The West is a strategic planning area within the Northern and Western Region in Ireland.

It is a NUTS Level III statistical region of Ireland (coded IE042)[1] under the Eurostat classification.

The West Region is largely rural, with only 30% of its population living in urban areas.

The constituent local authorities are the councils of the counties of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon and the city Galway, which each send representatives to the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, forming the West Strategic Planning Area Committee.

[6] Tourism in the region is bolstered by its geography, with it attracting tourists from across Ireland and elsewhere, with inland rivers, lakes, mountains and plains, along with off shore islands, a large number of beaches, and its rugged coastline amongst natural attractions.