(~s)
1.
Journalists use ~ or ~s to refer to the area or region where a particular set of activities or beliefs is most significant.
...his six-day bus tour around the industrial ~ of America...
N-COUNT: with supp, oft adj N, N of n
2.
The most central area of a country or continent can be referred to as its ~ or ~s. (WRITTEN)
For many, the essence of French living is to be found in the rural ~s.
N-COUNT: with supp