NewsTracker Answers for week of May 16, 2016

Q: President Barack Obama met last week with the leaders of five Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – to discuss refugees, Arctic development, climate change and how the Russians are acting out in northern Europe in a way that hasn't been seen since the Cold War. Where are these Nordic nations?

Circle the area on this map

Q: Russian submarines have been reported lurking in the waters near Sweden and Finland in which sea?

A. Baltic

B. Beaufort

C. Bering

D. Black

A. The Baltic Sea is part of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and Denmark. Russian aircraft also flew over the Baltic Sea last month, zooming towards a U.S. ship.

Q: Finland shares a long border with Russia, and was once part of the Russian Empire. Which other Nordic nation has a land border with Russia?

A. Denmark

B. Iceland

C. Norway

D. Sweden

C. Norway is on Finland’s northern border and shares a short border with Russia at its northeast tip. Sweden ruled the neighboring area of Finland from the 12th century until it lost it to the Russian Empire in 1809. Finland declared its independence in 1918 after the Russian Revolution. The Soviet Union tried repeatedly to occupy Finland during World War II. Finland lost some territory but retained its independence.

Q: Finland is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance of the United States, Canada and 26 European nations. Which other Nordic nation is not a member of NATO?

A. Denmark

B. Iceland

C. Norway

D. Sweden

D. Sweden has a tradition of neutrality, but growing Russian aggression under President Vladimir Putin has some Swedes talking about joining NATO. Support among Swedes for joining the alliance has grown from 15 percent in 1994 to nearly 40 percent last year.

Q: President Obama and Nordic leaders agreed to maintain economic sanctions against Russia. They also agreed to apply strict environmental standards on future Arctic development. Which Nordic nations have territorial claims in the Arctic?

A. Sweden and Norway

B. Denmark and Norway

C. Sweden and Iceland

D. Iceland and Finland

B. All land, internal waters, territorial seas and exclusive economic zones in the Arctic are under the jurisdiction of one of the five Arctic coastal states: Canada, Norway, Russia, the United States and Denmark (via Greenland). The nations’ exclusive economic zones extend 200 nautical miles from their coasts.