Three Different Types of Regions

A region is an area of land that has common features. There are three different types of regions, a formal region, functional region, and vernacular region. A formal region is an area in which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics. These can be defined by language, economic activity, climate, and physical features. An example of a formal region are The Great Plains because they all are flat surfaces that have about the same climate and are good growing places. Functional regions (nodal region) are areas organized by a node or focal point. They are dominated at a central focus or nodal that diminishes in importance. A functional region is The New York Times magazine because it is a common central thing that people in the city read. The last kind of region is a vernacular region (perceptual region) which is an area that people believe exists as a part of their cultural identity. Vernacular regions are based on perceptions of the people. For example, people in New York call some sandwiches hoagies and in Pennsylvania they call them grinders. Formal and functional regions are different from vernacular regions because vernacular regions are informal and local.