NewsTracker Answers for week of Mar. 11, 2019

Q: Independence fighters last week attacked Indonesian soldiers building a road through the mountain jungles of New Guinea. The western half of the island is ruled by Indonesia, and the other half is the nation of Papua New Guinea. Where is New Guinea?

Circle the area on this map


Q: Indonesia has deployed hundreds of soldiers to build a major highway connecting the remotest parts of its resource-rich province after 16 construction workers were killed by separatists in December. Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous nation right behind . . .

A. Brazil

B. China

C. India

D. United States


D. With more than 260 million people, Indonesia ranks right behind the United States’ 328 million and Brazil’s 209 million. China and India are the most populous with each having a least a billion more people than the United States.


Q: Human beings have occupied New Guinea for at least 40,000 years. What European nation once ruled the island?

A. Britain

B. Germany

C. Netherlands

D. All of the above


D. The Netherlands controlled the western half of the island, Germany ruled the northeastern section and Britain controlled the southeastern part. In 1906 Britain, turned over control of its area to Australia which then seized the German section in World War I. Papau New Guinea gained full independence from Australia in 1975. Indonesia took control of western New Guinea from the Dutch in the 1960s.


Q: The indigenous Papuans have resisted integration into Indonesia since it took over the western half of the island. New Guinea is the world’s second largest island. What is the largest?

A. Australia

B. Great Britain

C. Greenland

D. Madagascar


C. Greenland is the world’s largest island and part of North America. New Guinea is considered part of the continent of Australia to which it was once connected. Great Britain is the largest island of Europe and Madagascar is Africa’s largest island. Indonesia is the world’s largest island nation with more than 17,000 islands.


Q: There are about 11 million people on New Guinea and about 1,000 different . . .

A. Tribal groups

B. Languages

C. Both


C. Human habitation and isolation over the millennia have led to the great diversity of language. Much of the island is extremely hard to access, and many remote peoples were unknown to the rest of the world until they were seen by aircraft in the 20th century. Scientists believe there are still tribes that have not been contacted.