12-Year-Old Wins Geographic Bee in Nail-Biter—How Would You Do?
Students demonstrate an impressive command of maps and world affairs in thrilling competition.
WASHINGTONWhich East African lake that drains into the Ruzizi River contains large quantities of dissolved methane gas that could generate electricity for millions of people?
After answering that question correctly (Lake Kivu, duh), Rishi Nair, a 12-year-old from Florida, was crowned winner of the 28th National Geographic Bee. Nair bested nine other finalists in a game show format competition hosted at National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., Wednesday.
The competition is open to grades four through eight, and the finalists ranged in age from 10 to 14 years old. This year's bee began with a field of two and a half million contestants from 11,000 schools across the U.S.
"These kids aren't just smart, they care about the world," journalist and humorist Mo Rocca—who hosted the competition for the first
