Area students qualify for state geography bee

Could you identify the countries bordering Iraq? How would you define acid rain? Can you name the state that is home to Three Mile Island, the site of a nuclear power plant accident in 1979?

The questions might seem tough, but armed with the correct answers two area students qualified for the National Geographic Bee and a chance to win cash prizes and a college scholarship.

Johnathen Ramsey of Oran, Mo., and Dakota Carver of Jackson will compete in the state's National Geographic Bee Friday in Columbia, Mo.

Both students were declared winners at their schools' respective geography bees. And both had to pass a written exam to qualify for the state competition.

Ramsey, 14, is the first student from Oran schools to qualify for the geography bee, said his teacher Tammy Gains. He is in the eighth grade.

Carter, 13, also is one of the first students from Jackson Middle School to qualify for the contest. But Carter "stands out among his peers" for the geographic knowledge he has, said his teacher Tammy Brotherton.

"He knows stuff most seventh graders don't know," she said. "And he's even corrected me."

During a lesson on Communist bloc countries, Brotherton mistakenly skimmed over some of the smaller Eastern European countries, and Carter questioned her about it. "He has a natural love of geography," Brotherton said.

The geography bee is open to students in grades four to eight. The tests at the school level are given orally, and require students to know U.S. geography, world geography and information about culturally important places and natural resources. Written tests are then administered for state-level qualifiers.

The tests are tough and qualifying for the state level is quite an honor, Gains said.

Identifying countries and places on a map is an important skill, and one that's tough to relay to students, she said.

"We have to work at it," Gains said. But more people are realizing its importance because of world events and circumstances, she said.

"Now, more than ever, with tensions in the Middle East that could have repercussions for the rest of the world, it is imperative that our young people be well-informed about their planet," said John Fahey, president of the National Geographic Society.

And Ramsey expects that any current events questions likely will be geared to the war in Iraq. He's been studying atlases and resource books to prepare for the upcoming contest.

Ramsey took the test in sixth grade also but didn't qualify for the state level. However, this time around it seemed easier. "I just knew more things," he said.

Carter also has been studying a National Geographic resource book, but he already knows quite a lot about countries because he just likes to read and learn about them. Though he did learn more about smaller European countries and Western Asian nations while preparing for the test.

"I like the military and when I read about that, I learn about countries," Carter said.

He knows that geography is particularly important in the military, which is likely to be his career. "In the military you could use it a lot," he said. "With artillery, you have to know the coordinates" to move weaponry and the terrain troops will travel or things "could get pretty complicated."

Because Carter has a wealth of geographic knowledge and good analytical skills, he might do especially well in the oral contest. "He's able to think about and conclude an answer and that could be to his advantage," Brotherton said.

The National Geographic Society developed the geography bees in 1989 in response to a concern about a lack of geography knowledge among youth in the United States. And the problem still exists: a nine-country survey conducted last year showed that Americans age 18 to 24 scored lower than their counterparts in other countries except Mexico.

State geography bee finalists will advance to the national level, with a contest to be held in May in Washington, D.C. The national winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship and a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. Second- and third-place winners will receive $15,000 and $10,000 scholarships respectively.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

This is a sample of the questions used in the school, state or national level geography bees in 2002. Answers are found below. The last question was the determining question in last year's national competition.

For more questions, go to www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee.

1. Arches National Park is near Moab in which state -- Utah or Illinois?

2. Fertile prairie soil used for growing grain can be found in which state -- Maine or Nebraska?

3. Which state capital is closer to the Pacific Ocean -- Boise or Lincoln?

4. Santo Domingo and Port-au-Prince are capital cities on which island -- Hispaniola or Barbados?

5. Marie Byrd Land, Queen Maud Land and Enderby Land are regions of which continent?

6. Venus de Milo, a famous statue of the goddess of love and beauty, is named after an island in the Aegean Sea. This island is part of which country?

7. Used to make marmalade, Seville oranges come from which southern European country?

8. Most of the world's cinnamon, a spice obtained from the inner bark of a tree, is produced on a large island off the coast of India. Name the island country.

9. What megacity of approximately 10 million people is located on the delta of the Ganges in Bangladesh?

10. Name the British colony that is located on a peninsula in southern Spain.

11. Name the ocean current that makes it possible for coral to grow as far north as the Bermuda Islands.

12. Which South American capital city is located on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano?

13. Which West African country joined the Federation of Mali in 1959, only to secede and achieve independence a year later?

14. Geysers, hot springs and crater lakes are among the features that attract tourists to a group of Portuguese islands in the mid-Atlantic. Name this island group.

15. In ancient times, a country in southwest Asia was a major source of cedar wood for shipbuilding. Name this country, which has made the cedar tree its national symbol.

16 According to plate tectonics, one tectonic plate sometimes slides or drives beneath a converging tectonic plate. What is the term for this process?

17. Walachia, Moldavia and Transylvania are regions in which country?

18. Name the river that is the principal source of fresh water for the Sea of Galilee.

19 What term is used for crescent-shaped sand dunes with ends that point downward?

20. Traditional sports such as archery, wrestling and horse racing take place at the annual summer festival in Ulaanbaatar in which country?

21. Name the Canadian city on the Detroit River that is a major point of entry form the United States.

22. Only one country in Central America has its capital city on the coast rather than the interior. Name this country.

23. Name the only country in Southeast Asia that was not colonized by a European power.

24. Although north of the Arctic Circle, a Russian port city near the Barents Sea is kept ice free through much of the year because of the North Atlantic Drift.

25. Lop Nur, a marshy depression at the east end of the Tarim Basin, is a nuclear test site for which country?

Answers:

1. Utah.

2. Nebraska.

3. Boise.

4. Hispaniola.

5. Antarctica.

6. Greece.

7. Spain.

8. Sri Lanka.

9. Dhaka.

10. Gibraltar.

11. Gulf Stream.

12. Quito.

13. Senegal.

14. Azores.

15. Lebanon.

16. subduction.

17. Romania.

18. Jordan River.

19. barchans.

20. Mongolia.

21. Windsor.

22. Panama.

23. Thailand.

24. Murmansk.

25. China.