Afghanistan to Zimbabwe: Country Facts That Helped Me Win the National Geographic Bee [Paperback]

Andrew Wojtanik (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Bee participants, hopefuls, and anyone else interested in geography will find a wealth of essential facts about each of the world's 192 independent countries. Each features a National Geographic–prepared country map listing major cities, rivers, mountains, and other features, as well as the names of bordering countries. Facts about each country are listed including: continent, area, population, population density, capital city, key physical facts such as highest and lowest points, major mountain ranges and rivers, key regions, lakes, environmental hazards, climate, and more. Political information including date of independence, languages, currency, major exports, current leader, major cities, and natural resources is also given. Written by Andrew Wojtanik, champion of the 2004 National Geographic Bee.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up–Alphabetically organized fast facts about each of the world's 192 independent nations are listed here. Most of the information presented, with the exception of the black-and-white maps, could just as easily be found in an encyclopedia or almanac. However, for maps, flags, and a few fast facts, a good world atlas, such as The World Almanac World Atlas (Hammond, 2005) would suffice. What Afghanistan does, and does nicely, is bring most of the information together in a no-frills package. After listing the name of the country, area, population, capital, and so on, each entry provides additional facts grouped under three headings–Physical, Political, and Environmental/Economic. At the end of the book, Geographic Extremes–the biggest, longest, etc., for each continent are noted. Visually the volume is unremarkable. The introductory section, Things You Need to Know, directs readers to the National Geographic Web site for printable versions of the maps in the book. This is an additional purchase, particularly useful for schools in which students participate in the National Geographic Bee or for whom geographical facts are a passion.–Linda Greengrass, Bank Street College Library, New York City
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792279816
• ISBN-13: 978-0792279815
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.1 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Children's
  • #20 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Earth Sciences
  • #56 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > Study Aids

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK but..., September 20, 2007

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world reader - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Afghanistan to Zimbabwe: Country Facts That Helped Me Win the National Geographic Bee (Paperback)

Thought it was interesting that all of the other reviews are by kids who know Andrew personally...

This book was bought for my school library and I quickly realized that all of the information given is available in almost any encyclopedia or website. Token details on each country and while the information is there and in one place, it really isn't worth the purchase price.

I showed it to our geography teacher and he basically said that it was OK, but certainly not something he would use a lot.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME!!!, August 7, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Afghanistan to Zimbabwe: Country Facts That Helped Me Win the National Geographic Bee (Paperback)

This book is crazy awesome! It has all the information that one would ever need about geography. Everything from basic facts to unique details about an assortment of countries is neatly compiled into an easy to use guide. Anyone remotely intersted in geography should buy this book. Also anyone that needs to know anything about geopgraphy for a class or report should buy this book. It is worth much more than it costs!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stamped With Genius, February 6, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Afghanistan to Zimbabwe: Country Facts That Helped Me Win the National Geographic Bee (Paperback)

I bought the book to study for my school Geography Bee. I recieved the bok the next day and began reading it. The book is arranged in alphabetical order for all 193 countries. My school geography bee was less than a month away when I started studying but it paid off. I won my school geography bee with ease. Later that week Itook the Qualifying test for state level. After my principal sent in my test i checked my answers and had a great score. This book is a great study tool for any kind of geography.