OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- An eighth-grader at Lakewood Middle School studied an atlas and charted a course and is a now a national champion in geography, KMBC's Bev Chapman reported.

Andrew Wojtanik, 14, recently won the 16th Annual National Geographic Bee.

Chapman: "Brisbane and Adelaid are ports on which continent?"

Wojtankik: "Australia."

Wojtanik's grasp of the places and people around the globe is remarkable, but no mystery, Chapman said. The national award is a tribute to a dedicated learner who created his own study guide.

"I made a big almanac -- 432 pages -- about all the countries in the world," Wojtanik said.

Chapman reported that he spent weekends and weeknights on the project. But he gives much of the credit to a teacher.

"I had a great sixth-grade teacher," Wojtanik said.

"We had a contest. He shattered the record of knowing the names of almost all 193 countries ... as a sixth-grader," teacher Julie Larsen said.

Wojtanik does not always have the answers.

"A couple of times I wrote down an answer and then stopped and read the question, and then I thought about maybe that's not it. But my first instinct was usually correct," Wojtanik said.

So far, the farthest Wojtanik has been from Overland Park is Canada. But he has big plans.

"I'd like to be maybe a journalist because I love to write, too. Use this geography knowledge and put it to the test," Wojtanik said.

When Wojtanik is not studying maps, he plays baseball and golf and also volunteers with the Christmas in October program.