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Mainland: meaning, definitions and examples

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mainland

[ ˈmeɪnlənd ]

Noun

^{Context #1 | Noun}

geography

The main landmass of a country or continent, as distinguished from an offshore islands or peninsulas.

Synonyms

continent, mainland mass.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
mainland	Used to refer to the principal landmass of a country or region, excluding its islands. Often used when distinguishing between islands and the larger land area. She flew from the island back to the mainland. Mainland residents often visit the coastal islands during holidays.
continent	Refers to any of the world's main continuous expanses of land (e.g., Africa, Asia, Europe). Used when discussing geographical divisions on a global scale. Africa is a continent rich in cultures and natural resources. They traveled across the continent of Europe by train.
mainland mass	A more technical or formal term for a large continuous extent of land, typically in scientific or geographic discussions. The mainland mass of Eurasia is the largest on Earth. Researchers studied the biodiversity of the mainland mass compared to surrounding islands.

Word

Description / Examples

mainland

Used to refer to the principal landmass of a country or region, excluding its islands. Often used when distinguishing between islands and the larger land area.

She flew from the island back to the mainland.
Mainland residents often visit the coastal islands during holidays.

continent

Refers to any of the world's main continuous expanses of land (e.g., Africa, Asia, Europe). Used when discussing geographical divisions on a global scale.

Africa is a continent rich in cultures and natural resources.
They traveled across the continent of Europe by train.

mainland mass

A more technical or formal term for a large continuous extent of land, typically in scientific or geographic discussions.

The mainland mass of Eurasia is the largest on Earth.
Researchers studied the biodiversity of the mainland mass compared to surrounding islands.

Examples of usage

The mainland of the United States is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
The mainland of China is home to over a billion people.

Translations

Translations of the word "mainland" in other languages:

🇵🇹 continente

🇮🇳 मुख्य भूमि

🇩🇪 Festland

🇮🇩 daratan

🇺🇦 материк

🇵🇱 kontynent

🇯🇵 本土 (hondo)

🇫🇷 continent

🇪🇸 continente

🇹🇷 anakar

🇰🇷 본토 (bonto)

🇸🇦 البر الرئيسي (al-bar al-ra'isi)

🇨🇿 pevnina

🇸🇰 pevnina

🇨🇳 大陆 (dàlù)

🇸🇮 celina

🇮🇸 meginland

🇰🇿 материк

🇬🇪 მთავარი მიწა (mtavari midza)

🇦🇿 qitə

🇲🇽 continente

Etymology

The word 'mainland' originated in the early 17th century as a combination of 'main' and 'land'. It has been used to refer to the principal landmass of a country or continent ever since.

See also: main, mainly, mainstay, mainstream.