Consider the following pairs:
| Regions sometimes mentioned in news | Country | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Catalonia | Spain |
| 2. | Crimea | Hungary |
| 3. | Mindanao | Philippines |
| 4. | Oromia | Nigeria |
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
Catalonia is in Spain and Mindanao is in the Philippines, so pairs 1 and 3 are right. Crimea is a Black Sea peninsula that belongs to Ukraine, not Hungary, and Oromia is a region of Ethiopia, not Nigeria.
- ✓ 1. Catalonia is an autonomous community of north-eastern Spain. In October 2017 the Spanish Government announced it would suspend the region's autonomy and impose direct rule, as a UN human-rights expert's statement records; its independence movement kept it in the news.
- ✗ 2. Crimea, with the port of Sevastopol, is part of Ukraine. Russia took control of it in 2014, and the UN General Assembly called on states not to recognise any change in its status.
- ✓ 3. Mindanao is the southern island group of the Philippines. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao was created there after a 2019 plebiscite under the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
- ✗ 4. Oromia is a region of Ethiopia; UN experts wrote about protests in the Oromia region of Ethiopia in 2015-16. It is not in Nigeria.
Remember · Catalonia: Spain. Crimea: Ukraine (annexed by Russia in 2014, not recognised by the UN General Assembly). Mindanao: Philippines. Oromia: Ethiopia.
Sources
- UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): UN independent expert urges Spanish Government to reverse decision on Catalan autonomy (25 October 2017) ↗ · reference work “following the announcement that the Spanish Government would suspend the region’s autonomy. On 19 October, the Spanish Government announced its intention to impose direct rule on the region”
- General Assembly Adopts Resolution Calling upon States Not to Recognize Changes in Status of Crimea Region (UN Meetings Coverage, 27 March 2014; Internet Archive copy) ↗ “the Assembly adopted a resolution titled “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”, calling on States, international organizations and specialized agencies not to recognize any change in the status of Crimea or the Black Sea port city of Sevastopol”
- BARMM: Three years of fulfilling the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people (Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, Government of the Philippines) ↗ “The ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) through the plebiscite held in 2019 paved the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)”
- UN experts urge Ethiopia to halt violent crackdown on Oromia protesters, ensure accountability for abuses (UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR, 21 January 2016) ↗ · reference work “The ‘Master Plan’ could reportedly lead to mass evictions and the seizure of agricultural land in the Oromia region, as well as extensive deforestation.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·