Sartell Boy Heading to Russia For National Geographic World Championship

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - A Sartell boy will test his geography skills against the best in the world.

Fifteen-year-old Gopi Ramanathan is part of the United States team in the 2013 National Geographic World Championship being held next week in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Ramanathan finished in the top 10 in the 2012 National Geographic Bee, making him eligible for the World Championship team. He'll arrive in St. Petersburg on Saturday.

Eighteen teams will compete in the event that starts on Sunday.  Teams competing are: Russia, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Poland, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The final round will be on Wednesday, moderated by "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebec. Russia is the defending champion.

The National Geographic World Championship takes place every two years.