zone

Like many words, "zone" refers to an area. However, unlike words such as "district" or "region," it is not widely used for politically-defined areas, but for those defined in geologic or other natural terms. It always reminds me of Sonic the Hedgehog, which was split into zones, like Scrap Brain Zone or Green Hill Zone. The "Z" in the word provides an image of a staggered boundary; without the artificiality of a straight line, the connotation is of a more realistically separated space. Time zones, for instance, despite being delineated by man, are the result of a natural reality - the difference in time of day between longitudes. I tend to define zones as much larger areas than those described as "tracts" or "territories." Perhaps this connotation of size is part of what lends the word an aptitude for use in science fiction.