NewsTracker Answers for week of Feb. 03, 2014

Q: Despite its subtropical climate, Sochi, Russia, is hosting the 2014 Winter Olympic Games which open this week. And, several teams are coming from the tropics, including Jamaica's two-man bobsled team. Where is the Caribbean island of Jamaica?

Circle the area on this map

Q: While Jamaica is sending two competitors to Sochi, which island group about 270 miles northwest of Jamaica is sending just one?

A. Turks and Caicos Islands

B. British Virgin Islands

C. Cayman Islands

D. U.S. Virgin Islands

C. The Cayman Islands' Dow Travers is scheduled to compete in the men's slalom and giant slalom ski events. The British Virgin Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands also are sending one-person teams, while Turks and Caicos Islands has no team.

Q: The Caribbean nation of Dominica is sending a husband-wife team to compete in cross-country skiing at the games. Which European nation has ruled all of the islands of Dominica, Jamaica and the Caymans?

A. Spain

B. Britain

C. France

D. All of the above

B. Dominica and Jamaica are former British colonies and the Cayman Islands is a British Overseas territory. Britain took formal control of the Caymans and Jamaica from the Spanish in 1670. Britain took Dominica from France in 1783.

Q: Which South American nation on the southern shore of the Caribbean is sending a one-person team to the Winter Olympics?

A. Argentina

B. Peru

C. Chile

D. Venezuela

D. Venezuela is one of six South American nations sending teams to Sochi. While Brazil lies almost entirely in the tropical zone, it is sending 13 athletes, the biggest team from the continent. Argentina is sending seven, followed by Chile with six, Peru with three, and Paraguay and Venezuela with one each.

Q: Which U.S. island territory in the Caribbean has decided not to send an athlete who qualified for the Winter Olympics?

A. Puerto Rico

B. Guam

C. Midway

D. Wake

A. The Puerto Rico Olympic Committee is not sending skier Kristina Krone to games, although she has represented the island since 2008 in more than 100 alpine ski competitions sanctioned by the International Ski Federation. The U.S. islands of Guam, Midway and Wake are all in the Pacific.