Introduction to Regional Concept

Understanding the Concept of “Region” in Geography

Let’s start with the most fundamental question: What is a Region?

Region is a Dynamic Concept

The word “region” is not a fixed, rigid term. It’s a dynamic concept — meaning, it changes in its definition and application depending on who is using it, why, and in what context.

Just like how a “family” can mean different things in sociology (nuclear family, joint family, etc.), in geography too, the definition of a region has evolved with time and purpose.

Historical Perspective – French School of Thought

Now, go back to the late 19th century. This was a time when the French school of geography was quite influential.

• Vidal de la Blache, a prominent French geographer, said that a region is an area where both physical and cultural characteristics are similar.

👉 In other words, if an area has similar landforms, climate, culture, language, lifestyle — it can be treated as one region.

Think of how Rajasthan and Kerala differ — in geography, culture, food, architecture, etc. That’s how regions differ. And that’s what early geographers started noticing.

Modern, More Acceptable Definitions

As geography matured, more comprehensive definitions were given. One such widely accepted definition is:

“A region is an area having the homogeneity of physical and cultural phenomena.”

Now notice two keywords here:

• Homogeneity: Some common thread, similarity, or uniformity.
• Physical and cultural phenomena: This includes natural features (like rivers, climate, vegetation) as well as human aspects (language, religion, economy).

Another definition says:

“It is an area differentiated from others based on specified criteria.”

👉 This is a broader, more flexible idea. Here, a region doesn’t have to be completely uniform, but it must be different from surrounding areas in at least some meaningful way.

This helps geographers create boundaries not just for academic study but also for planning and development purposes — which is where Regional Planning comes in.

Herbertson’s Contribution (1905) – Natural Regions

Next, let’s talk about Herbertson, a British geographer.

In 1905, he made a significant move — he divided the earth into major natural regions.

• What was his basis? Climatic parameters.
• What was his approach? Influenced by Environmental Determinism.

Let’s simplify this:

• Herbertson said, let’s look at temperature, rainfall, and other climate features.
• Based on those, we can divide the world into large natural regions — like the Tropical rainforest region, Desert region, Tundra, etc.
• He believed that climate controls how the land looks and how people live — a deterministic approach.

So, this classification leaned heavily on natural/environmental conditions as defining features of a region.

Micro-Level or Smaller Scale Regions

While Herbertson was working on a macro-scale, other geographers focused on smaller regions.

They tried to identify specific, localized areas that had particular characteristics.

Now, here comes a beautiful thought:

The idea was not just to find areas that were 100% homogeneous (because that’s rare), but to study areas that showed some individuality — some unique identity — even if not perfectly uniform.

They looked at everything:

• Structure (like landforms and geological background)
• Climate
• Soils
• Natural vegetation
• Agriculture
• Mineral and industrial resources
• Settlement patterns
• Population distribution

The goal was to build a comprehensive picture of each small region — almost like writing a biography of a place!

This conceptual understanding forms the foundation of Regional Planning — where planners, administrators, and geographers identify, study, and plan for different regions based on their unique features and needs.

Objective vs Subjective View of a Region

Just like in philosophy or sociology, geography too has multiple schools of thought. And when it comes to defining a “region”, two major perspectives have emerged among geographers:

Objective View of a Region – Region as a Reality

Let’s start with the older, more traditional view.

🧠 Core Idea:

Regions are real, physical entities that exist on the earth’s surface. They are distinct from one another based on observable and measurable criteria.

So, if you say “This is a mountainous region” or “That is a coastal region” — you’re taking an objective view. Why?

Because:

• These regions are naturally occurring.
• They are visible, identifiable, and exist regardless of human opinion.
• They are distinguished by homogeneity — similarity in physical or even cultural features.

For example:

• Himalayan region (mountainous)
• Indo-Gangetic Plain (fertile alluvial plains)
• Western Ghats (ecological region)

These regions have clear, observable characteristics. You don’t need to “create” them — they already exist.

✅ Important Features of Objective View:

• Based on homogeneity (climate, terrain, vegetation, etc.)
• Independent of planner’s or geographer’s perception
• Naturally delineated over space

📌 Key Proponents:

• Philip
• Losch
• Herbertson (remember him from earlier? Divided the Earth using climatic criteria)

So, this view treats region like a fact of nature — just like rivers or mountains.

Subjective View of a Region – Region as a Tool for Planning

Now, let’s move to the modern, planning-oriented perspective.

As geographers started getting involved in regional planning (especially post-World War era), a new view emerged.

