Regions 11regions (where the term seems awkward) predominant land covers vary from
cropland to forest or desert.
Regions
Wewill explore this key topic from three perspectives: (1) regions and
urban regions; (2) bioregions and ecoregions; and (3) internal structure and exter-
nal effects.
Regions and urban regions
Hercules was right when he placed two huge rocks at the mouth of the
Mediterranean. Ever since, all ships have had to pass cautiously between these
Pillars of Hercules to enter the Mediterranean Region. Once inside, the land and
the diverse people are strongly linked. The sea itself serves as a giant tub for the
surrounding nations’ economies and cultures. The climate of dry summers and
moist winters, distinctively called the Mediterranean climate, bathes everyone.
Similar vegetation, formally named Mediterranean-type vegetation, covers the
region (Grove and Rackham2001). The region contrasts mightily with the Sahara
area to the south, temperate Europe to the north, and a cool, dry region to the
east. The Mediterranean Region is distinctive in both physical and human terms.
Twobroad characteristics are commonly central to the concept of a region;
macroclimate and cultural-social pattern (Forman1995). In global air circula-
tion, atmospheric ‘‘cells” form due to solar energy and the configuration of
continents, oceans, and mountain ranges. Each cell has a commonmacroclimate,
i.e., the history of weather pattern that covers a relatively large area and differs
from that in surrounding areas. Hence a geographic region typically corresponds
spatially with, or is a subset of, the atmospheric cell. The Mediterranean Region,
Southwestern USA, Eastern Queensland, and Scandinavia are regions with dis-
tinctive macroclimates corresponding to atmospheric cells. Southern England,
Southwestern Ontario, and Northeastern China are recognized regions, but sub-
sets of larger macroclimate areas.
Culturally determined human activities on the land, as in the idea ofregion-
alism,determine the subset-macroclimate regions. Often a single large city is
themajor hub, though a number of linked cities may characterize a region. A
transportation network connected to the city typically ties the region together
socially and economically. Mountain ranges and coastlines often form bound-
aries of the region. A closer look usually reveals clear evidence of a common
culture or cultures across the region, as in architecture, town/village form, lan-
guage, and arts. So, aregionhas both a common macroclimate and a common
sphere of human activity and interest.