Geography

Geography questions appear in most quizbowl tournaments. They may be on physical or cultural geography topics and most tournaments will try to strive for a balance of both.

Debate

A long-running debate in quizbowl exists over whether to reduce or eliminate geography questions from the distribution of some quizbowl tournaments, particularly at higher level college events such as ACF Nationals [1]. Opponents of geography questions often cite them for being uninteresting, full of unlearnable information beyond the basics, or fundamentally difficult to write as anything but a list of "almanac clues" of little importance. Supporters note that geography is knowable and known, and can be written to use information about interesting and famous places that affect/have affected the world.

Over time in part due to this debate, there has been a shift away from the use of said almanac clues in geography questions and to a more diverse range of clues including music, food, traditions, and the interactions between human and physical geography.

Distribution

NAQT IS-sets and the HSNCT have approximately 1.9/1.9 geography per 24/24 round [2] [3]; their Division I collegiate packets have about 1.3/1.3 on average per round out of 26/26 [4]. ACF packet submissions require only 1/1 out of a submitted 24/24 [5]; none is required for ACF Nationals submissions, though it can be submitted as part of the "Your Choice" category.

Notable Players

Notable geography specialists in quizbowl do exist, contrary to the anti-geography crowd's insistence; such specialists have included Jeff Hoppes, Kyle Haddad-Fonda, Dallas Simons, and Raynell Cooper.

See also: Geography Monstrosity, a yearly subject tournament of geography questions