boonies / Pampas
Loading your saved state.
boonies
Colloquial, often disparaging term for a remote, sparsely populated, and monotonous area; the flat countryside far away from urban centers.
Wir mussten bis in die tiefste Pampa fahren, um ihn zu besuchen.
We had to drive all the way out to the middle of nowhere to visit him.
Pampas
A fertile, subtropical grassland steppe in South America that extends mainly across Argentina, Uruguay, and parts of Brazil.
Die Gauchos treiben ihre Rinderherden durch die argentinische Pampa.
The gauchos drive their herds of cattle through the Argentine Pampas.
The word 'Pampa' comes from the South American Quechua language and means 'plain' or 'flat land'. The colloquial German meaning for a remote area is a figurative transfer of this geographical term.
Die Weite der Pampa in Argentinien ist beeindruckend.
The vastness of the Pampas in Argentina is impressive.
You can often recognize the geographical meaning from additions like 'argentinische Pampa' (Argentine Pampas) or from words like 'Gauchos' (gauchos) and 'Südamerika' (South America). The colloquial meaning is usually used without any geographical reference and simply describes a place that is far away from everything.
Er wohnt irgendwo in der Pampa, ohne direkten Anschluss an öffentliche Verkehrsmittel.
He lives somewhere out in the boonies, with no direct connection to public transportation.
This meaning is purely colloquial and is often meant in a slightly disparaging or humorous way. It is almost always used with the definite article and the preposition 'in', so 'in der Pampa' (out in the boonies).
Sein neues Haus liegt mitten in der Pampa, der nächste Supermarkt ist 20 Kilometer entfernt.
His new house is right in the middle of nowhere; the nearest supermarket is 20 kilometers away.
A very common fixed expression is 'in der tiefsten Pampa' (way out in the middle of nowhere). This reinforces the idea that a place is extremely remote and rural.
Ich kann nicht glauben, dass das Festival in der tiefsten Pampa stattfindet.
I can't believe the festival is taking place way out in the middle of nowhere.
province
Both words can refer to an area outside major cities. Die Provinz is usually a more general and relatively neutral term, whereas die Pampa is colloquial and often disparaging, emphasizing a particularly remote or monotonous area. For a factual statement, Provinz is usually the better choice.
Nach vielen Jahren in Berlin zog er in die Pampa, weit weg von jedem städtischen Zentrum.
After many years in Berlin, he moved to the boonies, far away from any urban center.
Nach vielen Jahren in Berlin zog sie in die Provinz, um ruhiger zu leben.
After many years in Berlin, she moved to the provinces to live a quieter life.
