surroundings; vicinity; periphery
Dated term for the area around a place; modern Japanese more often uses 周辺 or 付近.
On the old map, small settlements are drawn in the vicinity of the castle.
center versus periphery theory
Compound of 周 (around) and 圏 (sphere, area). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; it appears in older texts but is now largely replaced by 周辺.