Geography Bee Champ From Port Jeff Finds Himself in State Championship

Quick: Which city on the Great Lakes has the largest population? Don’t know? Then try this one: Between which states does The Bitterroot Range border?

If you don’t know the answers to the above questions off the top of your head, don’t feel bad. Not many people do. There is one eight-grader at who does, though. His name is Boris Botchev and he will be heading up to the New York State Museum in Albany on Friday, March 30 to compete in the 2012 New York State National Geographic Bee sponsored by Google and Plum Creek. Think , but with geography.

According to the website for the event, every year thousands of schools in the United States participate in the National Geographic Bee using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. The Bee is designed to encourage interest and awareness about geography.

Botchev earned his place in the state competition by beating out students in a schoolwide geography bee at the middle school earlier this year. He then took a National Geographic Society qualifying exam, within the top 100 scorers in New York State.

The winner at the state level will represent New York in the national finals in Washington, D.C. in May.

Answers to geography questions above: Chicago and Montana and Idaho