NewsTracker Answers for week of Nov. 30, 2015

Q: Hundreds of Cubans protested at the Ecuadorian embassy in Cuba last week after the South American nation announced they would need visas to enter the country as of Dec. 1. The visa rule follows talks earlier last week on the fate thousands of Cubans stranded in Costa Rica en route to the United States. Where is Ecuador, Costa Rica or Cuba on this map?

Circle the area on this map

Q: Cubans trying to get to the U.S. had been flying to Ecuador without getting visas and then traveling north through Central America. Thousands were stranded after they were refused entry into which nation on Costa Rica”s northern border?

A. Belize

B. Honduras

C. Nicaragua

D. Panama

C. Nicaragua's leftist government, a close ally of Cuba, refused to let the migrants cross the border to continue their journey to the United States where Cubans receive residency with ease under the U.S. Cuban Adjustment Act of 1996. Once they reach the U.S. border, Cubans can just show up at an established U.S. port of entry and declare their nationality.

Q: Cubans who set foot on U.S. soil can stay, but those captured at sea are sent back. So, the migrants are taking the longer land route instead of going by boat. About how far is Cuba from the United States by sea?

A. 900 miles

B. 90 miles

C.19 miles

D. 9 miles

B.  Cuba and the United States are separated by 92 miles of ocean. Over the years the U.S. Coast Guard has rescued thousands of desperate Cubans from makeshift boats and returned them to their island nation.

Q: What has spurred the recent surge in Cubans trying to reach the United States?

A. Widespread famine in Cuba

B. Anti-migrant talk in the U.S.

C. Cuban power struggle

D. Thaw in Cuba-U.S. relations

D. Many migrants are afraid that the normalization of relations between the U.S. and Cuba will mean an imminent end to the special immigration privileges. Cuba has blamed U.S. emigration policies for drawing so many from their homeland, draining the country of badly needed professionals and working-age adults.

Q: Where have most Cuban immigrants settled in the United States?

A. Florida

B. Texas

C. California

D. New York

A. Many communities throughout the United States have significant Cuban-American populations. But, Florida has the highest concentration of Cuban-Americans in the U.S., standing out in part because of its proximity to Cuba.