MOSES LAKE - What's the capitol of Eritrea? Kristin Vega knows, and that knowledge got her into the finals of the state geography bee.

Kristin, a seventh grader at Chief Moses Middle School, eventually finished fifth in state.

(For those wondering, the capitol is Asmara. For those still wondering, Eritrea is in east Africa, and was once part of Ethiopia.)

Vega was one of 11 people to get a perfect score in the preliminary round, she said. The questions in the preliminary round were pretty easy, she said. "In the final round, some of them were extremely hard."

Kristin likes geography for several reasons, but no one particular reason. "I don't really know," she said. "It kind of helps me learn what's going on the world." It's tied in with other subjects she's interested in, she said, like social studies. "That, and the fact I like memorizing random trivia," she said.

She always liked trivia, but she started liking geography more when she discovered there was a competition involved, she said. Kristin entered the school geography bee in sixth grade and finished second. This year she was the winner, and she plans to enter next year.

She wants to return to state as an eighth-grader. "Next year I've got a chance (to qualify for state) and I could probably do better." The state winner advances to national competition. Kristin said that would be nice, but it's not a goal.