borderlands
Edges between nations
Borderlands are the regions along a border between two countries, states, or territories, often characterized by a blending of cultures, languages, and influences from both sides.
These transitional zones may be contested or ambiguous in their allegiance and identity.
The term extends metaphorically to describe any threshold space between established categories or domains: the borderlands between science and philosophy.
In singular form, borderland works the same way but suggests a more unified frontier zone.
Edge of settlement
- demarcationFormal boundary setting
- dividing lineBoundary between regions
- thresholdPoint of beginning
- edgeBoundary or sharpness
limit · margin · fringe · buffer zone · neutral zone · checkpoint · crossing point · customs
First to explore territory
- settlersThose who establish homes
- homesteadFamily farm and dwelling
- outpostRemote military station
- territoryLand under jurisdiction
expansion · westward · frontiersman · uncharted · colony · colonization · gold rush · trappers
People seeking safety elsewhere
- asylumShelter from persecution
- crossingPoint where paths intersect
- immigrationRelocating abroad permanently
- emigrationLeaving homeland permanently
coyotes · detention · deportation · sanctuary · undocumented · visa · passport · naturalization
Sparsely populated wilderness areas
- remoteDistant or controller
- untamedNot domesticated
- desolateBleak and abandoned
- uninhabitedHaving no occupants
badlands · scrubland · desert · harsh terrain · wasteland · outback · steppe · tundra
Area of active conflict
- skirmishBrief, limited combat
- tensionStretched or strained state
- disputeVerbal clash over differences
- clashViolent disagreement or collision
hostilities · smuggling · contraband · cartels · trafficking · insurgency · occupation · resistance
frontier
Edge of settlement
- demarcationFormal boundary setting
- dividing lineBoundary between regions
- thresholdPoint of beginning
edge · limit · margin · fringe · buffer zone · neutral zone · checkpoint · crossing point · customs · boundary marker
pioneers
First to explore territory
territory · expansion · westward · frontiersman · uncharted · colony · colonization · gold rush · trappers · fur trade
refugees
People seeking safety elsewhere
- asylumShelter from persecution
- crossingPoint where paths intersect
- immigrationRelocating abroad permanently
emigration · coyotes · detention · deportation · sanctuary · undocumented · visa · passport · naturalization · diaspora
backcountry
Sparsely populated wilderness areas
uninhabited · badlands · scrubland · desert · harsh terrain · wasteland · outback · steppe · tundra · isolated
war zone
Area of active conflict
clash · hostilities · smuggling · contraband · cartels · trafficking · insurgency · occupation · resistance · militarized
- Cultural Fusionfusion cuisine, fusion jazz, fusion dance, syncretism, hybridity
- hinterlandshinterland, hinterlands, backcountry, back country, backwoods
- outskirtsoutskirts, periphery, outskirt, fringe, environs
- human geographycultural landscape, demographics, migration, demography, urbanization
- mapmakingcartographer, map scales, mapmaker, map projection, compass rose
- WalesCardiff, Anglesey, Welsh, Snowdon, Welsh dragon
borderlandsheartland
Central region of significance
center · core · interior · mainland · hinterland
borderlandssovereign territory
Land under autonomous control
homeland · dominion · stronghold · national territory · mother country
borderlandsheartland
Central region of significance
mainstream · cultural center · dominant culture · cultural capital · monoculture