Geography
Geography questions appear in most quizbowl tournaments. They may be on physical or cultural geography topics—most tournaments will strive for a balance of both.
Distribution
NAQT IS-sets and the HSNCT have approximately 1.9/1.9 geography per 24/24 round [1] [2]; their Division I collegiate packets have about 1.2/1.2 on average per round out of 26/26 [3]. In contrast, ACF packets require only .5/.5 geography in a submitted packet of 24/24 (which is then cut to 20/20) [4]; most mACF sets have a similar amount, though some high school sets have 1/1.
Some geography content inevitably appears outside its designated category, given the relevance of geographical locations to history, literature, etc.
Debate
A long-running debate in quizbowl exists over whether to reduce or eliminate geography questions from the distribution of some tournaments, particularly higher level college events such as ACF Nationals [5]. 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.
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 roughly annual subject tournament of geography questions