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region — English
A two dimensional space on the surface of the Earth. It is a definable space that can be demarcated (see “location” and “demarcation”) and mapped. It is actually one of the most problematic geographical terms to define, but the most important geographical qualifications are that there is some homogeneity within the space and that the space can be mapped (that is, boundaries or margins can be defined). The size of the space is irrelevant; a region might include vast parts of the world that include a number of countries, it might include an entire sub-continent, it might refer to a specific part of one country, or it might be as small as a few small street blocks in a city. The important thing is that there is a common factor within this space which distinguishes it from other regions. In Africa the so-called Great Lakes region includes a number of neighbouring states who share a number of common factors because of their proximity to one another and large water bodies. The Middle-East is a region consisting of a number of countries who share a very important condition, namely they are located in a region of the Earth that contains vast oil reserves. The Arctic region denotes all land surface located north of the 66½˚N latitude (see “location”) and it includes part of a whole number of countries, such as the USA (Alaska), Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia and Greenland (which is administered by Denmark). Three months of little or no sunlight and very low winter temperatures are the common factors throughout this region. Even areas which are completely disjointed and the separate portions are located on different continents literally thousands of kilometres apart, might be seen as one region, like the “grasslands”, which occur in the USA (where it is called the prairies), Russia (where it is called the steppe), Argentina (where it is called the pampas), East Africa (where it is called the savannas [savannahs] and South Africa (where it is called the highveld and the bushveld). Many other natural regions can be named, based on global location, climate, vegetation, and so on. Regions defined by common human activities are innumerable. Culture, religion, language, economic activity, art, political history, current political interests, trade interests, and many other human factors might serve as common bond among different spatial entities. The Cradle of Humankind world heritage site is a specific, mapped area or site, inside a larger region which contains numerous fossilised hominid (early human) bones and artefacts. The most important fossil sites have been identified and the area within which these occur has been demarcated, mapped and proclaimed an international heritage site. This declaration affords the demarcated area (space) special protection (see “conservation areas” and “demarcation”), but the region within which hominid fossils may occur is far larger than the heritage site as such.
