Creative Writing

CIA World Factbook

U.S. State Department Country Profiles

Library of Congress Country Studies

Google Earth This free, downloadable map software has more features (layers like 3D buildings, borders, etc.) than its strictly web-based counterpart, Google Maps.  

Cornell Lab of Ornithology Bird Guide

eNature.com

Photosynth - Unlike Google Maps and Google Earth, Photosynth is good for interior, panoramic imagery.  Mostly of well known places (e.g., the Sistine Chapel) but these do give you a sense of being there.

Google Maps and Google Earth (again! - aside from the aerial photos and satellite imagery, these offer links to photos taken at many sites)

TinEye Reverse Image Look-Up: This is a new site, so there's still a lot of kinks in it, but you can upload an image to it and it'll find other places on the web where this image is. It's great if you have a picture you want to find out more about.

Note: Architectural information also tends to be regional and the following are just a few examples.  You might also look for travel guides or histories of specific cities or regions.