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This list covers English language country names with their etymologies. Some of these include notes on indigenous names and their etymologies. Countries in italics no longer exist as sovereign political entities. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

A

 Afghanistan: Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

Main article: Origins of the name Afghanistan

The origin of the word Afghan - which is synonymous with Pashtun - remains uncertain. One explanation derives it from Apakan, an 8th or 9th century Iranian ruler^{[citation needed]}. Others point out a 3rd century Sassanid reference to "Abgan", the oldest known mention of a word variant of "Afghan"^{[citation needed]}. It also appears in the inscriptions of Shapur I of Iran at Naqš-e Rostam which mentions a certain Goundifer Abgan Rismaund^{[citation needed]}. The sixth-century Indian Astronomer Varahamihira, in his Brhat Samhita (11.61; 16.38), refers to Afghans as Avagan. The seventh-century Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsiang refers to a people located to the north of Sulaiman Mountains whom he calls Apokien which obviously alludes to Avagans or Afghans. A modern view supported by numerous noted scholars is that the name Afghan evidently derives from Sanskrit Ashvaka or Ashvakan (q.v.), (Panini's Ashvakayana), the Assakenoi of Arrian. The Ashvakayan/Asvakan are stated to be a sub-section of the Kambojas who specialised in horse-culture.

 Åland (autonomous province of Finland): Afghanistan literally means the land of the Afghans, but the region has had a plethora of other names that have been applied to its general location in the past. ... The Pashtuns (also Pushtun, Pakhtun, ethnic Afghan, or Pathan) are an ethno-linguistic group consisting mainly of eastern Iranian stock living primarily in eastern and southern Afghanistan, and the North West Frontier Province, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Baluchistan provinces of Pakistan. ... The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty (Persian: []) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian Empire (226–651). ... A coin of Shapur I. Shapur I, son of Ardashir I (226–241), was King of Persia from 241 to 272. ... NæqÅ¡-e Rostæm, near Shiraz A rock relief at Naqsh-e Rostam, depicting the triumph of Shapur I over three Roman Emperors Valerian, Gordian III and Philip the Arab. ... Varahamihira (505 – 587) was an Indian astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer born in Ujjain. ... Xuanzang, Dunhuang cave, 9th century. ... sorry guys it is unavailable and happens to be deleted--212. ... Sanskrit ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... The Ashvakas are very ancient people of north-east Afghanistan. ... The Ashvakas are very ancient people of north-east Afghanistan. ... Indian postage stamp depicting (2004), with the implication that he used (IPA ) was an ancient Gandharan grammarian (approximately 5th century BC, but estimates range from the 7th to the 3rd centuries) who is most famous for formulating the 3,959 rules of Sanskrit morphology known as the . ... The Ashvakas are very ancient people of north-east Afghanistan. ... The Ashvakas or Ashvakans are very ancient people of north-east Afghanistan (Nuristan), modern Pakistan, including the Chitral-Valley and north-west India . ... Alexander the Great Lucius Flavius Arrianus Xenophon (c. ... The Kambojas are a very ancient Kshatriya tribe of the north-western parts of the Indian subcontinent and what is now Afghanistan, frequently mentioned in ancient texts, although not in the Rig Veda. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Aaland. ... “Aland” redirects here. ...

"Land [in the] water," from the Germanic root *ahw-, cognate with Latin aqua. The Finnish name Ahvenanmaa is partly borrowed, partly translated from Germanic.

 Albania: Image File history File links Flag_of_Albania. ...

"Alb" from the PIE root meaning "white" or "mountain", as mountains are often white-capped with snow; compare Alps.

• Turkish: Arnavutluk

 Algeria: This article is about the baked good, for other uses see Pie (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Algeria. ...

The name Algeria is derived from the name of the city of Algiers (French Alger), from the Arabic word "الجزائر" (al-jazā’ir), which translates as the islands, referring to the four islands which lay off that city's coast until becoming part of the mainland in 1525; al-jazā’ir is itself short for the older name jazā’ir banī mazghannā, "the islands of (the tribe) Bani Mazghanna", used by early medieval geographers such as al-Idrisi and Yaqut al-Hamawi.

America: This article is about the capital of Algeria. ... Arabic redirects here. ... Al_Idrisis world map from 1154. ... Yaqut (Yaqut ibn-Abdullah al-Hamawi) (1179 - 1229) was an Arab biographer and geographer. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the continents of North America[1] and South America with their associated islands and regions. ...

Believed to derive from the Latinized version of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci's name, Americus Vespucius, in its feminine form, America. Another less-popular theory derives it from the name of Richard Amerike.

See also United States of America below and Naming of America

 American Samoa (territory of the United States of America): For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Amerigo Vespucci (March 9, 1454 - February 22, 1512) was an Italian merchant, explorer and cartographer. ... Richard Amerike (Ameryk or ap Meryk) (c. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the continents of North America[1] and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_American_Samoa. ...

See America above and Samoa, United States of America below.

 Andorra: Image File history File links Flag_of_Andorra. ...

