2022-2023 Regional Finals Study Guide – Red Question Set
Instructions: This study guide should be your first resource in preparing for the International Geography Bee Regional
Finals on the Red Question Set. Most of the facts below are found at some point in the 120 questions that compose
the Red Question Set. Thus we have selected these facts for this study guide to help make your preparation easier
and more efficient. Remember that the questions are all short paragraphs on a particular topic, so if a topic is
referenced below, then it is a good idea to learn a bit more about it on your own than what is listed here (since
additional facts about a topic will also be referenced in the question). It is also helpful to read the introduction of a
Wikipedia page on a topic to gain additional historical context about why it is significant.
Please also use the National Capitals Study Guide and our past question sets (especially International Geography Bee
Regional Finals questions from past years) which are found at: www.internationalgeographybee.com/usa/resources/
Many of the topics that are found in past years’ questions will again be found in the questions at this year’s Regional
Finals, and at the National Championships too. Good luck!
Africa
1. Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world. It is the site of Lake Tana, the source of the Blue
Nile, one of the two main branches of the upper Nile River.
2. Kruger National Park is found in South Africa and is a popular location for safaris.
3. Madagascar, where the Malagasy language is spoken, is a large island located off the coast of East Africa.
4. Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa, is a dormant volcano located in Tanzania.
5. Victoria Falls, located between Zambia and Zimbabwe, is the largest waterfall by volume in the world.
Asia
1. The Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee are situated along the Jordan River, which separates Israel and Jordan.
2. The islands of Java, Bali, Sumatra and Borneo are located in Indonesia.
3. Buddhism is widely practiced in Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Burma, and its holy language is Pali.
4. India is located between the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east.
5. Bangladesh is located at the north end of the Bay of Bengal and shares the Ganges River delta with India.
6. The Caucasus and the Urals are mountain ranges that separate Europe from Asia.
Canada
1. Toronto is home to the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre, where the Toronto Blue Jays play baseball.
Europe
1. The Danube River is home to four national capitals, including Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade.
2. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, in the northern part of the United Kingdom. Glasgow is the largest Scottish
city by population.
3. Countries on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe include Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Albania, and Croatia.
Europe (continued)
4. Luxembourg is a tiny landlocked country in Western Europe which is bordered by Germany, France and Belgium.
5. Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are all small countries in Europe that are on the east coast of the Baltic Sea.
6. Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland are the four constituent countries that form the United Kingdom.
7. Jean Sibelius, who composed Finlandia, is a famous composer from Finland.
8. Tenerife is the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, located off the coast of West Africa
Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Pacific islands)
1. The Maori are the indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand who perform the haka dance.
2. Ayers Rock, also known by its Aboriginal name of “Uluru”, is a famous tourist site in the Outback of Australia.
3. The Outback is the interior portion of Australia, largely consisting of desert, where few people live.
Latin America and the Caribbean
1. The Galapagos Islands and the city of Guayaquil are located in Ecuador.
2. Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has been criticized for economic mismanagement.
3. The Panama Canal links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
4. The Rio Grande is a river which forms much of the border between the USA and Mexico.
USA
1. The city of St. Louis, Missouri, is famous for its Gateway Arch.
2. Kansas is the USA’s largest producer of wheat and its nickname is the Sunflower State.
3. The most populous state in the USA is California. Texas ranks second, and Florida ranks third.
4. Albuquerque is the largest city located in New Mexico.
5. Maryland is famous for its crab cakes, due to the presence of crabs in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay.
6. Missoula and Billings are two of the largest cities in Montana, which is nicknamed “Big Sky Country”.
7. Carnegie Mellon University is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the Ohio River is formed. Carnegie
Mellon is named for Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon, who were wealthy Pittsburgh-area businessmen.
8. Miami, the largest city in South Florida, anchors a metro area that includes the cities of West Palm Beach and
Fort Lauderdale. Miami is home to a large Cuban-American population.
9. Denali National Park is situated in Alaska, which is the largest state by area. Denali is the name for the highest
mountain in both the USA and North America, which can be found there.
10. Superstorm Sandy (also known as Hurricane Sandy) made landfall in New Jersey in 2012.
11. Omaha is the largest city in Nebraska and each year it hosts the College World Series for baseball.
12. Alcatraz Island, where Al Capone and many other criminals was imprisoned, is located in San Francisco Bay.
13. The Delaware River separates New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
14. Vermont is known as the Green Mountain State. Its largest city is Burlington.
15. Acadia National Park is located in Maine. It is the only National Park in the New England states.
16. Swing states are states that can potentially vote for either Republican or Democratic candidates in elections,
especially for the presidency. Current swing states include Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
