Eighth grader Aniket Bhogaraju ’28 claimed first place in the 2024 Middle School Geography Bee. Teachers gave a pre-test to their classes with the top 10 scores in each grade moving on to grade-level bees. The top two finishers from each grade moved on to the all-school bee held last Friday.
The Geography Bee used to be a National Geographic event, but the organization stopped doing it during COVID. The MICDS History Department, however, thought it was important to give students a chance to show off their geography skills. As a result, many of the Geography Bee questions tie in with themes that students learn in their history classes.
Bhogaraju won the contest by answering this question:
Q: In which country would you find the old suq [sook], or marketplace, of Sanaa [sahn- AI]?
A: Yemen
Way to go, Aniket!
Can you answer ten of the first-round questions? Answers below.
- The Aleutian [a-LOOH-shun] Islands are part of which state—Hawaii or Alaska?
- Which country does not border Lake Victoria: Tanzania, Uganda, or Nigeria?
- Which state that borders Connecticut is the smallest state in the U.S.?
- Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin [SAN wah-KEEN] Valley are both located in which state?
- Which state is bordered by Lake Erie and Kentucky?
- Zürich is a major banking center in which European country?
- Gondolas floating on canals are associated with which city in northern Italy?
- The Puerto Rico Trench contains the deepest known part of which ocean?
- In 1488, the Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias discovered what cape near the southernmost tip of Africa?
- Sugar Loaf Mountain and the statue of Christ the Redeemer stand above the harbor of what South American city?
Answers
- Alaska
- Nigeria
- Rhode Island
- California
- Ohio
- Switzerland
- Venice
- Atlantic Ocean
- Cape of Good Hope
- Rio de Janeiro