Etymology unknown and contested; of pre-Roman, possibly Iberian or Basque origin. The name Andorra may be derived from al-Darra, the Arabic word for forest. When the Moors invaded Spain, the valleys of the Pyrenees were especially wooded, and the title Andorra can be found linked to villages in other parts of Spain which had been under Moorish domination. Still others claim that it comes from the Spanish andar, meaning "to walk", which gave name to the nomadic tribe of Andorrisoe which ostensibly migrated to the valleys in and around present-day Andorra, or could possibly originate from a Navarrese word andurrial, which translates as "shrub-covered land." An oft-told legend is that the name came from the archaic "Endor", which Louis le Debonnaire christened what he referred to as the "wild valleys of Hell" after defeating the Moors – wild and desolate mountain ranges have been associated with the Devil throughout much European literature.

 Angola: Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... Basque (native name: euskara) is the language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain and the adjoining region of South-Western France. ... For other uses, see moor. ... “Navarra” redirects here. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Angola. ...

From Ngola, a title used by the monarch of the Kingdom of Ndongo. The Portuguese named the area in honour of a Ngola allied with them.

 Anguilla (overseas territory of the United Kingdom): The Ndongo are a Bantu-speaking people inhabiting northern Angola. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Anguilla. ...

From the word for "eel" in any of several Romance languages (Spanish: anguila; French: anguille; Italian: anguilla), due to its elongated shape. The circumstances of the island's European discovery and naming are uncertain: Christopher Columbus (1493) or French explorers (1564) are both possibilities.^[1]

 Antigua and Barbuda: Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and colonialist who is one of the first Europeans to discover the Americas, after the Vikings. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Antigua_and_Barbuda. ...

Christopher Columbus named Antigua in honour of the Santa María La Antigua ("Saint Mary the Old") cathedral in Seville, Spain when he landed there in 1493. "Barbuda" means "bearded" in Portuguese. The islands gained this name after the appearance of the their fig trees, whose long roots resemble beards. Alternatively, it may refer to the beards of the indigenous people.

 Argentina: Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and colonialist who is one of the first Europeans to discover the Americas, after the Vikings. ... For other uses, see Seville (disambiguation). ... 1493 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Species About 800, including: Ficus altissima Ficus americana Ficus aurea Ficus benghalensis- Indian Banyan Ficus benjamina- Weeping Fig Ficus broadwayi Ficus carica- Common Fig Ficus citrifolia Ficus coronata Ficus drupacea Ficus elastica Ficus godeffroyi Ficus grenadensis Ficus hartii Ficus lyrata Ficus macbrideii Ficus macrophylla- Moreton Bay Fig Ficus microcarpa- Chinese... Image File history File links Flag_of_Argentina. ...

From the Latin argentum, meaning "silver". Early Spanish and Portuguese traders used the region's Río de la Plata or "Silver River" to transport silver and other treasures from Peru to the Atlantic. The land around the terminal downstream stations became known as Argentina – "Land of Silver".

See also: Origin and history of the name of Argentina

 Armenia: For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... This article is about the chemical element. ... This page is about the South American estuary. ... This article explains the origin and history of the names given to the South American country Argentina. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Armenia. ...

Main article: Armenia (name)

From Old Persian Armina (6th century BC), Greek Armenia (5th century BC). The further etymology of the Persian name is uncertain, but may be connected to the Assyrian Armânum, Armanî and/or the Biblical Minni. The Old Persian name is an exonym, see Hayk for the native name and Urartu for the Biblical Ararat.

 Aruba (territory of Netherlands): The name Armenia is an exonym, the Armenian language name for the country being Hayk‘ (see Haik for a discussion of that name). ... edit The Mannaeans (or Mannai, Mannae, Biblical Minni מנּי) were an ancient people of unknown origin, who lived in the territory of present-day Iran, around the 10th to 7th centuries BC. At that time they were neighbors of the empires of Assyria and Urartu, as well as other small buffer... For the name of the lake and town in Hayq, Ethiopia, see Lake Hayq. ... Urartu at its greatest extent 743 BC Urartu (Biainili in Urartian) was an ancient kingdom in the mountainous plateau between Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, and Caucasus mountains, later known as the Armenian Highland, and it centered around Lake Van (present-day eastern Turkey). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Aruba. ...

Two possible meanings exist. One story relates how the Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda named the island in 1499 as "Oro Hubo", implying the presence of gold (oro hubo in Spanish means "there was gold"). Another possible derivation cites the Arawak Indian word oibubai, which means "guide".

 Australia: Alonso de Ojeda (c. ... Arowak woman (John Gabriel Stedman) The term Arawak (from aru, the Lokono word for cassava flour), was used to designate the Amerindians encountered by the Spanish in the West Indies. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

Originally from Latin terra australis incognita - "unknown southern land". Early European explorers, sensing that the Australian landmass far exceeded in size what they had already mapped, gave the area a generic descriptive name. The explorer Matthew Flinders (1774 – 1814), the first to sail around and chart the Australian coast, used the term "Australia" in his 1814 publication A Voyage to Terra Australis. Previous Dutch explorers had referred to the continent as Australisch and as "Hollandia Nova" (New Holland). From the introduction in Flinders' book:

"There is no probability, that any other detached body of land, of nearly equal extent, will ever be found in a more southern latitude; the name Terra Australis will, therefore, remain descriptive of the geographical importance of this country, and of its situation on the globe: it has antiquity to recommend it; and, having no reference to either of the two claiming nations, appears to be less objectionable than any other which could have been selected.*"^[2]

...with the accompanying note at the bottom of the page:

"* Had I permitted myself any innovation upon the original term, it would have been to convert it into AUSTRALIA; as being more agreeable to the ear, and an assimilation to the names of the other great portions of the earth."^[3]

 Austria: For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Captain Matthew Flinders RN (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was one of the most accomplished navigators and cartographers of his age. ... Chesma Column in Tsarskoe Selo, commemorating the end of the Russo-Turkish War. ... Year 1814 (MDCCCXIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Map of a part of New Holland made by William Dampier in 1699 New Holland is a historic name for the island continent of Australia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Austria. ...

