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Geography

Geography is "The study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these, including the distribution of populations and resources and political and economic activities." (The Oxford Dictionary of English)

Reference

Dictionaries, Directories, Handbooks, Encyclopedias, etc. - Reference works are useful when you need to obtain quick facts, define the terms and scope of your search, or get a broad overview of a topic. Best Bets! are marked with aBest Bet!.
Products available to registered McMaster Students/Staff/Faculty Only are marked with a McMaster Use Only.

Dictionary of Geography
Online resource

Dictionary of Human Geography 2009
Online resource

Dictionary of Physical Geography  2009 
Online resource

Encyclopedia of World Geography
Mills Reference (2nd floor ) G 63 .E556 2005

National Geographic Almanac of Geography
Mills Bookstacks G 123 .N37 2005

Geography Basics
Mills Reference (2nd floor) G 116 .G475 2004

Making Sense: A Student's Guide to Research and Writing—Geography & Environmental Sciences
Mills Bookstacks G 74 .N67 2001

Books

Use McMaster's Library Catalogue to find books on your topic. Click the Help link for searching tips & strategies.

Some basic subject headings for your topic include:

See also "Geography" under the names of countries or cities e.g. Canada -- Geography
 

 

Data and Statistics

 

Data and Statistical resources are available from various sources such as Statistics Canada, Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), SourceOECD, IMF etc. The links below will help you to identify data and statistical resources available for your research.
           
Statistics
Data
...facts or figures
...raw material used to calculate statistics
...prove a point using totals, sums or averages
...used with software like SAS or SPSS
- Canadian
- US & International
 

Statistics:

Canadian
 
CANSIM II (Canadian Socio-Economic Information Management System): provides access to time series statistics on a broad variety of subject areas including Economic Accounts, Labour, Income, Health, etc.
 
E-STAT: offers Census profile data for 1986-2006 at various levels of geography. Historical Census data is also available for 1665-1871 censuses. CANSIM time series tables are available on a broad variety of subject areas including Economic Accounts, Labour, Income, Health, etc.
 
Canadian Census Analyzer: provides access to Census Profile Data for 1981-2006 at Enumeration Area level and Census Tract level; 1991–2006 at Provincial and Federal Electoral District level; and the 1971-2006 Individual Microdata Files.
 
Canadian Statistics - Summary Tables: these summary tables provide an overview of statistical information on Canada's people, economy and governments.
 
Historical Censuses of Canada (1665 – 1871): contains about 350 statistical tables on the social and economic conditions of Canada from 98 Censuses of the earliest settlements to Confederation in 1867 and on to 1871.
 
Annual Demographic Statistics: estimated Canadian demographic statistics annually from 1993 to 2005.
 
Human Activity and the Environment: A comprehensive look at how Canadians influence the environment. 2002–2009.
 
GeoSuite: a tool for data retrieval, query, and tabular output, that allows users to explore the links between all standard levels of geography and obtain population and dwelling counts. 1996, 2001 and 2006.
 
Statistics Canada Publications: Full text access to more than 300 Statistics Canada publications listed by subject and Statistics Canada catalogue number.
 
US and International 
 
SourceOECD: access full OECD publications and statistical databases online and build your own tables in real time.
 
US Historical Census Data Browser (1790 – 1960): Access to extensive collections of historical Census numeric and geospatial data files at state and county levels.
 
US Census of Population and Housing: data ranges from most recent census to the historical decennial census conducted throughout the decades.
 
US Census Bureau: provides access to a wide variety of social, demographic, economic and geographic data for US.
 
FedStats: access to statistics and information produced by more than 100 U.S. Federal Government agencies.
 
Federal Electronic Research and Review Extraction Tool (Ferret): a collaborative effort between National Center for Health Statistics and the Bureau of  the Census providing access to complex large data sets.
 
World Development Indicators: provides direct access to more than 600 development indicators, with time series for 208 countries and 18 country groups from 1960 to 2008. Available on CD-ROM network from Mills Library.

Data:

Canadian
 
Households and the Environment Survey: provides data for Canada, the provinces and census metropolitan areas and includes information on a wide range of topics, including water quality concerns; consumption and conservation of water; energy use and home heating and cooling; pesticide and fertilizer use on lawns and gardens; recycling, composting and waste disposal practices; motor vehicle use. It also provides information on the socio-demographic, income and labour force characteristics of the population. 2006.
 
Canadian Travel Survey: contains records which relate to the activities of Canadians travelling in Canada; origin and destination; volumes; nights away from home; length of stay; type of transportation; purpose of trip; accommodation used; expenditures by categories; and demographic characteristics. 1980–2004.
 
Canadian Census Microdata Files: Census data and microdata from 1901; 1961; 1961-2006 reference years of the Census.
 
Participation and Activity Limitation Survey: post-censal survey of adults with disabilities, including any person whose everyday activities are limited because of a  physical condition or health problem. 2001 and 2006.
 
