(SitNews) - Alaska students will compete in the National Geographic state-level geography bee Friday, March 30 at the Egan Center in Anchorage. More than 100 fourth through eighth graders from 21 Alaska school districts will participate. The contestants have prequalified by winning their schools’ bees and passing a qualifying test. Ketchikan schools with contestants participating are Houghtaling Elementary School, Schoenbar Middle School and Tongass School of Arts & Sciences.

Questions during the bee span the world: “Which state has a climate suitable for growing citrus fruits, California or Maine?” “The North Atlantic current brings warm waters from the tropics to the west coast of which continent?” “To visit the ruins of Persepolis, an ancient capital of Persia, you would have to travel to what present-day country?”

Preliminary rounds in the morning will determine the top 10 finalists who then compete in the afternoon for first place. The winner will represent the state at the National Geographic Bee May 22-24 in Washington, D.C. The national winner receives a $25,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society and a trip to the Galapagos Islands.

This year’s bee will feature the Giant Traveling Map of the Pacific Ocean. The map, measuring 26 feet by 35 feet, gives students an interactive experience through content and activities that enliven the study of geography. Designed for kindergarten through eighth grade, the map will be on loan to the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Alaska Geographic Alliance in March and April via National Geographic’s Giant Traveling Maps program, which is managed by National Geographic Live, the public programming division of the National Geographic Society.

On the Web:

National Geographic Bee
www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee

Source of News: 

Alaska State Geographic Bee
www.

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