Geo answer

For today’s Geo Quiz — we’re searching for AFRICOM.

AFRICOM stands for the United States Africa Command. It’s a new U.S. military headquarters focused exclusively on Africa.

AFRICOMAFRICOM

AFRICOM says it will work closely with African nations and that its objective will be preventing rather than going to war.

The idea is that AFRICOM will promote democracy and security across the African continent. Some critics charge that AFRICOM could open a new front in the Bush’s Administration’s war on terrorism. They also claim that the U.S. is going after Africa’s oil supplies.

But the question for now is: where is ARFRICOM headquartered as of today?

Is it Kenya’s capital Nairobi? Maybe bustling Lagos, Nigeria…. Or is it the Egyptian capital, Cairo?

Where is this city that will serve as the new hub of American military affairs for Africa – a city that’s already home to about 17,000 Americans?

Let’s circle back now to our Geo Quiz — we were looking for the city where AFRICOM opened its doors today. Well, it turns out that the U.S. military’s new Africa-focused command isn’t in Africa at all.

Stuttgart, GermanyStuttgart, Germany

?It’s just across the street from the main building of the Stuttgarter Nachrichten, it’s just across the street from us so it’s actually located in Stuttgart.?

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Hilmar Pfister is a newspaper editor at Stuttgarter Nachrichten, a daily newspaper in Stuttgart, Germany.

Stuttgart is already home to EUCOM, the U.S. military command post for Europe. And it is home to 17,000 Americans.

An African city might have been a more logical choice for AFRICOM, but several African governments declined to host the U.S. military. Only Liberia said it was willing.

So Stuttgart may welcome the new command, but Pfister says news of AFRICOM’s launch didn’t generate much interest there today.

?We have a tennis tournament that’s taking place in Stuttgart right now, I’m just reading in the newspaper will Venus and Serena Williams be seen strolling through downtown maybe that’s more of an interest to us I would say.?

Serena WilliamsSerena Williams

But Pfister says the top story isn’t Africom, nor is it tennis related. It is Stuttgart’s two week beer festival, which continues through October 12