The term "Levant" often heard in the news roughly corresponds to which of the following regions ?

(a) Region along the eastern Mediterranean shores ✓ UPSC's answer
(b) Region along North African shores stretching from Egypt to Morocco
(c) Region along Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa
(d) The entire coastal areas of Mediterranean Sea

Why the answer is (a)

• 'Levant' (from the French for 'rising', i.e. where the sun rises) is the historical name for the lands along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean — today's Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan and sometimes Cyprus and parts of Turkey — option (a).

• The term appears in the news in the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and in discussions of the Syrian and Israel–Palestine conflicts.

• North Africa's Mediterranean coast is the Maghreb (option b), the Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa are separate regions (option c), and the whole Mediterranean coast is far wider than the Levant (option d).

• Hence option (a).

Why the other options are wrong

(b) Region along North African shores stretching from Egypt to Morocco: The North African shore is the Maghreb, not the Levant.
(c) Region along Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa: The Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa are not the Levant.
(d) The entire coastal areas of Mediterranean Sea: The Levant is only the eastern Mediterranean, not the whole coastline.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2022, held on 5 June 2022. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.