mainlands
Not the islands
Mainlands is the plural of mainland, the principal landmass of a continent or country as distinguished from offshore islands or peninsulas.
The term appears when discussing multiple distinct continental bodies: The mainlands of Europe and Asia form a single landmass, while Australia's mainland excludes Tasmania.
Most commonly encountered in geographic or political contexts comparing territorial divisions.
Earth's largest landmasses
- landmassesMajor bodies of land
- EuropeSmallest inhabited continent
- AsiaLargest continental landmass
- AfricaSecond-largest continent
Australia · Americas · Eurasia · territories · nations · countries · shores · coasts
Land surrounded by water
- offshoreAway from land
- archipelagosCollections of scattered islands
- isletsVery small landmasses
- atollsRing-shaped coral islands
ferries · bridges · causeways · straits · channels · crossings · passages · connections
Land-water boundaries
- interiorsInner parts of spaces
- peninsulasLand masses mostly water-bounded
- isthmusesNarrow connecting land strips
- shorelinesEdges of land, waterside
harbors · ports · terrain · landscapes · topography · highlands · lowlands · plains
continents
Earth's largest landmasses
- landmassesMajor bodies of land
- EuropeSmallest inhabited continent
- AsiaLargest continental landmass
Africa · Australia · Americas · Eurasia · territories · nations · countries · shores · coasts · borders
islands
Land surrounded by water
- offshoreAway from land
- archipelagosCollections of scattered islands
- isletsVery small landmasses
atolls · ferries · bridges · causeways · straits · channels · crossings · passages · connections · isolation
coastlines
Land-water boundaries
- interiorsInner parts of spaces
- peninsulasLand masses mostly water-bounded
- isthmusesNarrow connecting land strips
shorelines · harbors · ports · terrain · landscapes · topography · highlands · lowlands · plains · plateaus
- geography termsmap, atlas, globe, compass, coordinates
mainlandsislands
Land surrounded by water
archipelagos · isles · offshore islands · coastal islands · oceanic islands
mainlandsoutposts
Remote settlements or bases
overseas territories · dependencies · colonies · peripheries · hinterlands
- mainland ChineseFrom the continent, not islands
- mainland ChinaPRC minus autonomous regions