NewsTracker Answers for week of Aug. 18, 2014

Q: Last week, Sweden marked the 200th anniversary of a peace treaty that ended the nation's last war. Where is Sweden?

Circle the area on this map


Q: In 1814, Sweden fought its last battle against its western neighbor . . .

A. England

B. Finland

C. Norway

D. Russia


C. In the 1814 peace treaty which ended the Swedish–Norwegian War, Norway accepted the king of Sweden as its monarch and the king recognized Norway's democratic constitution and independent parliament. The union lasted until 1905 when Norway peacefully gained its independence.


Q: Sweden has avoided war even longer than which European nation famous for remaining neutral?

A. Andorra

B. Belgium

C. Netherlands

D. Switzerland


D. European powers agreed to permanently recognize Swiss neutrality in 1815, but Switzerland had a civil war in 1847.


Q: Sweden was not always so peaceful. It was home to marauding Vikings, and it established a 17th century empire by conquering much of the territory surrounding the sea east of the country. What is the name of that sea?

A. Adriatic

B. Baltic

C. Caspian

D. North


B. The Baltic Sea lies between Sweden and mainland Europe. At its height, the Swedish Empire covered Finland, Estonia and Latvia as well as parts of Russia and Germany.


Q: Swedish is most closely related which of these languages?

A. English

B. Finnish

C. Russian

D. Welsh


A. English and Swedish are both Germanic languages. The ancestor of all Germanic languages first evolved in southern Sweden and Denmark, Sweden's southern neighbor. Finnish, Russian and Welsh are derived from different “proto-languages.”