Compare the modern German Österreich, from Old High German ôstarrîhhi, which literally means "empire in the East." In the 9th century, the territory formed part of the Frankish Empire's eastern limit, and also formed the eastern limit of German settlement bordering on Slavic areas. Under Charlemagne and during the early Middle Ages, the territory had the Latin name marchia orientalis (Eastern March). This translated to Ostarrîchi in the vernacular of the time; that Old High German form first appears in a 996 document.

• Arabic Nimsa: Presumably from the Slavic word nowaday used for Germany, via Turkish.
• Czech Rakousko (country) or Rakousy (Upper and Lower Austria): from Rakous (German: Raabs), an important fortress on the Moravian-Austrian border.
• Finnish Itävalta

 Azerbaijan: As a means of recording the passage of time the 9th century was the century that lasted from 801 to 900. ... The Frankish Empire was the territory of the Franks, from the 5th to the 10th centuries, from 481 ruled by Clovis I of the Merovingian Dynasty, the first king of all the Franks. ... Charlemagne (left) and Pippin the Hunchback. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... This page is about medieval Austria. ... Document in which ostarrichi was first mentioned 996 (red circle) Ostarrîchi is an Old High German name found to the famous Ostarrîchi document of 996, where it refers to the Margraviate ruled by the Babenberg Count Henry I located mostly in what is today Lower Austria. ... Look up Vernacular in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Events March/April - Pope John XV dies before being being able to coronate Otto III, King of Germany as Holy Roman Emperor. ... Arabic redirects here. ... Upper Austria (Ober sterreich) is one of the nine federal states or Bundesl nder of Austria. ... Map of Lower Austria showing districts and the four quarters (Waldviertel in green, Weinviertel in red, Mostviertel in yellow and Industrieviertel in blue) Lower Austria (de: Niederösterreich) is one of the nine states or Bundesländer in Austria. ... Flag of Moravia Moravia (Czech and Slovak: Morava; German: ; Hungarian: ; Polish: ) is a historical region in the east of the Czech RepublicCzechia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Azerbaijan. ...

Native spelling Azərbaycan (from surface fires on ancient oil pools; its ancient name, (Media) Atropatene (in Greek and Latin) or Atrpatakan (in Armenian), actually referring to the present-day Azerbaijan region of Iran. The name became Azerbaijan in Arabic. The Persians knew the territory of the modern republic of Azerbaijan as "Aran"; and in classical times it became "(Caucasian) Albania" and, in part, "(Caucasian) Iberia", although this last term corresponds mostly to the present-day republic of Georgia. (See Georgia below.) The region of Media Atropatene lay further to the south, located south of the River Araxes. "Aran" may derive from the same root as modern "Iran", while "Albania" and "Iberia" appear as toponyms of Caucasus mountain derivation. The name "(Media) Atropatene" comes from Atropates ("fire protector" in Middle Persian) who ruled as the independent Iranian satrap at the time of the Seleucids. The modern ethnonym 'Azerbaijani' has often become the subject of sharp differences of opinion between the ethnically Turkic inhabitants of the modern republic of Azerbaijan and the inhabitants of the Persian-dominated neighboring republic of Iran. Iranians regard the names "Azerbaijan" and "Atropatene" as expressions of historically Persian culture, and therefore often refer to the modern republic of Azerbaijan as "Turkish Azerbaijan", and to its inhabitants as "Azerbaijani Turks". In contrast, Turkophone Azerbaijanis insist on their own place as an historically continuous presence in Azerbaijani history. The suffix -an in Persian means "land".

Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Lubbock, Texas Ignacy Łukasiewicz - creator of the process of refining of kerosene from crude oil. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Arabic redirects here. ... Aras, Araks, Arax, Araxes, or Araz (Persian: ارس, Armenian: Araks, Azerbaijani: Araz), is a river rising in Anatolia in Turkey, flowing along the Turkey-Armenia border, then along the Azerbaijan-Iran border, entering Azerbaijan, and falling into Kura river as a right tributary. ... Farsi redirects here. ... Look up satrap in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Seleucus I Nicator (Nicator, the Victor) (around 358–281 BC) was one of Alexander the Greats generals who, after Alexanders death in 323 BC, founded the Seleucid Empire. ... Farsi redirects here. ...

B

 Bahamas: Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Bahamas. ...

From Spanish Baja Mar – "Low (Shallow) Sea". Spanish conquistadors thus named the islands after the waters around them.

 Bahrain: Image File history File links Flag_of_Bahrain. ...