National Population Health Survey (NPHS): sample of approximately 20,000 households starting in 1994 and conducted every two years. The survey is designed to collect information on the health of the Canadian population and related socio-demographic information. 1994 – 1998.
 
Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS): provides data for health regions across Canada including alcohol consumption, chronic health conditions, fruit and vegetable consumption, general health, use of health services, height and weight, injuries, physical activity, restriction of activities and smoking. 2000 – 2005.
 
General Social Survey (GSS): data on family, social support and retirement for Canadians aged 45 years and over. 1985–2006.
 
Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID): household survey to provide national data on the fluctuations in income that a typical family or individual experiences over time. 1996 – 2005.
 
US and International
 
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR): provides access to a vast archive of social science data on a variety of subject areas such as Education,  Health Care and Facilities, US Censuses, Consumer Spending, etc.
 

More Data and Statistics Resources:

Please visit “Odesi”, which houses Statistics Canada datasets, data files from Gallup Canada and other polling companies, public-domain files such as the Canadian National Election Surveys and selected files from the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR).

The files can be searched, browsed, analyzed and downloaded in various formats. You must be currently registered student, staff or faculty at McMaster University.

 

Articles/Databases

Use article databases to find out which journals, magazines, and newspapers have published articles on your topic. Most useful when recent information is required, or when the topic is too specific to be covered in a book. Best Bets! are marked with aBest Bet!.
Products available to registered McMaster Students/Staff/Faculty Only are marked with a McMaster Use Only.

Article Databases / Indexes

GEOBASE

ISI Web of Knowledge

GeoRef

JSTOR

Social Sciences Abstracts

Applied Science & Technology Abstracts

WorldCat

Other databases and indexes useful for Geography

Online Geographical Bibliography

National Geographic Society Publications Index
 
Selected Journals
  • Annals of the Association of American Geographers
  • Canadian Geographer
  • Geographical Review
  • Professional Geographer
  • Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers

 

Geographic Info Systems

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are computer systems of software and hardware that allow the storage, manipulation, analysis and display of geographic information.

GIS data and services are provided by the GIS Librarian. To make an appointment, please call (905) 525-9140 ext. 21392 or email libgis @ mcmaster.ca

Available GIS data files are described at http://library.mcmaster.ca/maps/geospatial. Many other datasets are available. Contact the GIS Librarian for more information.

GIS software is available on computers in the Gateway Data/GIS Lab (Mills Library Room 111) and in the Map Collection (Mills Library Room 110). Researchers using numeric data or GIS software have priority for use of computers in these locations. Click here for a list of available software.

Associations & Organizations

Professional, academic, advocacy and other types of associations and organizations involved in your subject area.

Canadian Association of Geographers
http://www.cag-acg.ca/en/

Association of American Geographers
http://www.aag.org/

Canadian Council for Geographic Education (English)
http://www.ccge.org/ccge/english/

Royal Canadian Geographical Society
http://www.rcgs.org/rcgs/home.asp

GeoSource
http://www.library.uu.nl/geosource/

Government Sources

Governments (national, provincial, local and regional) and inter-governmental organizations (like the United Nations) publish documents, reports, articles and books relevant to many fields of study.
Use McMaster's library catalogue and/or consult our guides to government publications to find government sources.

Canadian Research Index
Indexes significant Canadian government reports (federal, provincial, municipal) including research papers in physical, natural and social sciences. All reports are available in the Library on microfiche.
MILLS Gov Pubs (2nd floor) CA7 MC M31

Geographical Names of Canada

Toporama (topographic maps of Canada)

Geographic Sources

Sources specific to geography. Information About Places will help you find find statistics and descriptions of regions and countries worldwide. The Lloyd Reeds Map Collection has Maps and Atlases for every country.

Columbia Gazetteer of the World
Online resource
Also available in paper in Mills Maps (1st floor) G 103.5 .C645 1998

The Statesman's Year-book
Mills Maps (1st floor) or Mills Reference (2nd floor) JA 51 .S79 current edition
Older editions in Mills Bookstacks

Geo-data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia
Online resource

Library of Congress, Federal Research Division, Country Studies and Country Profiles
Also available in paper in Mills Government Publications (2nd floor)

NationMaster

CIA World Factbook

Also available in paper in Mills Reference (2nd floor) JF 37 .H35 current edition

To find maps and atlases in the Library Catalogue, search the placename and the keyword "maps", e.g. Poland -- Maps

Many maps are not yet catalogued. Visit the Map Collection to see all that is available. Or send a question to mapref@mcmaster.ca

Guide to Citing Maps and Atlases

Atlas of Canada

National Atlas of the United States

Toporama (topographical maps of Canada )

National Geographic MapMachine

Google Maps
Google Earth and Google Earth Pro are available in the Gateway Data/GIS Lab, Mills Library room 111A

MapQuest