NewsTracker Answers for week of Aug. 23, 2010

Q: The last U.S. combat brigade in Iraq left the country last week, seven years after the U.S.-led invasion. Where is Iraq?

Circle the area on this map

Q: Some fear that Iraq's continuing religious conflict could endanger the 50,000 U.S. troops who remain in the country to serve as advisers. Which is the largest Islamic sect in Iraq?

A. Shia

B. Sufi

C. Sunni

D. Druze

A. According to the CIA World Factbook, 60 to 65 percent of Iraqis are Shia and 32 to 37 percent are Sunni. Since the 2003 invasion, there has been widespread fighting between the two sects.

Q: Which nation was the United State's biggest ally when it invaded Iraq?

A. France

B. Great Britain

C. Canada

D. Germany

B. U.S. and British leaders argued that the invasion was necessary to prevent Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from using weapons of mass destruction (WMD). France, Germany and Canada opposed the invasion, even though they are NATO allies of Britain and the U.S. WMDs were never found in Iraq.

Q: After the invasion, priceless ancient artifacts were looted from National Museum of Iraq. Iraq is known as the birthplace of . . .

A. The wheel

B. Writing

C. Civilization

D. All of the above

D. Iraq has been home to continuous successive civilizations for more than 7,000 years. The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is identified as the Cradle of Civilization and the birthplace of writing and the wheel.

Q: The Tigris and Euphrates rivers run through Iraq's capital city of . . .

A. Amman

B. Baghdad

C. Cairo

D. Damascus

B. With a population of 7 to 7.5 million people, Baghdad is the largest city in Iraq and the second largest city in the Arab World.