 Local variable

A local variable is a variable whose binding belongs to a limited program region, such as a procedure invocation or block. The language's scope rules determine where its name denotes that binding. Its storage need not be a fixed physical location: a compiler can use processor registers or eliminate storage when permitted by the programming language semantics.

For example, a recursive procedure can have a separate local accumulator for each invocation, even though every invocation uses the same source-level name. A nested function may retain access to a binding through a programming closure. Scope and lifetime must consequently be distinguished. In Python, binding a name anywhere in a function block normally makes it local throughout that block unless a global or nonlocal declaration applies; using it before it has a value raises an error.^[ref]

A **local variable** is a variable that is declared within a function or a block of code, and its scope is limited to that function or block. This means that the variable can only be accessed or modified from within the function or block where it was defined. Local variables are typically used to store temporary data that is needed only for the duration of that specific function's execution.