Previous Year Question
Consider the following pairs:
Region often in news | Country |
1. Chechnya | Russian Federation |
2. Darfur | Mali |
3. Swat Valley | Iraq |
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
1 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
1. Chechnya — Russian Federation: Correct
Chechnya is a republic, or federal subject, of the Russian Federation.
It is situated in the North Caucasus region of Russia.
Its capital is Grozny, and it shares its southern border with Georgia.
The region frequently remained in the news because of separatist movements and the First and Second Chechen Wars.
2. Darfur — Mali: Incorrect
Darfur is a region situated in western Sudan, not in Mali.
Its name is derived from the Arabic Dar, meaning home or land, and Fur, referring to the Fur people—thus meaning the “land of the Fur”.
Darfur remained in the news because of the armed conflict that began in 2003, large-scale displacement and the resulting humanitarian crisis.
Mali is a separate landlocked country in West Africa.
3. Swat Valley — Iraq: Incorrect
Swat Valley is situated around the Swat River in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan.
It is associated with the Hindu Kush mountain region and is known for its ancient Gandhara-Buddhist heritage.
It remained in the news because of Taliban militancy, the Pakistani military operation of 2009 and events associated with Malala Yousafzai.
It has no geographical connection with Iraq.
Therefore, only pair 1 is correctly matched.
Quick recall:
Chechnya—Russia | Darfur—Sudan | Swat—Pakistan