REGIONAL

Regional is a derivative of the term, ‘region’. ‘Region’ is a term used to describe a certain area that has particular characteristics. This term is used in many different fields of science. It can be used for geography, anatomy, and even sociology.

Geography

The term, ‘region’, is used most often in the field of political geography. ‘Regional’, if used in geography, pertains to something that belongs to a region or has the characteristic of the geographic region. Mostly, ‘region’ is used to describe a certain area in a country or in the world. In the world-wide scale, the regions include the places like the Middle East, which contains countries like Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. It also includes the ASEAN region, meaning Association of South East Asian Nations, which encompasses the countries which can be found in South Eastern Asia namely Malaysia, Philippines, and Brunei. Within Nations, the term ‘region’ is used to describe the parts of the country which are located outside the capital city. This term is used by countries such as England, France, New Zealand, and Philippines. Take the case of the Philippines, it is divided into thirteen regions and they all correspond to a certain number, e.g. Region 1, Region 5, and Region 12.

In the field of environmental geography, the term ‘region’ is used to describe the areas which contain a group of geological features that have something in common and are significantly different from the surrounding areas. For example, a group of mountains could be considered as a region and the adjacent area which consists of hills instead of mountains could be considered as an entirely different region. A mountain range, for example, can encompass two or even three political regions but if you consider it as an environmental region, it would still be considered as one. For example, the Sierra Madre Mountain Range may encompass three political regions but it is still referred to as the Sierra Madre Region. The case is the same with the Serengeti Region or the Great Barrier Reef.

Anatomy

In Anatomy, the term ‘region’ is used to distinguish certain areas of the body. It is used specifically for the parts which are usually taken as a whole but have different parts or areas which have to be taken separately. Take the Abdominal Region, for example. The abdominal region is generally known to be the area below the thoracic or chest region. However, to make assessment and diagnosis easier, it is divided into nine regions namely the right and left hypochondriac region, the epigastric region, the right and left lumbar regions, the umbilical region, the right and left iliac regions, and the hypogastric region. Under these regions, organs are classified according to their locations. So, if you are experiencing tenderness or pain in one of your regions, there will automatically be a list of organs that are most likely the source of the pain. For example, if you are experiencing pain in your epigastric region, you might be having a problem with your stomach. If you are experiencing tenderness in your right hypochondriac region, then you might be having a problem with your liver. If you are experiencing acute pain in your right hypogastric region, then you might have appendicitis.

Sociology

In Sociology, the term ‘regional’ can be used to pertain to the characteristics that are specific to a certain region or area. For example, in France, the manner of speaking and the pronunciation of the words are significantly different from other areas. Therefore, the term ‘regional accent’ can be used to describe the tone and quality of the Frenchmen’s speech.