showing the Antarctica ocean region and the path of an iceberg over time.

Geography and GIS Glossary

Dominant institutions in the field in North America include well-known programs at the University of California Santa Barbara, Ohio State University, University at Buffalo, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Figure: GIS faculty working in North American institutions based on whether they earned their doctoral degrees in North America or in other regions, Kang & Chen, 2025.

Where are GIS Professors Hired From?

A screenshot of an application showing a basemap of the SF bay area with blue lifework on top of it.

Shapefile Viewers

With pansharpening, the panchromatic Landsat spectral band can be used to increase the resolution of Landsat imagery.

Pan Sharpen Landsat Imagery in QGIS

Maps and cartography

Zoomorphic Maps: Imagining Maps as Animals

Maps and Cartography

Explore U.S. National Parks: Fun Map and Geography Trivia

Maps and Cartography

What’s in a Map? Exploring the Elements of Cartography

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Shaded relief map with shades of blue showing the location of an iceberg off the coast of an Antarctic island.

Glaciology

World’s Biggest Iceberg

GIS Learning

Geography and GIS Glossary

A shaded relief map highlighting Alaska and the lower 48 states with the surrounding countries muted with a semitransparent white overlay.

Geography Basics

Only State… Geography Facts

A satellite imager of an anvil cloud formation over the ocean.

Climatology

Satellite Imagery of Clouds

A view of a wetland with marshes on either side of a body of water.

Hydrology

Water on Earth

GIS Career and Jobs

Where are GIS Professors Hired From?

physical geography

A photo of a wave spray against a cliff by the ocean.

Study Models How the Behavior of Waves Affects Blue Carbon Storage

Bubbles created by the movement of waves can influence how much carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean.

Regional map of the terrestrial ecosystems of the contiguous United States. Source: NatureServe, 2025.

High Resolution Ecosystem Map of the Contiguous United States and Adjacent Areas

NatureServe has developed an updated 30-meter hexagon map of regional ecosystems in the contiguous United States and adjacent areas.

An oblique photo from the International Space Station of Lake Chapala in Mexico.

Lake Chapala: a Tectonic Lake at Mexico’s Triple-graben Intersection

Lake Chapala was formed at the intersection of three grabens.

Annotated satellite image of the Wayombo River.

Rivers that Flow Backwards

Read about how the Amazon once flowed east to west and how the strength of Hurricane Isaac once change the course of the Mississippi river.

World’s Biggest Iceberg

The largest iceberg in the world is A-23A, with an area of about 1,240 square miles.

Human Geography

The Earth can be divided into two main systems: the geosphere and the biosphere. Image: USGS, public domain.

What are the Earth System’s Four Spheres?

The systems of the earth can be divided into two main areas: geosphere and biosphere.

Tourists with cameras photography a grizzly bear crossing the road.

The Recreational Value of Nature and Wildlife

Measuring the economic benefits of wildlife and outdoor areas supports conservation with tools like the NPS Visitor Spending Effects.