NewsTracker Answers for week of Apr 06, 2020

Q: The North American Treaty Organization (NATO) welcomed North Macedonia as the alliance's newest member last week, ending a long process that included a change to the country's name. Where is the Balkan nation of North Macedonia?

Circle the area on this map


Q: Macedonia renamed itself North Macedonia in a deal to settle the objections of what NATO member on its southern border?

A. Albania

B. Bulgaria

C. Greece

D. Serbia


C. North Macedonia is bordered by Greece to south, Bulgaria to the east, Serbia to the northeast, Kosovo to the northwest and Albania to Serbia. Greece’s province of Macedonia borders what is now North Macedonia, a nation that became independent of the former Yugoslavia in 1992.


Q: North Macedonia constitutes about a third of the region that was once the ancient kingdom of Macedonia. Who was the most famous Macedonian in history?

A. Alexander the Great

B. Cyrus the Great

C. Darius the Great

D. Xerxes the Great


A. In 336 BC, Alexander became king of Macedonia at the age of 20, and by the time of his death at 32 he created one of the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from Greece to northwestern India and south into Egypt. He was undefeated in battle and also conquered the Persian Empire which had once been ruled by Cyrus, Darius and Xerxes.


Q: North Macedonia is the 30th nation to join the NATO military alliance of European and North American countries. Many of the newer members members of NATO are former members of what rival alliance during the Cold War?

A. ANZUS

B. Entente

C. Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact

D. Warsaw Pact


D. The Warsaw Pact was a defense treaty between the Russian-dominated Soviet Union and other communist nations in central and eastern Europe. Most of the former Warsaw Pact members have said they joined NATO because they fear Russian expansionism.


Q: North Macedonia is the fourth nation to join NATO that was once part of the former Yugoslavia. Which of these NATO members also was once part of the former Yugoslavia?

A. Albania

B. Bulgaria

C. Montenegro

D. Romania


C. Montenegro and North Macedonia were among the six constituent republics that made up Yugoslavia before it began to break up in 1992. Communist Yugoslavia was never part of the Warsaw Pact because its leader, Josip Broz Tito, had split with Soviet leaders.