From Arabic. The exact referents of the "two seas" remain a matter of debate. Bahrain lies in a bay formed by the Arabian mainland and the peninsula of Qatar, and some identify the "two seas" as the waters of the bay on either side of the island. Others believe that the name refers to Bahrain's position as an island in the Persian Gulf, separated by "two seas" from the Arabian coast to the south and Iran to the north. Yet another claim suggests that the first sea surrounds Bahrain and the second "sea" metaphorically represents the abundant natural spring waters under the island itself.

Baker Island (territory of the United States of America): Arabic redirects here. ... Map of the Persian Gulf. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

Named after Michael Baker, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, who claimed to have discovered it in 1832 (subsequent to its actual discovery).

 Bangladesh: Michael Baker can refer to: Michael A. Baker, a NASA astronaut Michael Baker, a Nova Scotia politician This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Nickname: Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Bristol County Settled 1640 Incorporated 1787 Government  - Type Mayor-council  - Mayor Scott W. Lang (Dem)  - City Council President/Ward 6: Leo R. Pimental. ... Year 1832 (MDCCCXXXII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bangladesh. ...

From Bengali/Sanskrit, Bangla referring to the Bengali-speaking people, and Desh meaning "country", hence "Country of the Bengalis". The country previously formed part of colonial British India. Bengali culture spans a wider area than that of the state of Bangladesh: the culture extends into present-day India (in Assam (Boro Peoples), Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal, and Jharkand.

• East Pakistan (former name): the name used when Pakistan comprised both modern-day Pakistan, or "West Pakistan", and modern-day Bangladesh — "East Pakistan". See Pakistan below (note that the name "Pakistan" comes from an acronym of the country's various regions/homelands; Bangladesh or its regions do not feature as part of the acronym.)
• Note; the river Ganga leaves the plains from Hindustan of the Indo-Gangetic Plain of South Asia into Bangladesh forming the Ganges Delta (Bengal Delta) the biggest in the world, also known as the Mouths of the Ganges opening up into the Bay of Bengal near the Sunderbans (National Parks of India), a natural habitat shared by Indo-Banga inhabitants for Indian Wildlife; Home of the Royal Bengal Tiger both the National animal of Bharat and Bangladesh (Independent Bengal).

 Barbados: Bengali or Bangla (IPA: ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit, Pāli and Sanskrit languages. ... Sanskrit ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Bengali or Bangla (IPA: ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit, Pāli and Sanskrit languages. ... Anthem God Save The Queen/King British India, circa 1860 Capital Calcutta (1858-1912), New Delhi (1912-1947) Language(s) Hindi, Urdu, English and many others Government Monarchy Emperor of India  - 1877-1901 Victoria  - 1901-1910 Edward VII  - 1910-1936 George V  - January-December 1936 Edward VIII  - 1936-1947 George... For other uses, see Bengal (disambiguation). ... , Assam (  ) (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a north eastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a suburb of the city Guwahati. ... , Sikkim (Nepali:  , also Sikhim) is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. ... Tripura   (Bengali: ত্রিপুরা, Hindi: त्रिपुरा) is a state in North East India. ... , West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchimbôŋgo) is a state in eastern India. ... Jharkhand (झारखंड) is a state of India. ... East Pakistan was a former province of Pakistan which existed between 1955 and 1971. ... Ganga may refer to: Ganges River, a river in India Ganga, the Hindu goddess that personifies the Ganges River The Gangas, an ancient southern Indian dynasty Ganga (music), a type of rural folk singing from Croatia and Herzegovina Daren Ganga, a West Indian cricketer Ganga, an alternate spelling of ganja... The term Hindustan (Hindi: हिन्दुस्तान [Hindustān], Urdu: [Hindustān], from the (Persian) Hindu + -stān, often formerly rendered Hindoostan) and the adjective Hindustani may relate to various aspects of three geographical areas (see Names of India): The modern Republic of India. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Motto Satyameva Jayate (Sanskrit)  (Devanagari) Truth Alone Triumphs[1] Anthem Jana Gana Mana Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people[2] Vande Mataram I bow to thee, Mother[4] Capital New Delhi Largest city Mumbai Official Languages: Scheduled Languages: Hindi, English Hindi in the Devanagari script is... Ganges River Delta, Bangladesh and India The Ganges Delta (or the Bengal Delta) is a river delta in the South Asia region of Bengal, consisting of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal, India. ... Look up Bay of Bengal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Where the land meets the sea at the southern tip of West Bengal lies the Indian Sunderbans, a stretch of impenetrable mangrove forest of great size and bio-diversity. ... This is a list of all national parks of India. ... Indo may refer to the following ethnic identifications: - Indo (eurasian) , Indo-European or Eurasian is a term used to describe people of mixed European and Indonesian ancestry, in particular, people of Dutch and Indonesian ancestry. ... External links Parts of the Hawaiian canoe Outrigger Canoe FAQ from Kanu Culture Categories: Stub | Boat types ... Now the worlds rarest monkey, the golden langur typifies the precarious survival of much of Indias megafauna. ... Trinomial name Panthera tigris tigris (Linnaeus, 1758) The Bengal Tiger or Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is a subspecies of tiger found through the rainforests and grasslands of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, India and Nepal. ... This is a list of national animals: See also list of national birds Categories: | ... ... For other uses, see Bengal (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Barbados. ...

