Natural Region - Use of The Term

Use of The Term

The concept "natural region" may refer to a small, well defined area, or to a large basic geographical unit, like the vast Boreal forest region. The term may be also used generically, like in Alpine tundra, or specifically to refer to a particular place.

The term is particularly useful where there is no corresponding or coterminous official region. The Fens of eastern England, the Thai highlands and the Pays de Bray in Normandy, are examples of this. Others might include regions with particular geological characteristics, like badlands, such as the Bardenas Reales, an upland massif of acidic rock or The Burren, in Ireland.