2010 NATIO N AL GEOGRAPHIC BEE AT A GLANCE... The National Geographic Bee is a nationwide Principals of eligible schools must register their schools to contest for schools with any of the grades four through eight. It is participate. The Bee is a classroom- and school-based competition. an educational program of the National Geographic Society. With a Principals may register by writing on school letterhead to National first-place prize of a $25,000 college scholarship—and other prizes in Geographic Bee, National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street NW, additional scholarships and cash—the Bee is designed to encourage Washington, D.C., 20036-4688, and including the $70 fee. Please send the teaching and study of geography. Students from schools in all 50 check or money order. The deadline for registering is October 15, 2009. states, the District of Columbia, the Pacific territories, the Atlantic Please check with the principal of your school to see if the school is territories, and Department of Defense Dependents Schools take part already registered, as the fee is nonrefundable. For more information, in the National Geographic Bee. visit www.nationalgeographic.com/geographicbee School Level Qualifying Test** State Level National Level Format Oral Written Oral Oral Fee $70 None None None Rules of Open to all Students must win Students must place Students must win Eligibility registered schools;* school competition. in top 100 scores state competition. registration ends on Qualifying Test. October 15, 2009. Source of National National National National Questions Geographic Society Geographic Society Geographic Society Geographic Society Competition School School State Bee National Administrator representative** representative** Coordinator Geographic Society Participants Students in grades Winning student As many as 100 State winners four through eight from each school finalists from each competition state and territory Dates of November 9, 2009, Mail test to April 9, 2010 May 25–26, 2010 Competition through January 15, National Geographic 2010 Society. It must be in NGS hands by January 31, 2010. Tests received after January 31 will be disqualified. Location of School building School building Varies with each National Competition state and territory Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. Prizes Prize and certificate Invitation to First Place: $100, a First Place: $25,000 to school winner; participate in prize, and a trip to college scholarship; certificate to school; state competition Washington, D.C. Lifetime Membership general certificate of Second Place: $75 in NGS; trip to the participation (to be and a prize Galápagos Islands photocopied for all Third Place: $50 Second Place: $15,000 contestants) and a prize college scholarship All students: Third Place: $10,000 T-shirts and college scholarship certificates Top ten finalists: $500 each *Students who are prior winners of National Geographic Bee first-, second-, or third-place college scholarships are ineligible, as are members of the immediate families of National Geographic Society employees. **Students and their parents and relatives must not have obtained, have had in their possession, or have seen copies of the School-level Question Booklet or the Qualifying Test. We reserve the right to disqualify students for this reason. The questions below were used in the school, state, or national levels of the National Geographic Bee and reflect the range of difficulty and subject matter that can be expected in new questions at these various levels. For information about the Bee, visit www.nationalgeographic.com/geographicbee 1. Which state averages more inches of rainfall per 14. The Urubamba River valley of southern Peru was a year—Nevada or Delaware? Delaware sacred area to what ancient civilization? Inca 2. Butte, known for its huge copper deposits, is located 15. Which country’s struggle for independence gained in the Rocky Mountains in which state—Montana or momentum with the Salt March to the Arabian Sea in Nebraska? Montana 1930? India 3. Which city is located at a lower elevation—New 16. Which country shares its name with Africa’s third Orleans, Louisiana, or Wichita, Kansas? largest lake? Malawi New Orleans, Louisiana 17. The world’s lowest life expectancy, approximately 4. Which state does not share a border with the Canadian 32 years, is attributed to a high prevalence of HIV/ province of Saskatchewan—Montana, Maine, or North AIDS in what small, landlocked African kingdom that Dakota? Maine borders only two other countries? Swaziland 5. Casablanca, located on the Atlantic, is the chief port 18. The Gibson Desert is to Australia as the Qizilqum is to city for which country? Morocco WHAT? Uzbekistan 6. The Shebele River rises in the mountains of Ethiopia 19. Ürümqi, formerly known as Di Hua, is the largest city and flows south into what country? Somalia in the western part of which Asian country? China 7. The Dead Sea borders Israel and which other country? 20. Bulgaria has two chief seaports that rival each other Jordan as economic centers and international resorts on the Black Sea. Name one of these cities. Burgas, Varna 8. Sian Ka’an, a biosphere reserve and national park protecting approximately 70 miles of Caribbean 21. Timis¸ County shares its name with a tributary of the coastline, can be visited on which large peninsula of Danube and is located in the western part of which Mexico? Yucatan Peninsula European country? Romania 9. Which country has a higher literacy rate—Burundi or 22. During the 19th century, the majority of the world’s Slovakia? Slovakia coffee came from large plantationlike farms called fazendas found in what large present-day South 10. Which country’s currency is not called the dollar— American country? Brazil Australia, El Salvador, or Malaysia? Malaysia 23. In March 2009, a municipal archive building in the city 11. Bohemia and Moravia are two regions located in which of Cologne collapsed. This city, located on the Rhine formerly communist country that joined NATO in River, is in which country? Germany 1999? Czech Republic 24. The Ubangi River in Africa forms part of the southern 12. In August 2008, conflict in the breakaway region of boundary of a former French colony. Name this South Ossetia led to Russian military involvement. present-day country. Central African Republic South Ossetia declared independence from which country? Georgia 25. Place the following countries in order according to number of years since independence from most to 13. El Djouf, a western region of the Sahara, is located in a fewest—Uruguay, Benin, Ireland. Uruguay, Ireland, North African country that borders Lévrier Bay. Name Benin this country. Mauritania Copyright © 2009 National Geographic Society Recycled paper.