The hinterland is the rural territory associated with an urban area, often a port. The area from which products are delivered to a port for shipping elsewhere is that port's hinterland. Contrast foreland , the places to which a port ships.

The word has been borrowed from German, where it literally means the land behind (a city, a port or similar). In German this word also describes the part of a country where only few people live and where no infrastructure is.

By analogy, it is the area surrounding a service from which customers are attracted, also called the market area .

It was applied also to the surrounding areas of former European colonies in Africa, which, although not part of the colony itself, were influenced by the colony.