wilderness
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wilderness
A large area untouched and uninhabited by humans, with natural landscapes such as forests, deserts, or mountains.
Sie machten eine mehrwöchige Wanderung durch die kanadische Wildnis.
They went on a several-week hike through the Canadian wilderness.
'Die Wildnis' (the wilderness) is derived from the adjective 'wild' (wild). The ending '-nis' forms a noun that describes the state or place characterized by the adjective.
Sein Traum ist es, einmal allein in der Wildnis zu leben.
His dream is to live alone in the wilderness someday.
The word 'Wildnis' (wilderness) is used almost exclusively in the singular, because it describes a general concept or a large, continuous area. The plural 'die Wildnisse' is very rare and rather poetic.
Die Wildnis ist kein Ort für unerfahrene Wanderer.
The wilderness is no place for inexperienced hikers.
Pay attention to the case after the preposition 'in': 'in die Wildnis' (into the wilderness; direction, accusative) describes movement there, while 'in der Wildnis' (in the wilderness; location, dative) describes staying there.
Er zog für ein Jahr in die Wildnis.
He moved into the wilderness for a year.
nature
'die Natur' and 'die Wildnis' both refer to places that are not, or hardly, made by humans. 'Natur' is the more general word and can also mean a park, a forest on the edge of a city, or a beautiful landscape. 'Wildnis' is stronger: it means a large, untouched area where hardly any people live or interfere. Learners may confuse the words because wilderness is always nature. But not all nature is wilderness.
Die Gruppe wanderte zwei Wochen durch die Wildnis ohne Handyempfang.
The group hiked through the wilderness for two weeks without cell phone reception.
Am Morgen beobachte ich gern die Natur im Garten.
In the morning, I like watching nature in the garden.