地帯
ちたい · chitai · JLPT N2 · noun
area
🌍 地 = ground + 帯 = belt: a belt of ground, meaning a zone or area
地 means ground or land, and 帯 means belt or band. Together they name a stretch of land set apart as a zone, as in 温暖地帯, a temperate zone.
地 — earth 土 + 也 (phonetic)
地 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left component 土 means 'earth' or 'soil' and gives the meaning, while 也 on the right hints at the pronunciation. Originally referring to the ground or land, it broadened to mean 'place,' 'region,' and 'territory.'