There's not much Keshvi Radia doesn't know about the Arctic.

She may never have been there, but her knowledge is definitely hot on the cold region.

And that insight has helped the Purley youngster win a prize in a national geography competition.

The 13-year-old had to produce a poster about how she would travel to the region and what she would take.

She beat off hundreds of competitors to finish runner-up in her age-group at the Young Geographer of the Year competition.

Keshvi said: "I really didn't think anything would come of this when I entered.

"You shouldn't expect anything, but when I found out the result I was over the moon."

The pupil from Old Palace School, in Old Palace Road, Croydon, had been to Canada when she was "very young", but the furthest she remembers going is Belgium.

So she had to do a lot of research into the Arctic, spending time during her lunch hours learning about the area.

She then worked out a route to get there.

Keshvi said: "I would go from London to Iceland by plane, then from there I would take a boat straight to the Arctic.

"From there I would go to the North Pole and I thought it would be interesting to go on a husky ride.

"I wouldn't bring lots of food, mainly dehydrated soups and things that you add water to, to turn it into food."

Keshvi, of Pampisford Road, wants to go to the Arctic for real when she is older.

But for now she has had to settle for a trip to the headquarters of the competition's organisers, the Royal Geographical Society, in South Kensington, to pick up her award.

Her teacher Vanessa Miall said: "Keshvi is very talented and she takes on a challenge.

"She rose to the occasion here and I think she enjoyed it."