NewsTracker Answers for week of Aug. 16, 2010

Q: Russia is mounting extra patrols to fight wildfires in a region hit by nuclear fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plan disaster, amid fears that radiation could spread. Where is Russia?

Circle the area on this map

Q: As wildfires and drought have destroyed much of Russia's crops, extreme high temperatures and choking clouds of smog from bog fires have plagued the capital of Moscow where the death rate has doubled. What is a bog?

A. Forest

B. Prairie

C. Desert

D. Wetland

D. A bog is a type of wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material. Bogs are widely distributed in cold, temperate climes, mostly in the northern hemisphere.

Q: Russia is the leading extractor of peat for fuel and the world's top producer of . . .

A. Coal

B. Natural gas

C. Nuclear power

D. All of the above

B. Russia is the world's top producer of oil and natural gas. It has the world's largest proved reserves of natural gas, second largest coal reserves and fifth largest oil reserves. The United States produces the most nuclear power and China produces the most coal.

Q: Russia is the world's largest country with 6,601,668 square miles of territory. What is the world's second largest country?

A. Australia

B. Brazil

C. Canada

D. United States

C. Canada is second with 3,855,102 square miles, followed by the United States, China, Brazil and Australia.

Q: What is the official name of Russia?

A. Russian Federation

B. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

C. Russian Empire

D. Russian Commonwealth

A. The Russian Federation was formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union on Dec. 26, 1991. Russia was the largest of the fifteen republics that made up the Soviet Union, accounting for over 60 percent of the economy and over 50 percent of its population.