List of 426 Sets of Synonyms - How they Differ - Total of 2307 Words - 19

SYNONYMS: area, region, belt, zone, district, locality.
These nouns all denote extents of space, especially on a surface, that can be differentiated from others by particular qualities or characteristics.

Area and region are the most inclusive: a dialect spoken over a large area; a blighted urban area; a recreation area; tropical regions of South America; polar regions; pain in the abdominal region.
A belt is a tract, frequently but not always longer than it is wide, that is distinguished from others in a single stated respect: the Corn Belt; a snow belt.
A zone may be an area that encircles, as on a map (the Torrid Zone); it may also be an area with strictly defined, often arbitrarily set boundaries (a residential zone; a demilitarized zone; a nuclear-free zone).
If the area is a subdivision for administrative purposes, it is called a district: a congressional district.
District can also refer to a less specific area with respect to such features as its use: the financial district.
A locality is an area with vague or undefined limits: The turnout of voters was low in many localities.