UPSC Prelims 2022 Q26: Levant Region — Explained
The term "Levant" often heard in the news roughly corresponds to which of the following regions?
- Region along the eastern Mediterranean shores
- Region along North African shores stretching from Egypt to Morocco
- Region along Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa
- The entire coastal areas of Mediterranean Sea
Answer: (a) Region along the eastern Mediterranean shores
Statement-wise explanation
- a: correct — The Levant is the land along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Today the term covers Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan, and is often stretched to include Cyprus and Turkey's Hatay province. Jordan has no Mediterranean coast but is counted because it shares the same historical region. The word comes from the French 'lever' (to rise), so it means the land where the sun rises, seen from Western Europe.
- b: incorrect — The North African coast from Libya westward to Morocco is the Maghreb, Arabic for 'the west' or 'where the sun sets'. That makes it the opposite of the Levant. The core Maghreb is Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, often with Libya and Mauritania added. Egypt is usually not counted in the Maghreb. It sits between the Maghreb and the Levant.
- c: incorrect — The Persian Gulf states (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman) are called the Gulf region. The Horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti) is a separate region. Neither touches the Mediterranean. Both lie on the Indian Ocean side of West Asia and North-East Africa.
- d: incorrect — The Levant covers only the eastern end of the Mediterranean. It does not include the European shores (Spain, France, Italy, Greece) or the North African shores. In older European usage the word sometimes stretched from Greece to Egypt, but it never meant the whole Mediterranean coastline.
How to eliminate
This is mostly a knowledge question, but the word's meaning helps. 'Levant' comes from the French for 'rising', meaning the East where the sun rises. That points to the eastern Mediterranean and rules out North Africa, which Arabs call the Maghreb, 'the west'. The entire-coastline option uses a sweeping word ('entire'). Region names in the news almost never cover a whole sea's coastline, so it is unlikely. The Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa option joins two unrelated regions on the Indian Ocean side. No single historical term covers both. Another clue: the news often mentions ISIL, the 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant'. That group was based in Iraq and Syria, which places the Levant in the Syria–Lebanon belt. The fact to remember is that Levant = eastern Mediterranean = Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan (plus Cyprus and Hatay in wider use).
Know more
Regional names around West Asia and North Africa
Many region names in the news come from old European or Arabic ideas of direction. Knowing where each name comes from makes the map easier to remember.
| Term | Meaning of the word | Core countries/areas |
|---|---|---|
| Levant | French lever, "to rise" (sunrise, the East) | Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan; often Cyprus and Turkey's Hatay |
| Mashriq | Arabic, "where the sun rises" | Levant plus Iraq (often Egypt too) |
| Maghreb | Arabic, "where the sun sets" | Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia; often Libya, Mauritania |
| Gulf region | Persian (Arabian) Gulf | Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman |
| Horn of Africa | Pointed peninsula of NE Africa | Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti |
| Fertile Crescent | Arc of farmland | Levant plus Mesopotamia (Tigris–Euphrates) |
Where the Levant shows up
- History: In medieval and early modern times, Europeans traded with 'the Levant' through Venice, Genoa and the English Levant Company. After the First World War, France governed Syria and Lebanon under a League of Nations mandate, sometimes called the 'Levant States'.
- Security: ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), also called Da'esh, is the name the UN uses for the group. Syria's civil war, Lebanon's crises and the Israel–Gaza conflicts are all Levant stories.
- Energy and connectivity: Gas finds in the eastern Mediterranean (the Levant Basin, off Israel, Cyprus and Egypt) have raised the region's strategic value. India's interest is growing through ties with Israel, Cyprus and Greece, and through the planned India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor, which runs through Israel to the Mediterranean.
West Asia is India's preferred official term for the Middle East. The Levant is one part of West Asia.
In the news
In 2021–22 the Levant was in the news for the May 2021 Israel–Gaza conflict, Lebanon's economic collapse after the 2020 Beirut port blast, and the continuing Syrian conflict and ISIL activity. The term came up often in reporting on these events.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Persian Gulf: One option names the Persian Gulf, so you need to know where the Gulf lies compared with the Mediterranean.
- India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor: IMEC runs through West Asia to a Mediterranean port, which shows why the Levant matters to India today.