heartland

noun

Etymology: From heart (“(figuratively) centre, core, essence”) + land.

1. Synonym of heart (“the seat of the affections or love”).
2. Also in the plural form heartlands:

   “[R]ound the Pole all three powers lay claim to enormous territories which in fact are largely uninhabited and unexplored: but the balance of power always remains roughly even, and the territory which forms the heartland of each super-state always remains inviolate.”

   “Israel intercepted a missile fired by Hezbollah near Tel Aviv on Wednesday, an unprecedented attack by the militant group that reached deep into the country’s commercial heartlands and marked a new escalatory step in the conflict between the two sides.”

3. Also in the plural form heartlands:
4. Also in the plural form heartlands:

   “Those in the HDB [Housing and Development Board] heartland will be able to vote in the airconditioned comfort of their community centres […]”

   “Take heart, small-time shopkeepers in the heartlands.”

5. Also in the plural form heartlands:
6. Also in the plural form heartlands:

   “The home counties are the Conservative heartland.”

   “We stayed in the heartland of the French wine-growing regions.”