NORMAL - Some kids are great spellers, and others aces at math. But four Central Illinois students have proven they have a special flair for knowing the world around them.

Michael DeCremer, Edward Sun, and Lawrence Li, all of Normal, and Mark Foley of Mount Pulaski each has earned a spot to compete Friday in the Illinois Geographic Bee at the Field Museum in Chicago.

It was no easy feat.

First, each had to win his school's bee, then be among the state's top 100 scorers on a written exam from the National Geographic Society. The group sponsors 14,000 U.S. school geography bees, and regional and national contests.

Some questions asked at each school-level bee included naming what country has a city called Arequipa, naming the river that flows through Turkey and Syria eventually joining the Tigris River in Iraq, and naming the country that occupied the Alsace-Lorraine region during most of World War II.

(Don't know? It's Peru, the Euphrates, and Germany.)

The three Normal residents represent Unit 5's junior high schools:

Parkside Junior High School eighth-grader DeCremer is making his third appearance in as many years. Kingsley sixth-grader Sun makes school history when he competes: It's the first time a Kingsley student has taken part at the state level. Chiddix eighth-grader Li makes his second appearance in the Chicago contest.

Foley is an eighth-grader at Mount Pulaski Elementary School. This is his first time competing at state.

The state winner receives a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent Illinois in the 20th anniversary national bee, and compete for a $25,000 prize there. Each state's winner also gets $100 and a globe.

On the Net: www.nationalgeographic.com/geographicbee/