hinterland / backcountry
Loading your saved state.
hinterland
The area located behind a coast, riverbank, or border, often supplied from a port or city.
Der Hamburger Hafen ist für das gesamte norddeutsche Hinterland von großer Bedeutung.
The Port of Hamburg is of great importance for the entire northern German hinterland.
The word is made up of the preposition 'hinter' (behind) and the noun 'Land' (land/country). So it literally describes the land that lies behind a particular geographic point such as a coast or a city.
Die neue Bahnstrecke verbindet die Küstenstadt mit dem Hinterland.
The new railway line connects the coastal city with the hinterland.
The meaning depends on the context. In an economic sense, it refers to the supply area of a city or port. In a social context, it describes a rural region far from centers.
Der Hafen versorgt das gesamte Hinterland mit Waren aus Übersee.
The port supplies the entire hinterland with goods from overseas.
When 'Hinterland' (backcountry/hinterland) describes a remote, rural region, it can have a slightly negative undertone. It can suggest that there is little culture or infrastructure there, similar to the word 'Provinz' (the provinces).
Sie hatte keine Lust, ihr ganzes Leben im stillen Hinterland zu verbringen.
She had no desire to spend her whole life in the quiet backcountry.
province
'die Provinz' and 'das Hinterland' can both describe areas that are not in the center or not in a large city. 'Provinz' generally means areas outside important cities and can sound derogatory when describing something as not very modern or not very cosmopolitan. 'Hinterland' often means the area behind a coast, a river, a border, or a city. It can also mean a rural, remote region. The words can be confused when you simply want to say 'far away from the city.' 'Provinz' fits more when contrasting something with the big city; 'Hinterland' fits more when talking about location and landscape.
Wegen des starken Regens waren viele Straßen im Hinterland gesperrt.
Because of the heavy rain, many roads in the hinterland were closed.
Nach zehn Jahren in Berlin fühlte sich das kleine Dorf für ihn wie Provinz an.
After ten years in Berlin, the small village felt like the provinces to him.