The area known as ‘Golan Heights’ sometimes appears in the news in the context of the events…

Answer: (b) Middle East

The Golan Heights lie on the Israel–Syria frontier in West Asia, a region commonly called the Middle East. Israel and Syria have contested the area for decades. A UN force, UNDOF, was set up in 1974 after Israeli and Syrian forces disengaged there.

• ✓ (b) The Golan is the sector where Israeli and Syrian forces face each other. The UN established UNDOF on 31 May 1974, by Security Council resolution 350, after the agreed disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan. This places the area firmly in the Middle East.
• ✗ (a) Central Asia refers to the former Soviet republics such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The Golan has no link to them.
• ✗ (c) South-East Asia covers countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. The Golan lies in West Asia, far from that region.
• ✗ (d) Central Africa includes countries such as the DR Congo and the Central African Republic. It is on a different continent from the Golan, which lies between Israel and Syria.

Remember · Golan Heights = Israel–Syria border area in the Middle East. Israel has occupied it since the 1967 war, and UNDOF has been there since 1974.

Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2015, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). · Report an error