locus

1 a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest <an area of the Southwest that has been the locus of a number of New Agey movements> Synonyms axis, base, capital, central, core, cynosure, epicenter, eye, focus, ground zero, heart, hub, center, mecca, navel, nerve center, nexus, nucleus, omphalos, seatRelated Words headquarters; happy hunting ground, hive, hotbed, hot spot, playground, playland; kernel, nub, pith; deep, thick; essence, quintessence, soul; attraction, lodestone (also loadstone), magnet, polestar

2 the area or space occupied by or intended for something <the locus of brightness occurs where the rays of sunlight converge in front of the lens> Synonyms emplacement, locale, locality, location, place, point, position, site, spot, venue, whereRelated Words scene; precinct, region, section, sector; here, there