Final answer:
The term for an area with common characteristics on a map is a Region. This concept is pivotal in geography for analyzing and comparing different areas of the world based on various defining criteria, ranging from cultural attributes to political boundaries.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that refers to an area with common characteristics on a globe or map is C) Region. A region in geography is an area that is characterized by a feature such as a common government, language, political situation, or landform.
This can include a formal country with political boundaries like France, or something less formally defined such as an area that shares cultural traits or characteristics, like the "Mormon Region" in the United States. Geographers use regions to study features of interest, compare data, and understand various trends or patterns.
Location and boundaries of different regions can be expressed in various ways depending on the defining characteristic.
For instance, a cultural region is found where absolute locations, like your home address, are located within containing locations like ZIP codes, counties, and countries. These are mapped as polygons in geographic information systems (GIS).
Understanding regions is key to the study of geography as they are the basic unit with which geographers analyze the similarities and differences in the earth's landscape.
There are different types of regions like formal, functional, and vernacular regions, each defined by specific criteria. The correct option is C.