hinterland
noun
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When you're dealing with geography, it helps to know your hinterland from your umland. In the late 19th century, geographer George Chisholm took note of the German word Hinterland (literally "land in back of") and applied it specifically to the region just inland from a port or coastal settlement. (Chisholm spelled the word hinderland, but English speakers eventually settled on hinterland.) Early in the 20th century, another geographer adopted the German Umland ("land around") to refer to the territory around an inland town. What hinterland and umland have in common is a reference to a region economically tied to a nearby city. Nowadays, hinterland has a less technical use as well—it can be used for land that is simply out in the sticks. It can also be applied figuratively.
Synonyms
Examples of hinterland in a Sentence
Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2024
His time in Dylan’s home state, Chalamet says, reminded him of his visits to the French hinterlands.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2024
That a precondition of the interview was that Neistat would have to allow the footage to be used in a documentary Paul is making about his return from the hinterland is convenient, not to say lucrative.
—Chris Stokel-Walker, WIRED, 25 Aug. 2018
The artist was known for creating sculptures, often using leather and tree branches, to be exhibited for the benefit of a community living in the stark, desert-like conditions of the Bahia hinterlands.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 1 Nov. 2024
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“Hinterland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hinterland. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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hinterland
noun
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