Mainland 286960 223780856 2008-07-05T19:45:03Z Bardcom 2909462 Corrected wikilink {{two other uses|the [[Geomorphology|geomorphological]]/[[Geopolitics|geopolitical]] term|the cheese brand owned by [[Fonterra]]|Mainland (cheese)|the episode of the [[Channel 4]] sitcom [[Father Ted]]|The Mainland (Father Ted)}} {{Wiktionary}} '''Mainland''' is usually the [[continent]]al part of a region, as opposed to the [[island]]s nearby. Sometimes the residents are called "the [[Mainlander]]s". As a result of the usually larger area of mainland, there are significantly more mainlanders than islanders, and mainlander culture and politics sometimes threaten to dominate those of the islands. Prominent uses of the term include: * [[Mainland China]], as opposed to the special administrative regions of [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]] (but including the island of [[Hainan]]), and [[Taiwan]] (and other areas administered by the [[Republic of China]]); * Mainland [[Australia]], as opposed to [[Tasmania]]. * Mainland [[Canada]], as opposed to [[Prince Edward Island]], [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]], [[Cape Breton Island]] or [[Vancouver Island]]; * Mainland [[Denmark]], as opposed to the [[Faroe Islands]] and [[Greenland]] (Mainland Denmark may refer to the Danish part of [[Jutland]], as opposed to [[Zealand]] and [[list of islands of Denmark|other islands]]); *[[Mainland Europe]], another term for [[Continental Europe]] used in many parts of the [[Anglosphere|English-speaking world]], but generally not in the [[United Kingdom]]; usually in Great Britain, and sometimes in Ireland, mainland Europe is referred to as ''The Continent''. *[[Mainland Finland]], as opposed to [[Åland Islands]]; * [[Mainland France]] (''Le Continent''), as opposed to [[Corsica]]; in relation to its Overseas Departments and Territories, the term [[Metropolitan France]] (''France Métropolitaine'') is more commonly used; * [[Mainland United States]], as opposed to the state of [[Hawaii]] and [[Insular area|overseas territories]] (the terms "U.S. Mainland" and "The Mainland" are commonly used in Hawaii, but not in the U.S. mainland itself where "[[continental United States]]," which also excludes Alaska, is more commonly used instead); note: this latter term is also more precisely referred to as the "[[contiguous United States]]." * [[Mainland Japan]] and [[Honshū]], as opposed to the rest of the [[Japan]]ese islands (see also [[Home Islands]]); * [[Mainland Orkney]] is the largest and most populous island of the [[Orkney Islands]] in [[Scotland]]; * the [[South Island]] of [[New Zealand]], which, though having a far smaller population, is slightly larger than the [[North Island]]. * the [[Nova Scotia]]n mainland, as opposed to [[Cape Breton Island]]; * [[Great Britain|British]] Mainland (i.e. the island of [[Great Britain]]), as opposed to the [[Channel Islands]], the [[Isle of Man]], [[Northern Ireland]] (although when used to differentiate Britain from [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] it can be considered an offensive usage) or any other British island. * Mainland [[Ireland]] as opposed to [[List of islands of Ireland|its offshore islands]]. Note that "the mainland" in [[Northern Ireland]] is ambiguous between this sense and the preceding one; using the phrase to mean "Great Britain as opposed to Northern Ireland" is considered objectionable by many [[Irish nationalism|Nationalists]]. * The largest islands of the [[Orkney]] and [[Shetland Islands]]; see [[Mainland, Orkney]] and [[Mainland, Shetland]]. * [[Mainland Portugal]] as opposed to [[Azores]] and [[Madeira]] Islands. *[[Korean peninsula|Mainland Korea]] as opposed to [[Jeju]] and [[Ulleung]] Islands * Mainland [[Spain]] as opposed to the [[Balearic Islands|Balearic]] and [[Canary Islands|Canary]] Islands, the North African cities of [[Ceuta]] and [[Melilla]], the island of [[Isla de Alborán|Alborán]] and other minor exclaves on Northern Africa (called the [[Plazas de soberanía]]). In Spain the terms "España peninsular" or simply "La Península" are often used. The term is used on multiple levels. To someone in [[Tasmania]], continental [[Australia]] is the mainland; but to residents of [[King Island (Tasmania)|King Island]], [[Flinders Island]], and the other surrounding islands, [[Tasmania]] itself is the mainland. [[Category:Landforms]] [[be:Суша]] [[bs:Kopno]] [[bg:Суша]] [[da:Landjord]] [[de:Landfläche]] [[et:Maismaa]] [[eo:Ĉeflando]] [[is:Meginland]] [[lv:Sauszeme]] [[nl:Vasteland]] [[ja:本土]] [[no:Fastland]] [[nds:Landmasse]] [[pl:Ląd]] [[ru:Суша]] [[sl:Kopno]] [[sr:Копно]] [[sv:Fastland]] [[zh:内地]]