ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Mainland

Okay, imagine a really big place that's surrounded by water on almost all sides. That's called an island. But imagine there's even more big land beyond that water, that's not surrounded by water on all sides. That big land that's not an island is called the mainland. It's where most people live and do things like go to school, work, and buy groceries. It's like the big, important place that's connected to the islands.