NewsTracker Answers for week of Sep. 05, 2022

Q: Since Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega began locking up dozens of political opponents before last year’s election, asylum seekers from that nation have surged into its much smaller southern neighbor, Costa Rica. Where is the Central American nation of Costa Rica?

Circle the area on this map

Q: Asylum seekers now account for 4% of Costa Rica’s population of about 5 million people. According to the United Nations, Costa Rica ranked fourth in the number of asylum applications received last year. Which Latin American nation had more asylum seekers?

A. Brazil

B. Colombia

C. Mexico

D. Peru

C. Despite its small size, Costa Rica trailed only Mexico, the United States and Germany and in the number of asylum applications received in 2021. The United States has more than 337 million people; Mexico has more than 129 million; and Germany has more than 84 million.

Q: Nicaraguans account for nearly 90% of the 250,000 people now seeking asylum in Costa Rica, which is known for its ...

A. Political stability

B. Social benefits

C. Standard of living

D. All of the above

D. While Nicaragua through suffered decades of military dictatorships and revolution, Costa Rica enjoyed democratically elected leadership and peace. The nation spends about 20% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on social programs like health and education. It also has attracted heavy foreign investment to help create a relatively high standard of living.

Q: Costa Rica kept its borders open to asylum seekers and other migrants even during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. About 10% of Costa Rica’s residents are foreign born. All of Vatican City’s 1,000 residents were born elsewhere, but which nation has the lowest percentage of foreign-born residents?

A. Cuba

B. Japan

C. North Korea

D. Haiti

A. Only 0.03% of Cuba’s 11 million people are foreign born. China is second lowest, with 0.07% of its 1.4 billion people born in another nation. China is the world’s most populous country. The third most populous nation, the United States, has more immigrants – 50.6 million – than any other nation. That is 15.28% of the U.S. population.

Q: After a short civil war, Costa Rica constitutionally abolished its military in 1949 and shifted more spending to social programs. In 1990, which other Central American nation eliminated its military?

A. Belize

B. El Salvador

C. Guatemala

D. Panama

D. Costa Rica’s southern neighbor, Panama abolished its military after U.S. forces invaded the country in 1989 to oust and capture military dictator Manuel Noriega. Noriega was convicted in the United States on drug-trafficking charges in 1992. There are 21 small nations in the world which have no armed forces.