🧠 Core Idea:

A region is not something that exists on its own; rather, it is a construct, created for a particular purpose, especially for planning.

In other words, a region is a means to an end.

See guys, regions are created based on specific planning goals. This means:

• The boundaries are flexible, based on the criteria we choose.
• The region may exist only in the mind of the planner or geographer.
• It is a mental construct, not a natural reality.

For example:

• A “Backward Region” may be defined based on literacy rate, poverty, and lack of infrastructure.
• A “Drought-prone Region” may be defined based on rainfall data — not on physical homogeneity.

✅ Important Features of Subjective View:

• Region is purpose-driven
• Defined by selective criteria, relevant to planning needs
• Boundaries are subjective and flexible
• Region is a mental construct — a product of human reasoning and classification

📌 Key Proponents:

• Richard Hartshorne (emphasized areal differentiation)
• Vidal de la Blache (Yes, even he shifted from objective to subjective interpretation in planning contexts)

🔄 Let’s Compare – Objective vs Subjective

Aspect	Objective View	Subjective View
Existence	Natural, real	Mental construct
Criteria	Homogeneity (physical/cultural)	Planning needs (flexible)
Boundaries	Fixed, based on nature	Fluid, based on selected indicators
Purpose	Understanding Earth	Solving human problems
Proponents	Philip, Losch, Herbertson	Hartshorne, Vidal

🎯 Why This Matters in Regional Planning?

Because when you’re planning for development:

• You don’t just look at what is there.
• You create regions based on what needs to be done.

That’s why subjective regions are extremely useful in policy making, developmental schemes, and resource allocation.

✅ Summary

• There are two main ways to look at a region:
  1. Objective – as a naturally existing entity.
  2. Subjective – as a construct designed for a purpose, especially for planning.

Understanding both is crucial because Regional Planning is the intersection of natural geography and human goals.

Definition of a Region – A Conceptual Understanding

Let’s begin with the core idea:
“A region is not an object; it is a conceptual device.”

Now pause here.
This one sentence shifts our entire approach to understanding regions. We often think of a region as something solid and real — like a forest, desert, or state. But this perspective tells us:

👉 A region is not a physical object, like a mountain or a river.

Instead, it is an intellectual tool — a framework — that helps us study and classify parts of the earth’s surface by grouping related phenomena in space.

🌍 In simpler terms:

Imagine the Earth as a giant puzzle of diverse phenomena — geography, people, climate, culture, economy, etc.

To study this complexity, we don’t look at everything at once. We create a region by selecting some relevant features (like soil type, rainfall, or cropping pattern), and ignoring the rest. This grouping becomes a region.

That’s why it is said:

“A region is a device for selecting and studying aerial grouping of complex phenomena on Earth.”

🌐 Key Implications of This Definition

✅ Any portion of Earth can be a region if it shows some homogeneity based on aerial grouping.

Let’s understand this:

• “Aerial” means spatial — related to space or surface.
• “Grouping” implies selecting certain features that connect an area together.

So, a region is born when we connect dots based on similarity in space — like climate zones, vegetation belts, or tribal areas.

This is why a region is a concept, not a fixed thing.

🧭 Historical Evolution – After Environmentalism

This conceptual idea of region came after the decline of Environmental Determinism.

Earlier, geography was all about environment controls everything. But gradually, geographers began focusing on how humans interact with space, and how we define regions based on purpose and relevance.

This shift gave birth to “Regional Concept” as a paradigm — a new way of thinking in geography.

Since then, the concept of region has been central to all major geographical debates — whether it’s planning, development, or even geopolitics.

📚 Definitions by Various Geographers

Let’s now look at how different thinkers defined the term “region”, each bringing a unique flavour:

1. Paul Vidal de La Blache:

A region is a domain where many dissimilar beings (humans and nature) are artificially brought together and eventually adapt to a common existence.

📝 Key Point: Region is an area of adaptation — human and natural elements co-evolve over time.

2. R.S. Platt:

A region is an area delineated (outlined) based on general homogeneity of land and occupancy.

📝 Key Point: Focus on land characteristics + how people use it (occupancy).

3. R.E. Dickinson:

A region is where a specific set of physical conditions leads to a specific economic life.

📝 Key Point: Natural environment influences economic specialization — like tea in Assam or fishing in Kerala.

4. Whittlesey:

Regions are differentiated segments of Earth’s space based on certain criteria.

📝 Key Point: Focus on differentiation — how one region stands out from another.

