An eighth-grader from northern Virginia has outlasted nine other young scholars to win the National Geographic Bee.
Akhil Rekulapelli , of Sterling, Virginia, finished fourth in last year's bee. This year, the 14-year-old answered all three questions right in a one-on-one showdown with the youngest of the 10 finalists, Ameya Mujumdar, 11, of Tampa, Florida.
The decisive question: What African country is building a new capital called Oyala in the rain forest, 65 miles east of the current capital, Bala? The answer: Equatorial Guinea.
Akhil receives a $50,000 scholarship, a trip to the Galapagos Islands with his family and a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society.
Akhil says he aspires to become a surgeon. He says winning the bee is his greatest accomplishment so far.