Named by the Portuguese explorer Pedro A. Campos "Os Barbados" ("The Bearded Ones") in 1536 after the appearance of the island's fig trees, whose long roots resemble beards.

 Belarus: Species About 800, including: Ficus altissima Ficus americana Ficus aurea Ficus benghalensis- Indian Banyan Ficus benjamina- Weeping Fig Ficus broadwayi Ficus carica- Common Fig Ficus citrifolia Ficus coronata Ficus drupacea Ficus elastica Ficus godeffroyi Ficus grenadensis Ficus hartii Ficus lyrata Ficus macbrideii Ficus macrophylla- Moreton Bay Fig Ficus microcarpa- Chinese... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belarus. ...

From Belarusian, meaning "White Rus'", "White Ruthenia". Formerly known as Byelorussia, a transliteration from the Russian name meaning "White Russia". (See Russia below.) The name changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union to emphasize the historic and ongoing separate distinctness of the nations of Belarus and Russia. (See Belarus: Name for more.) The exact original meaning conveyed by the term "Bela" or 'White' remains uncertain. Early cultures commonly employed the concept of "whiteness" as representing the qualities of freedom, purity, or nobility. On the other hand, it may simply have originated as a totem color of convenience. Note that part of the western territory of modern Belarus historically bore the name of "Chernarossija" or 'Black Rus'. The term "Black" most commonly applied to landscapes featuring especially rich and productive soils. How this may reflect on the origin of the term 'White Rus' remains as yet unexplored. Yet another region in present-day western Ukraine historically had the name "Red Russia" or "Red Ruthenia". Note also that colors represented cardinal directions in Mongol and Tatar culture.

 Belgium: The word Rus or Rus (Русь in Cyrillic Alphabet) may refer to: the Rus (people) of disputed origin who were at the roots of the statehood of Eastern Slavic peoples; the territories they ruled, also known by the Latinized name, Ruthenia; Kievan Rus, the most powerful of... Ruthenia is a name applied to parts of Eastern Europe which were populated by Eastern Slavic peoples, as well as to various states that existed in this territory in the past. ... For other uses, see Belarus (disambiguation). ... Black Ruthenia (dark green, north-west). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belgium_(civil). ...

From the name of a Celtic tribe, the Belgae.

The name Belgae may derive from the PIE *bolg meaning "bag" or "womb" and indicating common descent; if so, it likely followed some unknown original adjective.

Another theory suggests that the name Belgae may come from the Proto-Celtic *belo, which means "bright", and which relates to the English word bale (as in "bale-fire"), to the Anglo-Saxon bael, to the Lithuanian baltas, meaning "white" or "shining" (from which the Baltic takes its name) and to Slavic "belo/bilo/bjelo/..." meaning "white" (like town names Beograd, Biograd, Bjelovar, etc all meaning "white city") (see Beltane). Thus the Gaulish god-names Belenos ("Bright one") and Belisama (probably the same divinity, originally from *belo-nos = "our shining one") may also come from the same source.

 Belize: This article is about the European people. ... The Belgae were a group of nations or tribes living in north-eastern Gaul, on the west bank of the Rhine, in the 1st century BC, and later also attested in Britain. ... This article is about the baked good, for other uses see Pie (disambiguation). ... The Proto-Celtic language, also called Common Celtic, is the putative ancestor of all the known Celtic languages. ... Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ... This article is about the Gaelic holiday. ... Gaulish is name given to the now-extinct Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Romans, the Franks and the British Celts invaded. ... In Celtic mythology, Belenus (also Belinus, Belenos, Belinos, Belinu, Bellinus, Belus, Bel) was a deity worshipped in Gaul, Britain and Celtic areas of Austria. ... In Celtic mythology, Belisama (also Belesama, Belisma) was a goddess worshipped in Britain. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belize. ...

Traditionally said to derive from the Spanish pronunciation of "Wallace", the name of the pirate who set up the first settlement in Belize in 1638. Another possibility relates the name to the Maya word belix, meaning "muddy water", applied to the Belize River.

• British Honduras (former name): after the colonial ruler (Britain). For "Honduras" see Honduras below. See also Britain below.

 Benin: Events March 29 - Swedish colonists establish first settlement in Delaware, called New Sweden. ... The Mayan languages are a family of related languages spoken from southeastern Mexico through northern Central America as far south as Honduras. ... Belize River is a 180-mile (290 km) river in Belize that drains more than one-quarter of the country as it winds along the northern edge of the Maya Mountains across the center of the country to the sea near Belize City. ... Flag Capital Belize City Language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy History  - Established 1871  - Disestablished 1981 Area 22,966 km2 8,867 sq mi Currency British Honduran dollar Flag of British Honduras British Honduras was the former name of what is now the independent nation of Belize and was a British... Image File history File links Flag_of_Benin. ...

According to the Wikipedia article "Benin": "The name "Benin" has no proper connection to the Kingdom of Benin (or Benin City). The name Dahomey was changed in 1975 to the People's Republic of Benin, named after the body of water on which the country lies, the Bight of Benin. This name was picked due to its neutrality, since the current political boundaries of Benin encompass over fifty distinct linguistic groups and nearly as many individual ethnic groups."

