hinterland

American  

[hin-ter-land] / ˈhɪn tərˌlænd /

noun

1. Often hinterlands. the remote or less developed parts of a country; back country.

   The hinterlands are usually much more picturesque than the urban areas.

2. the land lying behind a coastal region.

3. an area or sphere of influence in the unoccupied interior claimed by the state possessing the coast.

4. an inland area supplying goods, especially trade goods, to a port.

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hinterland British  

/ ˈhɪntəˌlænd /

noun

1. land lying behind something, esp a coast or the shore of a river

2. remote or undeveloped areas of a country

3. an area located near and dependent on a large city, esp a port

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Etymology

Origin of hinterland

1885–90; < German: literally, hinder land, i.e., land behind

Explanation

The hinterlands are affectionately called "the sticks," or the "boonies," short for "boondocks." Use it to specify an area that is far away from a city or town, or even civilization as we know it. Cell-phone reception and cable television aren't guaranteed. The noun hinterland comes to the English language via Germany: hinter is "behind" + land is, well, "land." It actually refers to the land lying inland — or behind — an ocean coast or river shore, which is why backwaters and hinterlands are used interchangeably. Use hinterlands when you want to make fun of an area's backwardness, or to celebrate its natural beauty: "Coming from the unspoiled hinterlands of Louisiana, she found it hard to adjust to the sights and sounds of the big city."

Example Sentences

After scoring two viral hits in 2025, they're set to headline Iowa's Hinterland festival in July, after making their Coachella debut in April.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025

Her new book, “Red Sands: Reportage and Recipes Through Central Asia, from Hinterland to Heartland,” which slips recipes into keenly observed travelogue, goes farther afield, through kitchens and cafes from Kazakhstan to Tajikistan.

From Washington Post • Jan. 21, 2021

That doesn’t sit well with some game publishers and developers, including Raphael van Lierop, the game director and writer of indie hit The Long Dark from his company Hinterland Studio.

From The Verge • Mar. 2, 2020

Perhaps a more significant runner for Nicholls on Tuesday is Hinterland, a 16-1 shot for the Arkle, who makes his fencing debut.

From The Guardian • Nov. 5, 2012

They were brought from the neighborhood of Say, on the middle Niger, by the Togo Hinterland expedition.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 1178, June 25, 1898 by Various

Related Words

• outback