A helpful map of North America which color codes its 15 ecological regions. Click on the different regions for a brief description of the area. Requires Adobe Reader. [PDF]

The University of California Museum of Paleontology hosts this site devoted to the study of the earth's biomes, which are the world's major communities, classified according to the predominant vegetation and adaptations of organisms to...

This site has information about the settlement patterns of the Native People of California based on the location and availability of resources.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart is one in a series of flipcharts about the different regions of the US. Facts and links to websites included on the Pacific Region.

An account of the historic growth of the famous high tech California region known as the Silicon Valley! Read as circumstances placed creative people, and business in the right place at the right time allowing them to come together to...

A map from 1920 of Asia showing principal physical features and natural regions. The map is color-coded to show lands below sea level, lowlands, uplands and plateaus, the older, worn down mountains, and younger, rugged mountains. The map...

Open, rolling land and gentle slopes with shrubs are the habitat of Nelson's Antelope Squirrel, which lives only in a small region of California in and near the San Joaquin Valley. The squirrels live in relatively small colonies of six...

Death Valley acquired its name during the California Gold Rush, but the Timbisha Shoshone inhabited the region long before. The severely hot and dry national park is packed with history, culture, incredible geology, and, believe it or...

Death Valley acquired its name during the California Gold Rush, but the Timbisha Shoshone inhabited the region long before. The severely hot and dry national park is packed with history, culture, incredible geology, and, believe it or...

A behind the scenes peek at the Dwarf Cuttlefish (Sepia bandensis) a native to the Indo-Pacific region of the ocean around Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.

A behind the scenes peek at the Dwarf Cuttlefish (Sepia bandensis) a native to the Indo-Pacific region of the ocean around Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. Watch as crabs get dropped into the tank, and the cuttlefish move...

This is a brief biography featuring American realist author Bret Harte who drew attention to the life and sentiment of those in the West through his writings. Click on "Bret Harte Activities" for more resources.

Learn unique facts about each American state. You can also read a more in-depth history of each state, watch videos and play a game about all the states.

The 1848 discovery of gold in the territory of California prompted 300,000 hopeful prospectors to flood into the region, altering it forever.

The WICHE serves the 15 Western state region of the United States through assisting students in getting affordable access to educational programs of study.

The kit fox has been thought by some to be a subspecies of the swift fox. This fox currently inhabits desert and semi-arid regions between the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Rocky Mountains and on down into Baja California and the North...

Redwood National Park comprises a region of coastal mountains bordering the Pacific Ocean north of San Francisco. It is covered with a magnificent forest of coastal redwood trees, the tallest and most impressive trees in the world. The...

A map of a portion of the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear Lake in 1911. The map is based on the USGS San Gorgonio quadrangle, with contour intervals of 500 feet. "Bear Valley and the adjacent country exhibit the subdued relief...

In this lesson students will compare and contrast regional energy production of 5 different US regions, including California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington. Students will also analyze production and consumption data of US...

The first major irrigation project on the Pacific coast, this dam supplied water for milling and irrigation at the Mission San Diego de Alcala, 5 miles away. Now part of Mission Trails Regional Park.

Describes the impact of the California Gold Rush of 1848 which brought hundreds of thousands of gold-seeking migrants to the region. This massive influx of people to a place with little law enforcement and no infrastructure led to...

A map from 1898 of North America, Central America, Greenland, and the Caribbean to Puerto Rico showing the general distribution of rainfall in the region. The map shows areas of little or no rainfall to areas of heavy rainfall. The map...

A map of North America, Central America, and northern South America at the end of the American Revolutionary War (1783). The map is color-coded to show the territory of the United States at the time, British possessions in Canada,...

Ocean currents have a profound effect on the climates of the continents, especially those regions bordering on the ocean. The Gulf Stream makes northwest Europe much more temperate than any other region at the same latitude, and the...