• The name Dahomey was the name of the ancient Fon Kingdom, and was determined to be an inappropriate name as it was the name of the principal ethnic group of the country.

 Bermuda (overseas territory of the United Kingdom): Dahomey was a kingdom in Africa, situated in what is now the nation of Benin. ... Fon is a major West African ethnic and linguistic group in the country of Benin or Dahomey, and southwest Nigeria, made up of more than 2,000,000 people. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bermuda. ...

From the name of the Spanish sea captain Juan de Bermúdez who sighted the islands in 1503.

 Bhutan: Juan de Bermúdez (ber-moo-deth, -des) was a Spanish navigator of the 16th century. ... Year 1503 (MDIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bhutan. ...

The ethnic Tibetans or Bhotia migrated from Tibet to Bhutan in the 10th century. The root Bod expresses an ancient name for Tibet. Bhutanese language: Druk Yul - "land of the thunder dragon", "land of thunder", or "land of the dragon". From the violent thunder storms that come from the Himalayas.

 Bolivia: This article is about historical/cultural Tibet. ... This article is about historical/cultural Tibet. ... Dzongkha is the national language of the Kingdom of Bhutan. ... For the movie Himalaya, see Himalaya (film). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bolivia. ...

Named after Simón Bolívar (1783-1830), an anti-Spanish militant and first president of Bolivia the country after gained its independence in 1825. His surname comes from La Puebla de Bolibar, a village in Biscay, Spain. The etymology of Bolibar may be bolu- (mill) + -ibar (river). Thus, it ultimately may mean a mill on a river.

 Bosnia and Herzegovina: This article is about the South American independence leader. ... Biscay (Basque Bizkaia, Spanish: Vizcaya) is a province of northern Spain, in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina. ...

The country consists of two distinct regions: the larger northern section, Bosnia, represents the name of the Bosna river. The smaller southern territory, Herzegovina takes its name from the German noble title Herzog, meaning "Duke". Frederick IV, King of the Romans, made the territory's ruler, the Grand Vojvoda Stjepan Vukcic, a duke in 1448.

 Botswana: This article is about a geographic region of Bosnia. ... The Bosna is the third longest river in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is considered one of the countrys three major internal rivers, along with the Neretva and Vrbas. ... This article is about the geographic area of Herzegovina. ... Emperor Frederick III Frederick III of Habsburg (Innsbruck, September 21, 1415 – August 19, 1493 in Linz) was elected as German King as the successor of Albert II in 1440. ... Events January 5/ 6 - Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden dies with no designated heir leaving all three kingdoms with vacant thrones. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Botswana. ...

Named after the country's largest ethnic group, the Tswana.

• Bechuanaland (former name): derived from Bechuana, an alternative spelling of "Botswana".

Bouvet Island (territory of Norway): Tswana (Motswana, plural Batswana) is the name of a Southern African people. ... The Bechuanaland Protectorate (BP) was a protectorate established in 1885 by Britain in the area of what is now Botswana. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Norway. ...

Named after the French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier who discovered the remote island in 1739.

 Brazil: Jean Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier (January 14, 1705 - 1786) was a French sailor, explorer, and governor of the Mascarene Islands. ... // About the number 1739 1739 is the smallest integer that can be written as sum of three perfect cubes, in two ways. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Brazil. ...

Named after the brazilwood tree, called pau-brasil in Portuguese and so-named because its reddish wood resembled the color of red-hot embers (brasa in Portuguese), and because it was recognized as an excellent source of red dye. In Tupi it is called "ibirapitanga", which means literally 'red wood'. The wood of the tree was used to color clothes and fabrics.

Another theory stands that the name of the country is related to the Irish myth of Hy-Brazil, a phantom island similar to St. Brendan's Island, situated southwest of Ireland. The legend was so strong that during the 15th century many expeditions tried to find it, the most important being John Cabot. As the Brazilian lands were reached by Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500 A.D., the Irish myth would have influenced the late name given to the country (after "Island of Real Cross" and "Land of Holy Cross"). The proof that the legend was popular among Iberic people may be verified by the name of the Azorean Terceira Island, registered in the 14th century in the Atlas Catalan and around 1436 on the Venetian map of Andrea Bianco.

See also list of Brazil state name etymologies

Britain: Brazilwood is a common name for several trees of the family Leguminosae (Pulse family) whose wood yields a red dye called brazilein. ... Brazilwood is a common name for several trees of the family Leguminosae (Pulse family) whose wood yields a red dye called brazilin, which oxidizes to brazilein. ... Old Tupi is an extinct Tupian language which was spoken by the native Tupi people of Brazil, mostly those who lived close to the sea. ... Brazil, also known as Hy-Brazil or several other variants, is a phantom island which features in many Irish Celtic myths. ... Phantom islands are islands that are believed to exist and appear on maps for a period of time (sometimes centuries), and then are removed after they are proven not to exist (or the general population stops believing that they exist). ... Situated somewhere west of Europe, St. ... John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto; fl. ... Pedro Álvares (about 1467 – about 1520), pron. ... Terceira Island (pron. ... The Bianco map (1436). ... Most of Brazilian state names are based on native indigenous (often Tupi-Guarani) placenames, while others were given by Portuguese and other European colonists. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ...

