backwater

(băkˈwôˌtər, -wŏtˌər)

1. a. Water held or pushed back by or as if by a dam or current.
   b. A body of water thus formed.
2. A place or situation regarded as isolated, stagnant, or backward: “The running of family fortunes has always been a backwater—albeit a lucrative one—of the investment management business” (Business Week).
3. A rowing or paddling stroke in which the oar or paddle is pushed forward, used to check a boat's forward motion or move it backward.