noun
A somewhat formal or technical term for a rural area, often used in policy, geography, or academic contexts.
ルーラル地域の過疎化が進んでいる。
Depopulation is progressing in rural areas.
田舎 is the common, everyday word for countryside or rural area, while ルーラル地域 is more formal and often used in official or academic contexts.
A compound of the English loanword ルーラル (rural) and 地域 (area, region).