NewsTracker Answers for week of June 13, 2011

Q: Mexican police have seized heavily armored trucks covered with inch-thick steel that are being used in warfare between rival drug gangs. Where is Mexico?

Circle the area on this map

Q: Nearly 35,000 people in Mexico have been killed in drug-related violence since 2006 - most of them near the U.S. border. Which state does NOT border Mexico?

A. Arizona

B. Utah

C. California

D. Texas

B. The U.S, states along the 1,969-mile border, from west to east, are California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Mexico's drugs gangs are battling for control of the lucrative U.S. market.

Q: Last week, a Mexican "peace caravan" protesting drugs-related violence traveled to Ciudad Juarez, which is across the border from which U.S. city?

A. San Diego, California

B. Nogales, Arizona

C. Columbus, New Mexico

D. El Paso, Texas

D. Ciudad Juarez has become the front line of the drug war, with about 3,100 violent drugs-related deaths in 2010. After crossing into El Paso, protesters said U.S. citizens "must admit their responsibility in the violence in Mexico."

Q: Mexican gangs reap big profits smuggling 90 percent of the cocaine sold in the U.S. Which country is the largest producer of cocaine?

A. Afghanistan

B. Burma

C. Colombia

D. Peru

C. Colombia is the world's largest cocaine producer, followed closely by Peru. Afghanistan produces the most opium with Burma coming in second.

Q: In a World Health Organization survey, the U.S. had four times the level of cocaine use than the next closest country. Which nation was second?

A. Mexico

B. Netherlands

C. Columbia

D. New Zealand

D. In the 17-nation survey, 16 percent of the Americans interviewed said they had used cocaine compared with 4 percent of people in New Zealand. In the Netherlands, which has much more liberal drug policies than the U.S., only 1.9 percent reported cocaine use.