outback

/ˌˈaʊtˌˈbæk/

/ˈaʊtbæk/

Other forms: outbacks; outbacker

In Australia, the outback is the remote, rural region where far more animals than humans live. If you travel to the outback, you may see kangaroos, dingoes, and emus.

Some people think of the outback as a vast, dusty, red desert, but it actually contains many different ecosystems, including savannahs, mountain ranges, and woodlands. Although it makes up the majority of Australia's land mass (about 80 percent), the outback is sparsely populated. Indigenous Australians have lived in this part of the country for at least 50,000 years. Outback was coined in the late 19th century from the phrase "out in the back country."

Definitions of outback

1. noun

   the bush country of the interior of Australia
   examples:

   Never-Never

   the remote outback of Australia; unpopulated desert country

   type of:

   bush

   a large wilderness area
2. adjective

   inaccessible and sparsely populated;
   synonyms: remote

   inaccessible, unaccessible

   capable of being reached only with great difficulty or not at all