You should probably start by identifying the CSS/HTML ID or Class that the area is in. If you have Firebug, it can help you do this. Depending on what you want to alter at that point, try looking in the CSS files for your theme to see if you can locate the ID/Class for the area, then alter it from there.
You could look at the page.tpl.php as suggested, but I think you will want to start with the CSS.