From Pretani, "painted ones"^{[citation needed]}; perhaps a reference to the use of body-paint and tattoos by early inhabitants of the islands; may also derive from the Celtic goddess Brigid ^{[citation needed]}. The form 'Britain' (see also Welsh Prydain) comes from Latin 'Britannia', probably via French. The former name of the island of Britain was Albion, an ancient Greek adaptation of a Celtic name which may survive as the Gaelic name of Scotland, Alba. Traditionally, a folk etymology derived the name from "Brutus", but this is almost certainly not the case. Brittany derives from the same root.

See also United Kingdom below.

 British Indian Ocean Territory (overseas territory of the United Kingdom): The Cruithne or Cruthin were a historical people known to have lived in the British Isles during the Iron Age. ... In Irish mythology as it is presently constituted, Brigit or Brighit (exalted one) was the daughter of the Dagda (and therefore one of the Tuatha Dé Danann) and wife of Bres of the Fomorians. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... This article is about the country. ... This article is about a name for Scotland. ... Historical province of Brittany, showing the main areas with their name in Breton language The traditional flag of Brittany (the Gwenn-ha-du), formerly a Breton nationalist symbol but today used as a general civic flag in the region. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_british_indian_ocean_territory. ...

Presumably named for being the sole British possession located within the Indian Ocean.

 British Virgin Islands (overseas territory of the United Kingdom): Image File history File links Flag_of_the_British_Virgin_Islands. ...

Christopher Columbus, on discovering a seemingly endless number of islands in the nort-east Caribbean in 1493, named them after Saint Ursula and the 11,000 virgins.

 Brunei: Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and colonialist who is one of the first Europeans to discover the Americas, after the Vikings. ... 1493 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Saint Ursula on the coat-of-arms of British Virgin Islands Ursula (small female bear in Latin) is a British Christian saint. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Brunei. ...

In its full name "Negara Brunei Darussalam", "Darussalam" means "Abode of Peace" in Arabic, while "Negara" means "State" in Malay. "Negara" derives from the Sanskrit "Nagara", meaning "city."

 Bulgaria: Arabic redirects here. ... Sanskrit ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bulgaria. ...

Named after the Bulgars. Their tribal name, Bulgar may come from burg, which means "castle" in Germanic languages. A. D. Keramopoulos derives the name "Bulgars" from burgarii or bourgarioi meaning "those who maintain the forts" (burgi, bourgoi, purgoi) along the northern boundaries of the Balkan provinces, and elsewhere in the Roman Empire, first mentioned in Greek in an inscription dated A.D. 202, found between Philippopolis and Tatar Pazardzhik (and last published in Wilhelm Dittenberger's Sylloge inscriptionum graecarum, 3 ed., vol. II [1917], no. 880,1. 51, p. 593). The Bulgarians, previously known as Moesians, inhabited Thrace.

• An alternative Turkic etymology for the name of the pre-Slavicised Central-Asian Bulgars derives from Bulgha meaning sable and has a totemistic origin.
• Some associate the name Bulgar with the River Volga in present-day Russia: Bulgars lived in that region before and/or after the migration to the Balkans: see Volga Bulgaria.

 Burkina Faso: Not to be confused with Bulgarians. ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Plovdiv (Bulgarian: ) is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, with a population of 343,662. ... Pazardzhik (Bulgarian: , also spelled as Pazardjik or Pazarjik) is a town situated along the banks of the Maritsa river in Bulgaria. ... Moesia (Greek: , Moisia; Bulgarian: Мизия, Miziya; Serbian: Мезија, Mezija) is an ancient province situated in the areas of modern Serbia and Bulgaria. ... Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak  Thrace (Bulgarian: , Greek: , Attic Greek: ThrāíkÄ“ or ThrēíkÄ“, Latin: , Turkish: ) is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. ... The Turkic languages constitute a language family of some thirty languages, spoken across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are traditionally considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family. ... Binomial name Martes zibellina Linnaeus, 1758 The Sable (Martes zibellina) is a small mammal, closely akin to the martens, living in southern Russia near the Ural Mountains through Siberia and Mongolia to Hokkaidō in Japan. ... Totemism (derived from the root -oode in the Ojibwe language, which referred to something kinship-related) is a religious belief that is frequently associated with shamanistic religions. ... For other meanings of the word Volga see Volga (disambiguation) Волга Length 3,690 km Elevation of the source 225 m Average discharge  ? m³/s Area watershed 1. ... The Little Minaret in Bolghar For other uses, see Bulgaria (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Burkina_Faso. ...

From local languages, meaning "land of upright people", "land of honest men" or "land of the incorruptible". President Thomas Sankara, who took power in a coup in 1983, changed the name from "Upper Volta" in 1984. The two parts of the name come from two of the country's main languages: Moré (Burkina) and Dioula (Faso).

• Upper Volta (former name): after the Volta's two main tributary rivers, both originating in Burkina Faso.

 Burma: Thomas Sankara Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara (born December 21, 1949 in Yako – died October 15, 1987 in Ouagadougou) was the leader of Burkina Faso (formerly known as Upper Volta) from 1983 to 1987. ... More language is a language spoken primarily in Burkina Faso. ... Dioula (Jula) is a language spoken in Burkina Faso and Côte dIvoire. ... Map showing the Volta river in Upper Volta Upper Volta (French: ) was the name of the African country now called Burkina Faso. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Myanmar. ...

see Myanmar below.

