THE GEOGRAPHY OF TRANSPORT SYSTEMS


Port Foreland and Hinterland

There are two types of port hinterland:
  • The fundamental (main) hinterland is the space over which a port has almost the exclusivity for providing its services.
  • The competition margins are the areas where other ports are in competition. The fundamental hinterland is being challenged by intense port competition with a port regionalization mainly composed a competition margins and few fundamental hinterlands.
The foreland is measured by the share of a port, or a group of ports, being taken over their foreland relatively to the forelands of other ports. It defines the interactions of a port with elements of the global economy.