LAN

Local area network, where local is relative. Often described as a building or group of buildings, connected via ethernet or 802.11 wireless.

WAN

Wide Area Networks span the globe, connecting LANs accross a distance.

Can be connected via point-to-point serial, MPLS, etc. and may include both terrestrial and non-terrestrial connectivity.

PAN

Personal area networks may include Bluetooth, IR, NFC, etc. They tend to integrate with our own devices for things such as audio output, etc.

MAN

Metropolitan Area Network

These are networks for cities, larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN.

Historically there have been specific MAN topologies, although these days we mostly use Metro Ethernet, managed by ISPs.

It is common to see government ownership.

SAN

Storage Area Network.

This is a connection that gives us block-level access to storage devices (unlike a NAS, that gives us file-level access).

Requires a lot of bandwith and are often isolated on their own networks.

WLAN

Wireless LAN 802.11 tech.