 Burundi: Image File history File links Flag_of_Burundi. ...

From a local name meaning "land of the Kirundi-speakers."

Introduction Kirundi (also written Rundi) is a Bantu language (D62 in Guthries classification) spoken by some 6 million people in Burundi and adjacent parts of Tanzania and Congo-Kinshasa, as well as in Uganda. ...

C

 Cambodia: Image File history File links Flag_of_Cambodia. ...

The name "Cambodia" derives from that of the ancient Khmer kingdom of Kambuja (Kambujadesa). The ancient Sanskrit name Kambuja or Kamboja referred to an early Indo-Iranian tribe, the Kambojas, named after the founder of that tribe, Kambu Svayambhuva, apparently a variant of Cambyses, Kambujiya or Kamboja. See Etymology of Kamboja.

• Kampuchea (local name): derived in the same fashion. It also served as the official English-language name from 1975 to 1989.

 Cameroon: The Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 13. ... For the documentary series, see Monarchy (TV series). ... Look up Kambuja in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Sanskrit ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... http://www. ... The Kambojas are a very ancient Kshatriya tribe of the north-western parts of the Indian subcontinent and what is now Afghanistan, frequently mentioned in ancient texts, although not in the Rig Veda. ... Kambu Swayambhuva was a Hindu sage prince of Kamboja lineage who finds mention along with sage Agastya, Kaundinya Swayambhuva, king Rajendra Chola, king Ashoka Maurya and king Pushyamitra Shunga in Shloka-22 in Ekamata Stotra. ... Cambyses (or Cambese) is the Greek version of the name of several monarchs of Achaemenid line of ancient Persia. ... Cambyses II (Persian Kambujiya (کمبوجیه), d. ... Kamboja (Sanskrit: कम्बोज) was the ancient name of a Hindu country, and the Indo-Iranian Kshatriya tribe, the Kambojas, settled therein. ... Kamboja (or Kambuja) is the name of an ancient Indo-Iranian tribe of Indo-European family, believed to be located originally in Pamirs and Badakshan in Central Asia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cameroon. ...

From Portuguese Rio de Camarões ("River of Shrimps"), the name given to the Wouri River by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century.

 Canada: The estuary of the Wouri River The Wouri (also Vouri or Vuri) is a river in Cameroon. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

From the word Kanata meaning "village" or "settlement" in the Saint-Lawrence Iroquoian language spoken by the inhabitants of Stadacona and the neighbouring region in the 16th century, near present-day Quebec City; see Canada's name. Also see Canadian provincial name etymologies

 Cape Verde: Territory occupied by the St. ... Motto: Don de Dieu feray valoir (Gift of God shall make prosper) Area: 547. ... Nickname: Motto: Don de Dieu feray valoir (I shall put Gods gift to good use; the Don de Dieu was Champlains ship) Coordinates: , Country Province Agglomeration Quebec City Statute of the city Capitale-Nationale Administrative Region Capitale-Nationale Founded 1608 by Samuel de Champlain Constitution date 1833 Government... Detail from the current Canadian $20 bank note, issued in 2004. ... This page lists the etymologies of the names of the Provinces and territories of Canada. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cape_Verde. ...

Named after Cap-Vert a cape in Western Africa. From Portuguese Cabo Verde, "Green cape".

Caroline Islands The peninsula of Cap-Vert (Cape Verde, meaning green point) is the westernmost part of the continent of Africa. ... Bay redirects here. ... Sunset at Colonia on Yap The Caroline Islands form a large archipelago of widely scattered islands in the western Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Guinea. ...

Named after Charles II, who reigned as king of Spain from 1665 to 1700.

See "Micronesia" and "Palau" below

 Catalonia: Charles II of Spain. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Catalonia. ... This article is about the Spanish autonomous community. ...

Catalunya in Catalan. The origin is unclear and there are a lot of hypotheses. Perhaps from the word meaning "land of castles" (see Castile for a similar origin). According to another but somewhat similar theory (Lafont 1986), Catalunya could come from Arabic Qalat-uniyya (Qalat means "castle" and -uniyya is a collective suffix) because medieval Catalonha used to be a frontier country whith a lot of castles in front of the Muslim and Arabized zone of the Iberic peninsula. Some texts suggest that the name Catalunya derives from "Gauta-landia": Land of the Goths, or "Goth-Alania" meaning "Land of the Goths and Alans" through Arabian *Cotelanuyya [cf. Andalusia, land of the Vandals], as the Visigoths and Alans invaded and divided Iberia between themselves, agreeing to rule some parts together, with the region of Catalunya going to the Visigoths. Additionally, the Visigothic kingdom of Catalonia may have been named after the original homeland of the Visigoths, "Gotland". Coromines suggests an Iberian origin: Laietani (latinization of Iberian laiezken) > *laketani > laketans > metathesized as catelans > catalans, reforced by castellani (with an epenthetic s according to Coromines). Another theory suggests *kaste-lan as the Iberian name later latinized as castellani (an Iberian tribe in northern Catalonia according to Ptolemy); then the name would have evolved into *catellani > *catelans > *catalans.