🧩 Common Characteristics of All Regions

Now, from all these definitions, geographers have identified some universal traits of a region. Let’s list them clearly:

Characteristic	Explanation
1. Homogeneity	There must be some common feature — physical, cultural, or economic — across the region.
2. Distinctiveness	It must be clearly different from neighbouring regions.
3. Formation Conditions	There are specific causes (physical, historical, cultural) for the region’s formation.
4. Evolutionary Outcome	A region’s current form is shaped by combined forces — nature + history + human activity.
5. 3D Nature	Region isn’t just spread across length and breadth, but has height/depth — like terrain or ocean zones.
6. Dynamic Nature	Regions change over time — ecologically, economically, politically.
7. Flexible Size/Shape	Regions can be large or small, regular or irregular — no fixed pattern.
8. Hierarchical Order	Regions exist in layers — a small village is part of a district, which is part of a state, which is part of a country.
9. Interwoven Nature	Regions are interconnected — economically, ecologically, socially. No region exists in isolation.

📌 Conclusion

A region is not just a chunk of land. It is a lens through which we study geography.
It is a mental map, a functional tool, a strategic construct that helps us understand the spatial arrangement of physical and human phenomena.
And whether we’re planning development, analyzing population, or studying agriculture — the region is our basic unit of analysis.

Types of Regions – Understanding Regional Classifications

See we have already understood that a region is an area on the Earth’s surface marked by a degree of homogeneity — which could be formal, functional, perceptual, or administrative.

In other words, the classification of regions depends on what kind of similarity or connection we are using to define it.

Let’s now go step-by-step into the four major types of regions.

1. Formal Region (Also known as Uniform or Single-Factor Region)

📌 Definition:

A formal region is an area where one or more characteristics are common across the region — whether physical, cultural, or economic.

These are often created based on data-driven homogeneity.

✅ Key Points:

• The characteristic is consistent or dominant across the entire region.
• It could be:
  • Cultural → Language, religion (e.g., Hindi-speaking belt)
  • Economic → Wheat production, IT hubs
  • Environmental → Climate zones, soil types

Example: The Wheat Belt of North America
Predominantly wheat is grown here, but that doesn’t mean no other crops exist. So, “predominant”, not always “universal”.

🧠 Analogy:

Think of a school class where most students speak Hindi. You might call it a “Hindi-speaking class”, even though a few speak other languages too.

2. Functional Region (Also called Nodal or Heterogeneous Region)

📌 Definition:

A functional region is organised around a central node or focal point, and all surrounding areas are linked to that core functionally.

Unlike formal regions (which are homogenous), functional regions are based on interactions — such as transport, trade, communication, or services.

✅ Key Points:

• Core area = the node
• Linkages = the network
• Influence decreases with distance from the node
• It is functionally integrated, not homogenous

Example: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region
Everything revolves around Mumbai as a core city — jobs, transport, communication, markets.

🧠 Analogy:

Imagine a magnet with iron filings around it — the magnetic force is strongest at the center and weakens outwards.

3. Vernacular Region (Also known as Perceptual Region)

📌 Definition:

A vernacular or perceptual region is based on people’s perception, emotion, identity, or cultural association — not on scientific criteria.

These regions exist more in people’s minds than on maps. Their boundaries are fluid, and they can differ depending on who is drawing them.

✅ Key Points:

• Based on collective identity or culture
• Subjective — varies from person to person
• Boundaries are not fixed
• Influenced by language, media, history, tradition

Example: South India

Within India, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala are seen as southern states. But if you consider all of Asia, these states are actually in the northern half of the continent!

So, the region depends on context and perception.

🧠 Analogy:

It’s like asking “Where does North India end and South India begin?” — your answer depends on where you’re standing and how you see the country.

4. Administrative Region (Also called Planning or Programming Region)

📌 Definition:

These regions are created for administrative convenience and development planning. They often combine homogeneity, nodality, and functional purpose.

✅ Key Characteristics:

• Managed by one administrative agency
• Have clear, legal boundaries
• Should be large enough to invest resources and small enough to understand local issues
• Exhibit:
  • Continuous area
  • Socio-cultural unity
  • Spatial data coherence
  • Optimum population size

Example: Planning Regions of India by the Planning Commission or NITI Aayog — like the Drought-Prone Region, Red Corridor, or Backward Region.

🧠 Analogy:

Think of zones created by a municipality for garbage collection, electricity distribution, or school boards — practical, policy-driven boundaries.

