MACRO-REGIONS
Macro-regions, sometimes called international regions or world-regions, refer to large territorial units comprising different states. A former definition of macro-region is: 'A limited number of states linked together by a geographical relationship and by a degree of mutual interdependence' (Joseph Nye). This is a valuable definition, but seen the increasingly interdependent world, a more accurate definition is the one provided by Barry Buzan: "A spatially coherent territory composed of two or more states".
Typical examples are the 'Pacific region' or the 'Mediterranean region'. These entities are often characterised by their formal level of integration (cf. the European Union in Europe, Mercosur in Latin-America; see also chapter two). From a geographical perspective one can distinguish the following regional 'realms' in the world:
- Europe
- Russia
- North America
- Middle America
- South America
- North Africa/Southwest Asia
- Sub-saharan Africa
- South Asia
- East Asia
- Southeast Asia
- Austral Realm
- Pacific Realm
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