Inland means away from the ocean or sea, toward the interior of a land mass. If you live in Kansas or Montana, you live inland. If you live in San Diego or Miami, you live on the coast.

When pioneers traveled inland from the Atlantic coast, they moved deeper into the continent, crossing mountains and rivers until they reached places hundreds or thousands of miles from any ocean. Cities like Denver, Chicago, and Nashville are inland cities, while Los Angeles, Boston, and Seattle are coastal cities.

The word describes both location and direction. A town can be inland, or you can travel inland from the beach. Sailors who venture inland leave their ships behind and head into the heart of a continent. Weather patterns change as you move inland: coastal areas often have milder temperatures because ocean water heats and cools slowly, while inland areas experience hotter summers and colder winters.

Islands have coastlines all around them, so even their centers are never very far from the sea. But in a massive country like the United States, Russia, or China, you can travel inland for days without seeing the ocean.