On April 9, 100 geography whizzes will compete for the state’s top spot in the Alaska Geographic Bee. Winners from each state earn the right to participate in the 2010 National Geographic Bee national competition May 25-26 in Washington, D.C.
Students in grades four through eight who qualified will compete in their state-level bees. The bee provides students a unique opportunity to better understand the world and the events happening around them. Visit here to see the types of skills students need to be in the geographic bee.
The contest is designed to encourage teachers to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest in the subject and increase public awareness about geography.
The National Geographic Society developed the National Geographic Bee in 1989 in response to concern about the lack of geographic knowledge among young people. A National Geographic-Roper Public Affairs 2006 geographic literacy study showed that Americans aged 18 to 24 still had limited understanding of the world within and beyond this country’s borders. Only four out of ten were able to find Iraq on a map of the Middle East.
The first place winner in each state wins a trip to the national event and $100. The top winner in the nation wins a $25,000 college scholarship, lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society, and a trip to the Galapagos Islands.
The Alaska event will be held Friday at 9:25 a.m. in the William A. Egan Civic & Convention Center in Anchorage. The final round is at 1 p.m.
Both National Geographic and Google Geo Education Program, which help make the geographic bees possible, are collaborators with the UA Geography Program.
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