Benin(Settlement, Body of Water & Country)English, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Romanian, Indonesian, Malay From Portuguese Benim, derived from Itsekiri Ubinu, the name of the capital city of the historical Benin Kingdom (present-day Benin City in Nigeria). Allegedly it was initially named Ile-Ibinu meaning "land of anger" because of disputes between different factions. The Bight of Benin (a large bay) was named after the Benin Kingdom, and the modern country of Benin, west of Nigeria, was named after the bay in 1975 (formerly named Dahomey).
Brazil(Country)English, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Malay From the name of a type of tree, called pau-brasil in Portuguese (brazilwood in English). It may ultimately derive from Portuguese brasa meaning "ember". This is the name of a country in South America.
Brazilia(Country & Settlement)Romanian, Georgian Romanian and Georgian form of Brazil. This is also the Georgian name for Brazil's capital city Brasília.
Cameroon(Country)English From the name the Portuguese gave to the Wouri River, Camarões, meaning "shrimp, prawns". It was later applied to the area, becoming Kamerun when it was a German colony. This is the name of a country in central Africa.
Chaves(Settlement)Portuguese, Spanish From the Roman name Flavius. This is the name of a Portuguese city, which was originally named for the Roman emperor Vespasian, whose family name was Flavius.
Fátima(Settlement)Portuguese Derived from the Arabic feminine name Fatima, apparently after a Moorish princess who converted to Christianity during the Reconquista. This is the name of a town in Portugal, which became an important Christian pilgrimage center after 1917 when three local children reported witnessing repeated apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
Guinea(Region, Country & Island)English, Italian, Spanish, German From Portuguese Guiné, which is of unknown meaning, possibly of Berber origin. This name was used by the Portuguese to refer to a portion of West Africa. It was also applied by westerners to the island of New Guinea starting in the 16th century. It is now the name or part of the full name of the countries of Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and Papua New Guinea.
Miranda(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Spanish, Portuguese Possibly a derivative of Latin mirandus "admirable, wonderful". This is the name of several towns in Spain, Portugal and the Americas. It is also the name of a Venezuelan state.
Mozambique(Island & Country)English, French, Spanish, Dutch, Danish From the name of an island off the southeastern coast of Africa, named Moçambique by the Portuguese after the 15th-century local sultan موسى بن بيك (Mūsā bin Bīk). This island became the region's Portuguese colonial capital in the 16th century, and the name was eventually applied to a large area of mainland Africa. Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in 1974.
Santana(Settlement)Portuguese The name of several places in the Portuguese-speaking world, in honour of Saint Anna.
Santiago(Settlement)Spanish, Portuguese This is the name of several cities in Spain and Portugal, so named for Saint James (see the given name Santiago for more information). It is also used for many other cities in the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking worlds, notably the capital city of Chile.
Sousa(River)Portuguese Possibly derived from Latin salsus"salty" or saxa"rocks", but likely of pre-Latin origin. This is the name of a river in Portugal.
Zaire(River & Country)Portuguese, English Older name of the Congo River, said to be derived via Portuguese from Kikongo nzadi o nzere meaning "river swallowing rivers". This was also the former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.