hotspot

Hotspot is a general term for a location characterized by a high concentration of a particular activity, feature, or phenomenon. In everyday use it often refers to busy or trendy places, but in technical contexts it denotes sites with unusually high traffic, risk, or ecological or geological activity.

In information technology, a hotspot usually means a public wireless network access point that provides Internet connectivity within a limited area. Public hotspots may require user authentication through a login page or terms of service, and are managed by businesses, service providers, or municipalities.

In geology, a hotspot is a location where heat from a mantle plume melts rock and generates volcanic activity. As the tectonic plate above the plume moves, the hotspot can create a chain of volcanoes and islands. Notable examples include Hawaii and Yellowstone.

In public health, a disease hotspot refers to a geographic area with a higher-than-average incidence or transmission risk, used to prioritize surveillance and interventions. Biodiversity hotspots describe regions with exceptional species richness that are under substantial threat from human activities.

In genetics, a mutation hotspot is a site in the genome that experiences mutations more frequently than surrounding sequences. Cultural usage extends to places that attract many visitors or attention, such as culinary or nightlife hotspots. The term therefore carries context-dependent meaning across science, health, and everyday language.