🧩 Comparison Table – Types of Regions

Type of Region	Basis	Nature	Example
Formal	Homogeneity of one or more traits	Uniform	Wheat Belt, Hindi Belt
Functional	Connectivity to a central node	Dynamic network	Mumbai Metro Region
Vernacular	Public perception	Subjective	South India, Middle East
Administrative	Governance, planning	Legal/Functional	Planning regions in India

🧠 Why This Classification Matters in Regional Planning?

• It helps planners decide which model to use for resource allocation, infrastructure, or social schemes.
• For example:
  • Use formal regions to study agriculture or climate.
  • Use functional regions to plan transport or urban services.
  • Use vernacular regions to study cultural integration.
  • Use administrative regions to implement policies effectively.

✅ Conclusion

So, Regions are not always alike. How you define a region depends on what you’re trying to achieve.

• Want to understand similarities? → Use Formal Regions
• Want to organise services? → Use Functional Regions
• Want to understand identity? → Use Vernacular Regions
• Want to plan and govern? → Use Administrative Regions

Understanding these types gives us the flexibility to use the regional concept as a strategic planning tool — the very heart of Regional Planning.

Attributes of a Region

In geography, understanding the nature of a region requires us to go beyond just definitions. We must also know what qualities or attributes a region possesses.

Think of it like a person — we don’t understand someone just by their name. We look at their location, behavior, relationships, and position in society. Similarly, a region has multiple facets, which we will explore now.

🔹 Regions Have Location

Every region exists at a definable location on Earth’s surface.

• Whether it’s physical (like Himalayas or Sahara) or cultural (like Latin America or Middle East), a region always occupies a certain space.
• These locations are often embedded within the region’s name itself — like Southeast Asia, Northwest Europe, or Far East.

🔹 Regions Have Spatial Extent

A region is not an abstract idea; it covers a real area on Earth’s surface.

• This area is marked by homogeneous physical or cultural features.
• For example:
  • Thar Desert – homogenous arid climate
  • Latin America – linguistic and cultural commonalities

So, regions are visible, measurable, and have a physical personality on the ground.

🧠 Analogy:

Think of a colored patch on a map — you know it’s showing a specific area with distinct characteristics. That’s spatial extent.

🔹 Regions Have Boundaries

Every region — whether defined by nature or culture — has some kind of boundary.

• These boundaries can be:
  • Natural, like where the Himalayas end and the Indo-Gangetic Plain begins.
  • Cultural, like the separation between tribal and non-tribal areas in India.
• The boundary is drawn where a particular phenomenon stops being dominant.

✅ Example:

• End of the Shiwaliks marks the start of the Indo-Gangetic plains.
• Similarly, where the Hindi-speaking region ends, another linguistic region begins.

🧠 Important Note:

These boundaries may not always be sharp or rigid, but they help us define one region from another.

🔹 Regions May Be Formal or Functional

Let’s understand both types again, now as attributes:

➤ Formal Regions:

• Based on uniformity — either physical or cultural.
• For instance:
  • Equatorial region, Tundra, or Sahel → Physical formal regions
  • Hindi Belt, Muslim-majority areas, ethnic tribal belts → Cultural formal regions

➤ Functional Regions:

• Based on interactions and connectivity.
• A functional region exists as long as its connections remain active.
• Example: City Region — includes surrounding towns, villages, and suburbs tied to the central city through transport, trade, or services.

“An area of interrelated activities, common interests, and unified systems.”

🔹 Regions Are Hierarchically Arranged

Regions are not isolated; they exist within a hierarchy — smaller regions within larger ones.

• For instance:
  • Uttar Pradesh is a region within North India, which is part of India, which lies within South Asia, and so on.
• A region at one level may become a sub-region at another.
• This helps geographers scale their studies depending on purpose — from local to global.

🔹 Regions Have Transitional Boundaries

Regional boundaries are often gradual, not abrupt.

• This is especially true for cultural and climatic regions.
• There’s often an overlapping zone where features of two regions coexist or merge gradually.
• Such zones are called “transitional zones”.

✅ Example:

• The Bundelkhand region lies between North India and Central India — with cultural traits of both.
• Or the Malwa-Nimar region in MP — a transitional belt between Malwa Plateau and the Deccan region.

🧠 Important Insight:

The real world is continuous, not broken into neat blocks. Transitional boundaries reflect this continuity.

🧠 Final Thought:

A region is not just a space, it is a living, breathing system with spatial identity, cultural personality, functional role, and a place in the larger geographical order.