Social Regions and its charecteristics

The term region refers to an area of sufficiently homogenous physical features to distinguish it from another region. It has also been defined as an area with in which the combination of environmental and demographic factors have created a homogeneity of economic and social structure.

Regions have been classified on the basis of three distinguishing criteria.

A. Number of indices used in delineation.

B. Subordinate or super-ordinate relationship.

C. Political boundaries between regions.

A. Number of indices used in delineation

Four types of single factors regions have been identified.

1.     Natural regions: differentiated from one another on the basis of a single geographic characteristic such as soil, rainfall, topography, forest irrigation.

2.     Cultural regions: A cultural region is an area in which society is characterized by a sufficient homogeneity in pattern of behaviour, including ways of living, values, beliefs and social organizations, to differentiate it from other areas.

3.     Agricultural regions: based on the type of farming practiced in various areas, climate, soil and other factors influencing a central crop and/or livestock production.

4. Service regions: man-made regions formulated for administrative purposes by government and non-government agencies.

B. Subordinate or super-ordinate relationship

Smaller units, with in larger homogeneous units or major regions, often display sub-regional heterogeneity and must be recognised and identified, usually as a sub-region. By a major region is meant a societal division of the nation delineated and characterized by the greatest possible area homogeneity. A sub-region or minor region is a sub division of a major region representing some variation within the large frame work of the homogeneity of the major region.

C. Political boundaries between regions

While political boundaries often do not consider economic and cultural factors the advantage in using political boundaries accrues from the availability of analytical data periodically collected and analysed by the political bodies concerned and the ease of establishing administrative functions.