NewsTracker Answers for week of June 22, 2020

Q: The U.S. government last week warned that pirates are threatening boats and oil installations in the Gulf of Mexico. Where is the Gulf of Mexico?

Circle the area on this map


Q: “Armed criminal groups have been known to target and rob commercial vessels, oil platforms, and offshore supply vessels in the Bay of Campeche area in the southern Gulf of Mexico,” the U.S. State Department said. How does a gulf typically differ from a bay?

A. Much bigger

B. Much smaller

C. Narrower opening

D. Wider opening


C. A gulf is a large water inlet into a landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay. Many gulfs are major shipping areas, such as the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, and Gulf of Aden. Bays can be either smaller or larger than gulfs. For example, the Bay of Bengal on the east coast of India is larger than the Gulf of Mexico.


Q: The recent attacks in the Bay of Campeche has surprised the government of Mexico, but piracy in the Gulf of Mexico dates back to the 16th century raids on trading vessels carrying Mexican silver bound for Spain. Spanish ships also were targets of pirates on what nearby body of water?

A. Atlantic Ocean

B. Caribbean Sea

C. Pacific Ocean

D. All of the above


D. Spanish ships carrying treasure from the Americas were targets of pirates and privateers from the 16th through the 18th centuries with raids in both the Atlantic and Pacific. Many of the pirates were based in the Caribbean and raided ships passing through that sea.


Q: There also have been many pirate attacks in on ships in the Gulf of Aden. Where were most of those pirates based?

A. Saudi Arabia

B. Somalia

C. Sudan

D. Syria


B. Piracy exploded off the coast of Somalia after a civil war left the country with no government and in economic collapse. Some Somali fishierman formed armed groups to fight illegal fishing in Somali waters. They started seizing the illegal fishing boats and crews and held them for ransom. That became so profitable that Somalis started attacking other vessels.


Q: Somali piracy declined sharply after 33 nations joined to begin patrolling the seas around nation on the Horn of Africa. But there was a surge in the busy waters around Indonesia and Philippines in what part of the world?

A. South America

B. South Asia

C. Southeast Asia

D. Southern Ocean


C. As pirate attacks dropped to zero in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea five years ago, Southeast Asia mariners reported 178 attacks.