NewsTracker Answers for week of Aug. 22, 2011

Q: Two bathers in waters off Russia's coast have been mauled in shark attacks which occurred in the same area, inside 24 hours. Where is Russia?

Circle the area on this map

Q: Swimming was banned after the attacks on Russia's east coast. What body of water is on Russia's east coast?

A. Atlantic Ocean

B. Black Sea

C. Pacific Ocean

D. Arctic Ocean

C. The head of the World Wildlife Fund's sea program said the region off the Pacific coast from Vladivostok had not seen shark attacks for years so this could be a signal of climate change.

Q: Which capital city is closest to the port of Vladivostok?

A. Moscow

B. Tokyo

C. Beijing

D. Washington

B. It is 664 miles from Vladivostok to the capital of Japan. The Chinese capital of Beijing is 833 miles, and Moscow is 3,997 miles away in the European part of Russia. Washington is 6,503 miles from Vladivostok.

Q: What is the distance between the United States and Russia at the closest point?

A. 2,500 miles

B. 250 miles

C. 25 miles

D. 2.5 miles

D. Russia's Big Diomede Island and Alaska's Little Diomede Island are less than 3 miles apart in the Bering Strait. At its closest, the American mainland and the Russian mainland are about 55 miles apart.

Q: Which nation has reported the most shark attacks?

A. United States

B. Russia

C. Australia

D. Switzerland

A. The United States has had more reported shark attacks than any other country, with a total of 1,049 attacks - 49 fatal - recorded during the past 339 years.