Introduction
Welcome to the User Guide for the World Geography Web site from ABC-CLIO Schools. Taking a few minutes to tour the Web site using this simple guide will help you to get the most out of all this site has to offer. The World Geography Web site is an innovative resource and curriculum-driven instructional tool. An abundance of authoritative and comprehensive content, along with customizing capabilities, make this a total system solution to your World Geography curriculum needs.
For questions about the World Geography Web site or this User Guide, contact us by phone at
1-800-368-6868 Monday through Friday, 7:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. PST, or by e-mail at service@abc-clio.com.
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Log-In Process
Accounts are given usernames and passwords (or access codes):
studentaccess code:
This username and password allows students to access the site from school or home.
Student Access
Here are the directions students/public users should follow to access the non-staff version of the World Geography site.
- Open a browser and go to:
www.worldgeography.abc-clio.com
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Home
When you first log in from the log-in screen, you will be brought to the Home section. To navigate back to the home page from anywhere in the site, click on the Home tab on the main navigation bar.
Select a Country Profile
Select a country profile from this drop-down menu for quick access to all reference material related to a particular country, organized by category.
Site Search
Offers a quick text search of all content areas of the Web site.
Search Tips
Provides a list of simple tips to help in refining a search using Advanced Search or Site Search.
Log Out
Automatically logs a user off the site.
World News
Daily United Press International news stories focusing on events from around the world are found in the World News section. A quick glance at the top headline and its photo provides immediate information about an important news item. Click on the photo or the Read the Story link to get the full article. The More News and Recent News List sections provide additional articles to help keep students and educators current on important international news. Located in the sidebar of each story are related entries, accessible with a click. To access past news stories, use the Advanced Search function (see Advanced Search) or use the Select a Country Profile pull-down menu and go to the News section of any individual country.
Feature Story
The Feature Story offers an in-depth look at relevant issues facing the world. Click on the photo or the Read the Story link to bring up the first part of the article. Two additional tabs provide Background and Point of View sections. Each section also provides links to related items in the sidebar. The three-tier presentation offers a thorough look at important issues. To access past feature stories, go to Advanced Search, select the Feature Stories category, and click Search. A new Feature Storyis posted every other week.
Where in the World?
A geography trivia activity, the Where in the World? feature presents a photo and several clues pertaining to a particular geographic location. Users can test their global geography knowledge and check the answer immediately. A new Where in the World? is posted every other week.
Holidays & Celebrations
The Holidays & Celebrations feature offers cultural information relating to holidays and celebrations from around the world, accompanied by a photo or a national flag. A link is provided for quick access to the Culture section of the country being highlighted.
Term of the Day
Provides a quick and informative daily definition of relevant vocabulary terms.
Terms of Use
States and clarifies the Web site's legal terms of use and copyright rules.
Privacy Policy
This section provides information about ABC-CLIO's privacy policy. ABC-CLIO is committed to protecting the privacy of visitors to its Web sites. Personally identifiable information is not collected unless willingly provided by Web site visitors. ABC-CLIO requests that students under the age of 13 ask their parents or teachers for approval before sending any personally identifiable information.
About ABC-CLIO
This section provides information about ABC-CLIO. ABC-CLIO is a publisher of educational and reference products. The company focuses on history and social studies resources for scholars, students, teachers, and librarians in universities and secondary schools. The company was founded in 1953 and has its headquarters in Santa Barbara, California.
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Research
The Research section contains everything users will need when conducting research in the World Geography Web site. The wealth of content (more than 30,000 entries) includes country overviews, news items, biographies, primary-source documents, culture and environment sections, glossary terms, maps, photos, audio and video, statistics, and more. In addition to the Select a Country Profile pull-down menu, this content can be accessed through the Site Search field or in a more focused search through the Advanced Search function.
 Advanced Search
Whether you are beginning a significant research project or verifying a few facts, the Advanced Search feature is a good place to start. Users can search by text, country, and category. By choosing one or a combination of criteria, then clicking on the Search button, users have instant access to thousands of reference resources. To search by text, enter a word or phrase into the Text field and click the Search button. To narrow your search, select a specific country or countries from the Country list. To further narrow your search, select a category or categories from the Reference and Additional Resources list.
The Advanced Search organizes the specified results into such categories as overviews, biographies, and documents and ranks them in order of relevancy to the submitted text. Click on a category to display the list of results that belong to that particular category, along with a brief summary of each entry. (Clicking on theTitle only link in the top right corner will display the list without these summaries.) Clicking on the title of each entry leads to the actual reference item.
Subject Search
The Subject Search allows users to search the Web site's biographies, documents, news, and organizations by a set of preselected subject keywords (e.g., human rights, economic policy, famine). As in Advanced Search, the user can also search by country and category, or a combination of these elements.
 World Map Search
Users may navigate through the Web site's reference content by using a World Map from which they can click on a particular region and then on a country within that region. Clicking on a country name brings up the country's profile (including all reference material related to that particular country, organized by category). This feature is helpful for users unfamiliar with countries in a certain region, or for any user interested in exploring world regions. The World Map includes a link to the Web site's International Perspective section.
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Tools
CLIOview
The CLIOview feature allows for easy comparison of country information. Users may select one or more countries to compare using up to three categories of statistical data, including area, population growth rate, and natural resources, among others.
- Click on CLIOVIEW in the main navigation bar.
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Select countries from the COUNTRY LIST on the left by clicking on one or more country names. (Use the Shift key to select an alphabetical block of countries, or the Control key [Command for MAC users] to select numerous countries not in an alphabetical block.) Add to the SELECTED COUNTRIES list on the right by clicking on ADD. Similarly, countries may be removed from the list on the left by clicking on the country name and clicking on REMOVE. ADD ALL and REMOVE ALL will add or remove all items from a list, regardless of selections made. Click Submit when all desired selections have been made.
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Selected countries will display in an alphabetical list. From the drop-down menus above this list, choose up to three categories of statistical data to use for comparison. Click Submit.
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Countries and their specific statistical data will appear in an alphabetical list. This list can be sorted by any of the data categories selected.
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To change the data categories, select another category from one of the drop-down menus and click Submit.
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Results can be printed, organized by either country or category. Click one of these options from the Print Display Options and click Print this Page to print information.
Ask the Cybrarian
The Ask the Cybrarian tool is an online guidance source that provides reference information, research help, and support via e-mail.
Ask the Cybrarian
If several reference searches have not yielded the answers you need, you may want to try the Ask the Cybrarian tool. Questions are submitted in the submission box and then sent to the Cybrarian, who will respond by e-mail to the sender, usually within one to three days.
Cybrarian Q & A
Frequently asked questions and their answers, as well as answers to other questions of interest from users, are posted for quick reference.
Dictionary
A link to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary pop-up window. This is a helpful tool for teachers and students alike. Both words and phrases can be entered into this fast and precise reference device. The dictionary is able to recognize misspelled words and provide options for correct spelling. Each entry can also be cross-referenced with the online thesaurus provided on the definition screen.
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Help
FAQs
Lists the most frequently asked questions users have about the site.
User Guide
Helps users learn how to use and stay current with the site.
How to Cite
Provides information on how to cite a reference from ABC-CLIO's World Geography Web site.
Site Map
Provides an overall glance at the entire Web site while providing another option for navigation. Clicking any of the highlighted headings will lead directly to those areas of the site.
Technical Notes
Gives information on system requirements, plug-in updates, and downloads.
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"User Guide." World Geography Online: Help. ABC-Clio Schools Subscription Web Sites. 2004. <http://www.worldgeography.abc-clio.com/home/>
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