The
hinterland is the land or district behind the borders of a coast or river. Specifically, by the
doctrine of the hinterland, the word is applied to the inland region lying behind a port, claimed by the state that owns the coast. The area from which products are delivered to a port for shipping elsewhere is that port's hinterland.
Etymology and usage
"Hinterland" was borrowed from
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
, where it means literally
the land behind (a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
, a port or similar). In
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
, the term was first used in 1888 by
George ChisholmGeorge Chisholm may refer to:* George Chisholm , British Geographer* George Chisholm , British Trombone player and Bandleader* George King Chisholm , first mayor of Oakville, Ontario, Canada...
in his work
Handbook of Commercial Geography. In German this word sometimes also describes the part of a country where only few people live and where the infrastructure is underdeveloped (although "Provinz" is more common). The direct analogy in English is "
back countryA backcountry area in general terms is a geographical region that is:* isolated* remote* undeveloped* difficult to accessThe term may apply to various regions that are reasonably close to urban areas but are:* not immediately accessible by road...
" or "surrounding countryside". See also
The Bush"The Bush" is a term used for-Australia:In Australia the term has a number of distinct meanings, usually clear in context. In reference to the landscape, the term describes any wooded area, generally where eucalyptus are present....
of Alaskan and Australian usage.
"Hinterland" means a rural area surrounding the urban catchment of large cities or agglomerations. It is characterised by a less dense population and infrastructure.
In
shippingShipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
usage, a port's hinterland is the area that it serves, both for imports and for exports. The size of a hinterland can depend on geography, but also on the ease, speed, and cost of transportation between the port and the hinterland.
By
analogyAnalogy is a cognitive process of transferring information from a particular subject to another particular subject , and a linguistic expression corresponding to such a process...
, it is the area surrounding a service from which customers are attracted, also called the market area.
"Hinterland" was applied also to the surrounding areas of former European colonies in Africa, which, although not part of the colony itself, were influenced by the colony.
A further sense in which the term is commonly applied, especially of British politicians, is in talking about an individual's depth and breadth of knowledge of other matters (or lack thereof), specifically of cultural, academic, artistic, literary and scientific pursuits. For instance, one could say 'X has a vast hinterland', or 'Y has no hinterland'.