Region Facts for Kids

This page is about the concept of region in geography. For other uses, see Region (disambiguation).

In geography, a region is an area of land or water that has special features. These features can be natural, like mountains or rivers, or they can be human-made, like cities or countries. Regions help us understand different parts of the world.

Sometimes, the edges of a region are not clear. For example, where does "the desert" truly end? But for places like countries, the borders are very clear and set by law.

Besides land regions, there are also regions in the oceans and in the air above us. These can be based on things like climate or how deep the water is. Geographers use the idea of regions in many ways. For example, an "ecoregion" describes an area based on its ecosystems. The study of regions themselves is called regional geography.

Regions can be based on natural things like ecosystems, biomes, drainage basins (areas where water collects), or mountain ranges. When we talk about regions related to people, like cultural geography, we look at things like languages or traditions.

Global Regions
- Continental Regions
- Regional Geography
Human Geography
See also

Global Regions

Map of the world in 2021, showing continents and oceans.

From space, you can easily see the two biggest types of regions on Earth: land and water. These are divided into continents and oceans. There are also other important regions, like groups of islands (called archipelagos) or areas where earthquakes often happen.

Continental Regions

Continental regions are large areas of land, like continents, that are often divided based on human history or how people think about them. They usually don't have exact borders. For example, the Amazon basin is a huge region defined by the Amazon River. The Sahara desert is another example, covering a big part of Africa.

These large regions help us study and understand the world better. Our ideas about them come from school, media, and exploring the planet.

Regional Geography

Regional geography is a part of geography that studies regions of all sizes. It tries to understand what makes each region special, looking at both its natural features and human elements. It also looks at how we decide where one region ends and another begins.

Human Geography

Human geography studies how people interact with different environments. It looks at things like culture, politics, economics, and how societies are organized. While it focuses on people, it's hard to talk about human geography without thinking about the land where these activities happen. Environmental geography connects these two ideas.

Here are some types of human geography regions:

Cultural geography
Demography (study of populations)
Economic geography
Ethnography (study of cultures)
Geopolitics (study of politics and geography)
Historical geography
Language geography
Religion geography
Urban geography (study of cities)

Historical Regions

Historical geography looks at how places and regions have changed over time. It also studies how human history is connected to specific places.

For example, the "Great Fishery" off the coast of Newfoundland was an important historical oceanic region. Other historical regions include Siberia in Russia or the Ohio Country in North America. These areas developed their own unique identities over time.

Tourism Regions

A tourism region is an area that governments or tourism groups create to attract visitors. These regions often have common cultural or natural features. They might be named after a real place, like Tuscany in Italy, or given a new name to sound appealing, like the United Kingdom's Lake District. The goal is to suggest a fun experience for tourists.

Natural Resource Regions

Natural resources like coal or oil are often found in specific regions. These areas are important for both their physical features and their economic impact. For example, the Coal Region of Pennsylvania is known for its coal mining history. The Rumaila Field is an oil field that played a role in the Gulf War. These regions show how natural resources can shape a place's economy and culture.

Religious Regions

Sometimes, areas are named after the main religion practiced there. For example, "Christendom" used to refer to parts of the world where Christianity was dominant. The "Islamic world" can refer to regions where Islam is widespread.

Many religions also have their own defined regions for organization. The Roman Catholic Church divides areas into dioceses and ecclesiastical provinces. The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod has geographic "districts." These are like administrative regions within a religion.

Political Regions

In political geography, regions are often based on political units. These can be:

Sovereign states (countries)
Parts of countries, like provinces, states, or counties
Groups of countries, like the European Union or NATO
Informal groups, like Western Europe

Administrative Regions

The word "region" comes from the Latin word regio, meaning "to rule." Many countries use "region" as an official name for a part of their country.

For example, France has régions, and Italy has regione. Other countries use similar terms that are translated as "region" in English, like the oblast in Russia or periferia in Greece. These are official divisions that help governments manage their countries.

Local Administrative Regions

Smaller regions exist based on local government areas. These are also bounded areas. Examples include:

Electoral districts, like Washington's 6th congressional district
School districts, like Los Angeles Unified School District
Metropolitan areas, like the Seattle metropolitan area

These local regions help organize services and activities for people living there.

Traditional or Informal Regions

Some countries have traditional regions that are not official government divisions but are still important for local identity. People in these areas feel a sense of belonging to their region.

Examples include:

Functional Regions

A functional region is an area organized around a central point. Think of a city and all the towns around it that rely on that city for jobs, shopping, or services. People travel into and out of the central point. The connections within the region are strong, but they are weaker across its borders. These regions show how people move and interact in a geographic space.

Region facts for kids

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