The anniversary, 10th, international educational campaign has set new records. The Dictation was taken at 11,020 venues in 119 countries around the world, including Russia.
Traditionally, the participants answered 40 questions on geography, related sciences, and the heritage of Russia. 90% of the tasks were submitted by the participants of the contest "Write Your Question for the Geographical Dictation". The questions were voiced by theater and film actress, People's Artist of Russia Maria Aronova, essayist writer, General Director of the L. N. Tolstoy State Museum in Moscow Vladimir Tolstoy. Also, using the help of the artificial intelligence technologies with support from Sber AI, the participants of the Dictation heard the questions voiced by a great Russian writer and thinker Leo Tolstoy, Russian poet and writer Sergei Yesenin, opera and chamber singer Fyodor Chaliapin.
“I was lucky. This year I drew the winning ticket, because I was honored to voice questions for the Geographical Dictation. I am shocked that these questions were offered mainly by the people of our country who live next to me. I am shocked that they have such knowledge. I've learned so much myself!” Maria Aronova shared her impressions.
hoto: Anna Yurgenson/RGS press service
The anniversary Geographical Dictation was held on November 16-17 in various parts of the globe. People tested their knowledge of geography at more than 11,000 venues: in Antarctica, at the weather station at Cape Kanin Nos (Nenets Autonomous Okrug), at the Aleksandr Nevsky Temple (Rostov Region), on board aircraft flying on the routes Norilsk – Moscow, Yekaterinburg – Kaliningrad, Krasnoyarsk – Turukhansk, as well as on the train going from Moscow to Vladivostok. And even on board the International Space Station, from which cosmonauts Aleksey Ovchnin, Ivan Vagner, and Aleksandr Gorbunov recorded greetings to the participants of the Dictation.
The Geographical Dictation was for the first time taken abroad in Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Qatar, Libya, and the Philippines. In total, 270 venues were operating in 118 countries. Among them are the Rolfontein Nature Reserve (South Africa), the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Sydney (Australia), Shevchenko Pridnestrovian State University (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic), and the RGS Center in India.
An expert from the intellectual club “Chto? Gde? Kogda” (eng. "What? Where? When?") Darina Sibul. Photo: Anna Yurgenson/RGS press service
The central venue for the Geographical Dictation was the press center of the international news agency "Rossiya Segodnya". The stamp cancellation ceremony dedicated to the anniversary of the educational campaign and the signing of the Globe of Russian Championship took place before the Dictation,. The right to sign the globe was given to those who have done something significant for geography. These people became the first in their field: science, education, culture, sports, and others. This time, Russian aviator, Lieutenant General, Hero of the Russian Federation Nikolai Gavrilov and Vice-President of the Association of Polar Explorers, member of the Supervisory Board of the Underwater Research Center of the RGS, member of the RGS Expert Council Konstantin Zaitsev became members of the Discoverers Club.
“The Russian Geographical Society preserves this team spirit, which was created from the very beginning. I am sure that the young people who come to the Society, starting with the Geographical Dictation and then moving into expeditionary activities, will preserve what was created by other generations,” Konstantin Zaitsev noted.
Honored guests also came to answer the Geographical Dictation’s questions at the central venue. Among them was Boris Chigidin, a participant of "Svoya Igra" with 29 years of experience; a living legend, a symbol of "Svoya Igra", and an outstanding polymath Anatoly Wasserman.
Photo: Anna Yurgenson/RGS press service