The Region: a Complicated Concept

Abstract

Answering the question ‘what is a region?’ seems easy, as this is a common word; however, when you start to define it, you start to digress. Resorting to a previously established definition does not clarify or facilitate the matter much, since there are many and very different. Thus, we have that ‘region’ is a complicated concept: difficult to understand and comprising a number of aspects. This paper addresses this question from the point of view of the meaning with which the term is used in several and frequent contexts, breaks down some of its key attributes and compares them in order to answer, in a concise manner, as it is not a formalsemantic analysis—, what it makes constant reference to. At the same time, and because it is a mandatory concept for land management, the paper repeatedly encourages not to overlook the simultaneity of events converging in the region (cultural identity, concurrency, the construction of region, among other), so that the political and technical sectors of Colombia can note their seriousness and act accordingly.