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
Pete Cottell, WIRED, 8 Aug. 2024
By Kathryn Romeyn July 25, 2024 7:03 AM EDT
In the rolling hills of New South Wales’ northern hinterland is a rollicking 55-acre Eden where good taste is an art form.
—Kathryn Romeyn, TIME, 25 July 2024
Although the country’s capital, Addis Ababa, remains stable, insecurity is a constant across much of the rural hinterland.
—Johnnie Carson, Foreign Affairs, 19 July 2024
Molotov-Ribbentrop enabled Germany’s rampage through Europe by making much of Eurasia an economic hinterland for Berlin.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hinterland 
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“Hinterland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hinterland. Accessed 16 Sep. 2024.
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hinterland
noun
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