The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word HEARTLAND
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
H
E
A
R
T
L
A
N
D
More clues leading to the result HEARTLAND
- Catch tense boy round north in important region
- Catch tense boy touring Norway
- Vitally important area later developed in consequence of deal?
- Catch tense boy round new central zone
- Tried to capture the high points of Tripoli – Libya’s an important region
- Scorched earth, lynched leader and had central region
- Earth shattering win for Madhya Pradesh perhaps
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "important region" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case important region = heartland.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does HEARTLAND mean?
HEARTLAND noun- The central part of a region defined by geographical or non-geographical criteria, such as support for a political party, faith or similar.
- The part of a region considered essential to the viability and survival of the whole.