NewsTracker Answers for week of July 07, 2008

Q: Five people died and hundreds were hurt in protests last week over alleged election fraud in Mongolia. Where in the world is Mongolia?

Circle the area on this map

Q: Mongolia is the world's 19th-largest country. Which of these countries is larger than Mongolia?

A. Peru

B. Germany

C. Iran

D. France

C. Mongolia is more than two times larger than the U.S. state of Texas, and it ranks behind Iran and ahead of Peru in area.

Q: Mongolia is far smaller than its neighbors, Russia and China, but almost 800 years ago Mongols ruled a huge empire that stretched from the Mediterranean to Pacific. Which of these empires was the largest?

A. Roman

B. Mongol

C. Russian

D. British

D. At its largest point in 1922, the British Empire covered 36.6 million square kilometers. In 1268, the Mongols ruled just a little less - 33.2 million square kilometers.

Q: About 40 percent the country's workforce herds livestock in Mongolia's extensive pasture lands. Traditionally, the herdsman were nomads who lived in circular kind of tent called a ...

A. Goahti

B. Tipi

C. Yurt

D. Wigwam

C. Traditional yurts consist of a circular wooden frame carrying a felt cover. It is designed to be dismantled and the parts carried on camels or yaks to be rebuilt on another site.

Q: What is the chief religion of Mongolia?

A. Animism

B. Buddhism

C. Christianity

D. Islam

B. According to the CIA World Factbook, 50 percent of Mongolia's population follows Tibetan Buddhism. Another 40 percent have no religion, and the rest believe in Shamanism, Christianity or Islam.