Search Result for "doctrine of the hinterland":

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

hinterland \hin"ter*land`\, n. [G.; hinter behind + land land.] a remote and undeveloped area; originally, the land or region lying behind the coast district. The term is used esp. with reference to the so-called doctrine of the hinterland, sometimes advanced, that occupation of the coast supports a claim to an exclusive right to occupy, from time to time, the territory lying inland of the coast. Syn: backwoods, back country, boondocks. [Webster 1913 Suppl. + WordNet 1.5]