INFOPLEASE has general statistics and maps of every country of the world. It also has a general historical timeline. This is NOT in-depth information but is good if you want something quick and general.

http://www.infoplease.com/countries.html

GOOGLE MAPS

     GOOGLE starts you out with a map of North America that enables you to zoom in on any section you choose. You can zoom in on any part of the world by putting the country or area you want into the searchbox. (I notice that China even has place names in both roman type and Chinese characters.) An outstanding resource!

http://maps.google.com/

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC WORLDWIDE MAP MACHINE

     Offers maps for just about every place on Earth, viewable by population, climate, conservation, and topography. Also features antique maps, trail maps, and country facts.

http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/

U.S. NATIONAL ATLAS

     You’ll find just about every kind of U.S. map there is: geologic maps, relief maps, historic maps, dynamic maps. By dynamic maps, I mean maps that move and change. Find out what national vegetation did in every month of 2006 – and what’s been happening in the last 2.6 billion years!

     You can layer maps, print them out on your printer, and purchase some as wall hangings.

http://nationalatlas.gov/

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MAP COLLECTION

     The PERRY-CASTANEDA LIBRARY MAP COLLECTION is “a general collection of more than 250,000 maps covering all areas of the world. More than 11,000 map images from our collection are also available online.” A splendid collection of online maps! Some historical maps illuminate places and eras you’d never learn about otherwise. These are the actual maps, not maps created especially for online viewers, so you may find some of them difficult to read, but they go into great and specific detail. You’ll also find links to other map sites online.

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/