mainland
Not the islands
The mainland is the principal landmass of a country or continent, as distinct from its islands or peninsulas.
Hawaiians speak of traveling to the mainland, meaning the contiguous United States.
The term implies centrality—politically, economically, or geographically: mainland China versus Taiwan, mainland Europe versus Britain.
Inside area or region
- heartlandCentral region of significance
- hinterlandRemote area beyond settlements
- inlandAway from the coast
- centralIn the middle, primary
upcountry · backcountry · rural · countryside · provincial · noncoastal · inshore · coastal
Water-bounded land mass
- coastlineLand-water boundary
- shoreLand bordering water
- peninsulaLand almost encircled by water
- territoryLand under jurisdiction
landbridge · isthmus · offshore · archipelago · atoll · terra firma · subcontinent · Eurasia
Water-bounded land mass
- offshoreAway from land
- outlyingDistant from center
- peripheralExternal computer add-on
- remoteDistant or controller
isolated · insular · overseas · exclave · enclave · detached · separated · connected
Land under jurisdiction
- provinceRegional administrative district
- stateCondition or mode
- jurisdictionLegal authority's scope
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
autonomy · governance · administration · border · customs · immigration · citizen · resident
interior
Inside area or region
- heartlandCentral region of significance
- hinterlandRemote area beyond settlements
- inlandAway from the coast
central · upcountry · backcountry · rural · countryside · provincial · noncoastal · inshore · coastal · borderland
island
Water-bounded land mass
territory · landbridge · isthmus · offshore · archipelago · atoll · terra firma · subcontinent · Eurasia · Africa
island
Water-bounded land mass
- offshoreAway from land
- outlyingDistant from center
- peripheralExternal computer add-on
remote · isolated · insular · overseas · exclave · enclave · detached · separated · connected · accessible
territory
Land under jurisdiction
- provinceRegional administrative district
- stateCondition or mode
- jurisdictionLegal authority's scope
sovereignty · autonomy · governance · administration · border · customs · immigration · citizen · resident · dependency
PRC
East Asian superpower abbreviation
- TaiwanDisputed East Asian island-state
- Hong KongChinese special administrative region
- MacauChinese gambling territory
Mandarin · Cantonese · reunification · Shenzhen · Guangdong · Shanghai · Beijing
- geographycontinents, oceans, countries, country, ocean
- landcountry, island, nation, peninsula, province
- placescity, town, village, hamlet, building
- regionsregion, regions, area, areas, zone
- land formsterrain, island, coastline, peninsula, isthmus
- land termsterrain, topography, landform, elevation, island
mainlandisland
Water-bounded land mass
isle · archipelago · islet · atoll · cay
mainlandoverseas territory
Land under foreign sovereignty
outer islands · exclave · dependency · headland · promontory
- mainland ChineseFrom the continent, not islands
- mainland ChinaPRC minus autonomous regions