Hinterland Meaning
/ˈhɪntə(ɹ)ˌlænd/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe land immediately next to, and inland from, a coast.
nounThe rural territory surrounding an urban area, especially a port.
Sentence Examples
Gdansk has the best hinterland connections into Central and Eastern Europe.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After leaving the city, we traveled deep into the ____ where few people live.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The remote ____ of the country is sparsely populated and lacks modern infrastructure.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from German Hinterland, from hinter (“behind”) + Land (“land”), cognate to English hinder (“back, rear”) + land. First used in English in 1888 by George Chisholm in his work Handbook of Commercial Geography originally as hinderland, but the current spelling (following German) became more popular. The term is characteristic of a thalassocratic analysis of space (from the point of view of a nation with maritime supremacy, such as 19th-century Britain).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In West Wales it has never been possible until recently to exploit the magnificent natural harbour of Milford Haven, for there was no industrial hinterland."
— 1961 August, “New traffic flows in South Wales”, in Trains Illustrated, page 492:
"In the film, Hanks is a veteran traversing the Texas hinterlands during the Reconstruction period when he stumbles upon a lost young white girl (Helena Zengel) who only speaks Kiowa, and is forced to undergo a dangerous journey to bring the orphan to her family."
— 2021 February 9, Christina Newland, “Is Tom Hanks part of a dying breed of genuine movie stars?”, in BBC:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After leaving the city, we traveled deep into the ____ where few people live.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The remote ____ of the country is sparsely populated and lacks modern infrastructure.