NewsTracker Answers for week of Nov. 15, 2010

Q: Nicaraguan officials denied reports that they occupied an island on the Costa Rican frontier because of a Google satellite map. The disputed territory is a river island known as Isla Calero, claimed by both countries. Where are Costa Rica and Nicaragua?

Circle the area on this map

Q: It had been reported that a Nicaraguan official said his troops occupied the island because of the map, which Google changed after Costa Rican complaints. What institution did Costa Rica ask for help after Nicaragua took the island?

A. UN

B. NATO

C. CIA

D. OAS

D. The permanent council of the Organization of American States (OAS) approved a resolution asking troops to withdraw from the disputed border area. The resolution passed with 22 votes. Three American countries abstained and two voted against it.

Q: If Nicaraguan troops pulled out, Costa Rica promised its police would not move into the area. Costa Rica has no standing army. Which nation is richer?

A. Costa Rica

B. Nicaragua

A. Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America, with nearly half its population living in poverty. Costa Rica has a thriving economy with a strong social safety net. Only 16 percent of its people are below the poverty line.

Q: An Israeli newspaper said Nicaragua's move on the San Juan River was a trial balloon of a plan by Nicaragua, Venezuela and Iran to build a new canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The project would compete directly with the . . .

A. Suez Canal

B. Magellan Strait

C. Panama Canal

D. Northwest Passage

C. Panama is a strong supporter of the United States, which built and opened the canal in 1914. The leaders of Nicaragua, Venezuela and Iran are strong critics of the United States which also criticizes them.

Q: At 19,729 square miles Costa Rica is slightly smaller than West Virginia. Nicaragua's 50,336 square miles is slightly smaller than . . .

A. Alaska

B. Louisiana

C. Colorado

D. Delaware

B. Nicaragua has a population of nearly 6 million in about the same area as Louisiana, which has about 4.4 million people. Costa Rica has a population of 4.5 million, including 300,000-500,000 Nicaraguan immigrants.