Southeast Asia has captivated the attention of global community over space and time as a geostrategically significant region. Which among the following is the most convincing explanation for this global perspective?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) Its location between the Pacific and Indian oceans and its pre-eminent maritime character
The stem asks for an explanation that holds 'over space and time', and only geography does that. Southeast Asia lies between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and much of it is sea and islands. Its straits, above all Malacca, link the two oceans, so the region has mattered for trade and power in every period.
- ✓ (d) The Strait of Malacca links the Indian and Pacific Oceans and is a key oil-trade chokepoint today. In medieval times the Shrivijaya king controlled this sea route, and the Cholas sent a naval expedition against Shrivijaya. This permanent location advantage is the lasting reason for the region's importance.
- ✗ (a) Being a war theatre explains interest only during the Second World War years. It does not account for the region's importance before or after that period.
- ✗ (b) Lying between China and India is true, but it is a narrower point. It leaves out the oceanic position and maritime character, which are the main source of the region's strategic value.
- ✗ (c) Cold War confrontation, as in Vietnam, was also a temporary phase. It was a result of the region's importance, not the lasting reason for it.
Remember · Southeast Asia's lasting strategic value comes from its position between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, with the Strait of Malacca as the key sea link.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Ch 4 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (official US government agency), Today in Energy: Strait of Malacca ↗ “The Strait of Malacca, a key oil trade chokepoint, links the Indian and Pacific Oceans”
- NCERT Class 7 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Chapter 4 “one of the sea routes passed through the Strait of Malacca (a narrow strip of sea between Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra), which the Shrivijaya king controlled”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2011, General Studies Paper I. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·
