A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is a computer network that connects computers within a metropolitan area, such as a single large city, multiple cities/towns, or any large area with multiple buildings. A MAN is larger than a local area network (LAN) but smaller than a wide area network (WAN). MANs do not have to be in urban areas, the term “metropolitan” implies the size of the network, not the demographics of the area that it serves.

Like WANs, a MAN is made up of interconnected LANs. Because MANs are smaller, they are usually more efficient than WANs, since data does not have to travel over large distances. MANs may combine the networks of multiple organizations into one, or they can be managed by a single organization.

The size of MANs usually ranges from 5 kilometers to 50 kilometers. If all the buildings are on a single piece of contiguous property, it may also be considered a campus network.

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