Geography: don't leave home without it!Nathaniel "Nathan" Cornelius is a seventh grader, but he doesn't leave home to go to school. The 13-year-old from Cottonwood, Minnesota Cottonwood is a city in Lyon County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,148 at the 2000 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.2 km² (0.9 mi²), all land. , is home-schooled with guidelines from the Marshall Area Christian Home Educators' Association. Nathan's father, Craig Cornelius, said in an interview with the Washington Times that he and his wife, Michele, encouraged their son's love for geography by providing him with geography books and atlases. Mr. Cornelius attributed Nathan's geography prowess mostly to his intense interest in and love for the subject. "He just loves geography," Mr. Cornelius told the Times. "It's a natural gift. We can't really take credit for it." Not surprisingly, Nathan excelled in this year's National Geographic Bee The National Geographic Bee (previously called the National Geography Bee) is an annual geography contest sponsored by the National Geographic Society. The Bee, held every year since 1989, is open to students in the fourth through eighth grade in participating American , held in Washington, D.C, in May. The Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. reported about the event: "Nathaniel Cornelius topped young people from across the nation to win a $25,000 college scholarship. The winning question: 'Lake Gatun, an artificial lake that constitutes part of the Panama Canal Panama Canal, waterway across the Isthmus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic (by way of the Caribbean Sea) and Pacific oceans, built by the United States (1904–14) on territory leased from the republic of Panama. system, was created by damming which river?' The answer: Chagres River." Nathan's victory was by no means a walk-away, however. The runner-up, Karan Takhar, a 14-year-old from East Providence, Rhode Island East Providence is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 48,688 at the 2000 census, making it the fifth largest city in the state. It is a suburb of Providence. , put up a formidable challenge and fought Nathan to a sudden-death tiebreaker tie·break·er n. An additional contest or period of play designed to establish a winner among tied contestants. Also called tiebreak. tie round. Alex Trebek, famous as the host of Jeopardy, moderated the geography bee. He was amazed at how close the final round between Nathaniel and Karan was. "I thought I'd be reading questions until my 70th birthday," Trebek told the Times. The AP reported that in addition to his extensive knowledge of geography, Nathan also plays piano and classical guitar and enjoys photography. |
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