National Geographic Bee - Champions

Champions

Of the twenty-three National Geographic Bee champions, twenty-one are male and two are female. Five are from the state of Washington, four are from the state of Michigan, three are from Texas, two are from Kansas, and various other states have been home to one champion each. The winner of the 2012 finals received a $25,000 scholarship, a lifetime membership to the National Geographic Society, and a trip for 2 to the Galapagos Islands. The second-place finisher received $15,000, the third-place finisher received $10,000, and the fourth-place finisher received $1,000. Other top ten finishers received $500. Champions and other top finishers are invited to apply to the three-member U.S. team sent to the biannual National Geographic World Championship.

Year Winner's Name State Grade Final Question Answer Notes
1989 Jack Staddon Kansas Eighth Name the flat intermontane area located at an elevation of about 10,000 feet (3,050 m) in the central Andes. Altiplano First Champion
1990 Susannah Batko-Yovino Pennsylvania Sixth Mount Erebus is a volcano on which continent? Antarctica First female champion
1991 David Stillman Idaho Eighth What type of landform is commonly associated with orographic precipitation? Mountain Had a perfect score in the finals
1992 Lawson Fite Washington Eighth Many coastal countries have established so-called EEZs—areas extending 200 nautical miles (370 km) from shore over which countries have sovereign rights for resource exploration. What do the initials EEZ stand for? Exclusive Economic Zone
1993 Noel Erinjeri Michigan Eighth Tagalog is one of the three main native languages of which island country in Asia? The Philippines Was in the finals in 1992
1994 Anders Knospe Montana Eighth The Tagus River roughly divides which European country into two agricultural regions? Portugal
1995 Chris Galeczka Michigan Eighth Pashtu and Dari are the official languages of which mountainous, landlocked country in southwestern Asia? Afghanistan Was in the finals in 1994
1996 Seyi Fayanju New Jersey Seventh Name the European co-principality whose heads of state are the President of France and the Bishop of Urgel. Andorra Had a perfect score in the finals; presented an object in the 1994 finals, when he was the New Jersey state champion; was a contestant on the kids game show Figure It Out
1997 Alex Kerchner Washington Seventh Asia's most densely populated country has about three million people and an area of less than 250 square miles (402 km²). Name this country. Singapore Was in the finals in 1996, where he finished 4th and went crying off the stage when he lost.
1998 Petko Peev Michigan Eighth More than 80 million people live in the European Union's most populous member country. Name this country. Germany
1999 David Beihl South Carolina Eighth (homeschooled) The condition characterized by unusually cold ocean temperature in the equatorial region of the eastern Pacific Ocean is known by what Spanish name? La Niña First Home-schooled Champion
2000 Felix Peng Connecticut Eighth Name two of the three largest sections of Denmark, which include its mainland peninsula and two largest islands Jutland, Sjaelland and Fyn
2001 Kyle Haddad-Fonda Washington Eighth Below the equilibrium line of glaciers there is a region of melting, evaporation, and sublimation. Name this zone. Zone of ablation Rhodes Scholar, Harvard graduate; Was in the finals in 1999
2002 Calvin McCarter Michigan Fifth (homeschooled) Lop Nur, a marshy depression at the east end of the Tarim Basin, is a nuclear test site for which country? China (People's Republic) Youngest champion
2003 James Williams Washington Eighth (homeschooled) Goa, a state in southwestern India, was a possession of which country until 1961? Portugal Also a competitor in the National Middle School Science Bowl and National Science Olympiad.
2004 Andrew Wojtanik Kansas Eighth Peshawar, a city in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, has had strategic importance for centuries because of its location near what historic pass? Khyber Pass Wrote Afghanistan to Zimbabwe guide with important information for each country.
2005 Nathan Cornelius Minnesota Seventh (homeschooled) Lake Gatún, an artificial lake that constitutes part of the Panama Canal system, was created by damming which river? Chagres River
2006 Bonny Jain Illinois Eighth Name the mountains that extend across much of Wales, from the Irish Sea to the Bristol Channel. Cambrian Mountains Placed 13th in 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee; was in the finals in 2005
2007 Caitlin Snaring Washington Eighth (homeschooled) A city that is divided by a river of the same name was the imperial capital of Vietnam for more than a century. Name this city, which is still an important cultural center. Huế Had a perfect score in the finals; second female champion
2008 Akshay Rajagopal Nebraska Sixth The urban area of Cochabamba has been in the news recently due to protests over the privatization of the municipal water supply and regional autonomy issues. Cochabamba is the third-largest conurbation in what country? Bolivia Had a perfect score in the finals.

Won the Bee on his first attempt at the school, state and national level.

2009 Eric Yang Texas Seventh Timis County shares its name with a tributary of the Danube and is located in the western part of which European country? Romania Had a perfect score in the finals
2010 Aadith Moorthy Florida Eighth The largest city in northern Haiti was renamed following Haiti’s independence from France. What is the present-day name of this city? Cap-Haïtien Won the bee the first year he came to the National Level.
2011 Tine Valencic Texas Seventh Thousands of mountain climbers and trekkers rely on Sherpas to aid their ascent of Mount Everest. The southern part of Mount Everest is located in which Nepalese national park? Sagarmatha National Park Had a perfect score in the finals
2012 Rahul Nagvekar Texas Eighth Which Bavarian city located on the Danube River was a legislative seat of the Holy Roman Empire from 1663 to 1806? Regensburg First time contender in the National Championship

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