Page 205 - NS-2 Textbook

200 NAUTICAL SCIENCES

though no military operations in Antarctica are permit- 6. Which country in the Indian Ocean region received
ted under international treaty. It has been manned since worldwide attention in 2001 because of the 11 Sep-
the International Geophysical Year explorations in the tember terrorist attack on the United States?
1960s. Australia and New Zealand have research sites in 7. Where has the United States built an important base
other areas of the continent. in the Indian Ocean area?
Strategic Geography. Antarctica is out of the main- 8. A. Which ocean is the largest in the world?
stream of the world's air and sea-lanes. There is little in- B. Where is the deepest spot in this ocean, and what
terest in it at the present time, either for resources or for is the depth there?
strategic reasons. Exploration and cold-weather equip- 9. A. What formations are found on much of the west-
ment testing are no,\v the main activities there. Also, basic ern half of the Pacific sea floor?
research is being conducted on marine life and the B. What often forms around the rims of volcanic
weather. Studies indicate that south polar weather and islands in the Pacific?
ClUTents have a great effect on many areas of both the 10. A. Where is the major naval base on the West Coast
Southern and Northern Hemispheres. III of the United States?
B. Where are major naval shipyards located?
11. Where are the major U.S. naval bases in the mid- and
V\Testern Pacific?
12. Where does the Russian Pacific fleet have its head-
CRITICAL THINKING
quarters?
1. Research the locations and sponsors of the research 13. What are the two main tasks of the U.S. Navy in the
stations and bases in the Antarctic. Are they strategi- event of ,varin the Pacific?
cally important? Would you like to spend time at one 14. Which cOlmtry is considered the key to U.S. foreign
of them? Justify your responses. policy in the Pacific? Why?
15. What are present U.S. relations with China?
16. What is meant by the term circllmpolar oceall when
referring to the Antarctic seas?
Study Guide Questions
17. A. What valuable Antarctic resource has now been
1. A. What is the narrow strategic sea located at the nearly wiped out?
southern approaches to the Suez Canal? B. Which two cmmtries still engage in this industry?
B. What is the key strait at the southern end of this 18. Where does the United States have a research station
sea? in Antarctica?
2. Why is the Persian Gulf important to the United
States and its allies?
Vocabulary
3. What is the key strait at the southern entrance to the
Persian Gulf? Strait of Hormuz krill
4. What occurred in the Middle East in late 1990 that Bab el Mandeb prawns
caused u.s. and allied UN forces to go to war with Strait of Malacca circumpolar
Iraq? Marianas Trench titanium
5. A. List the three main sea routes in the Indian Ocean. crustacean war of attrition
B. Which one is the main route between Asia and manganese plankton
Europe? Horn of Africa