savage land; barbaric region
Archaic and derogatory term for uncivilized or barbaric lands, often used in historical or literary contexts.
Some old maps labeled unknown regions as 'barbaric lands'.
Variant kanji spelling, less common.
Compound of 蛮 (ban, 'barbarian') and 地 (chi, 'land'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of uncivilized territory.