What's the difference between a postal area and a post office?

Postal area and post office are two different concepts.

Postal area refers to the basic organizational unit in postal communication network, which is centered on a certain city or administrative area and covers a certain surrounding area. Postal area is the basic unit of postal communication network and the independent accounting unit of postal business. The postal area is mainly set up to facilitate mail delivery and internal management.

Post office refers to the organization that handles postal services, and its duty is to provide postal services, including the processing and delivery of letters, parcels, newspapers and periodicals, remittances and other services. The post office is usually located in the central city or administrative center of the postal area, and multiple post offices can also be set up in the postal area to meet the mail delivery needs of different regions.

Therefore, postal area and post office are different concepts, but they are closely related. Postal area is the basic unit divided by region, and post office is an institution providing postal services, which is located in postal area.