regions

1. Any considerable and connected part of a space or surface; specifically, a tract of land or sea of considerable but indefinite extent; a country; a district; in a broad sense, a place without special reference to location or extent but viewed as an entity for geographical, social or cultural reasons.

   the equatorial regions

2. An administrative subdivision of a city, a territory, a country.
3. The inhabitants of a region or district of a country.
4. A place in or a part of the body in any way indicated.

   the abdominal regions

5. Place; rank; station; dignity.
6. The space from the earth's surface out to the orbit of the moon: properly called the elemental region.

noun

(definite: the regions) the rest of the country excluding the capital city or metropolitan region