Afganistan (Country) Russian, Polish, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Bulgarian, Finnish, Estonian, Icelandic, Greek, IndonesianForm of
Afghanistan in several languages.
Afghanistan (Country) Pashto, Arabic, Urdu, Indian, Hindi, English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, MalayFrom Pashto
افغانستان (Afghanistan), from the Persian ethnic name
افغان (Afghan) meaning "Afghan, Pashtun" combined with the Persian suffix
ستان (stan) meaning "land of". This is the name of a country in central Asia.
Afrika (Region) German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Russian, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, BulgarianForm of
Africa in several languages.
Algiers (Settlement) English, DutchFrom Arabic
الجزائر (al-Jaza'ir) meaning
"the islands". This is the name of the capital city of
Algeria, so named because of the islands in its bay.
America (Region & Country) English, Italian, Romanian, Late RomanFrom the name of the explorer
Amerigo Vespucci (1451-1512). This is the name of two continents (North and South America). As well, it is commonly used to refer to the United States of America.
Amerika (Region & Country) German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Luxembourgish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Hungarian, Hebrew, Albanian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Georgian, Kazakh, Uzbek, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Indonesian, Malay, JapaneseForm of
America, used to refer to the continents and sometimes to the United States of America.
Ameryka (Region & Country) Polish, UkrainianPolish and Ukrainian form of
America, used to refer to the continents and the United States of America.
Amrika (Region & Country) Arabic, PersianArabic and Persian form of
America, used to refer to the continents and the United States of America.
Amsterdam (Settlement) Dutch, English, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, French, Italian, Spanish, PolishMeans
"dam on the Amstel" in Dutch. This is the name of the capital city of the Netherlands, first mentioned with this name in the 13th century.
Angel (Region) DanishPossibly derived from Germanic roots meaning
"narrow, tight, tapering" or
"hook". This is the name of a peninsula in northern Germany near Denmark, the original home of the Germanic tribe the Angles.
Angola (Country) Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Turkish, Georgian, Armenian, Indonesian, MalayPortuguese form of
Ngola, the royal title of the kings of Ndongo, an African kingdom that was conquered by the Portuguese in the 17th-century. It was a Portuguese colony until 1975, when it became an independent country.
Antwerp (Settlement) EnglishFrom Dutch
Antwerpen, meaning uncertain, perhaps from Dutch
werf meaning
"wharf". This is the name of a city in Belgium.
Antwerpen (Settlement) Dutch, German, Luxembourgish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Hungarian, Slovene, Croatian, BosnianDutch form of
Antwerp, as well as the form in several other languages.
Arabia (Region) Ancient Greek, Ancient Roman, English, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Norwegian, Finnish, PolishFrom Greek
Ἀραβία (Arabia), derived from Arabic
عرب ('arab) meaning "Arabs, Arabian people". This is the name of a large peninsula in the Middle East, also called the Arabian Peninsula.
Ararat (Mountain) Armenian, Biblical, Biblical HebrewFrom the name of the ancient kingdom of Urartu. This is the name of a mountain in Turkey (formerly part of Armenia), the place where
Noah's Ark came to rest according to the Old Testament. It is usually called
Մասիս (Masis) in Armenian.
Argentina (Country) Spanish, English, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Lithuanian, Hebrew, Georgian, Azerbaijani, Indonesian, MalayFrom Latin
argentinus meaning
"silvery", a derivative of
argentum meaning "silver". This is the name of a country in South America, arising from a Latinized form of Spanish
Río de la Plata meaning "river of silver".
Arimathea (Settlement) BiblicalFrom Greek
Ἁριμαθαία (Harimathaia), of unknown meaning. In the New Testament this is the home town of Joseph of Arimathea. The town has not been positively identified, though
רָמָתַיִם (Ramatayim) or
רָמָה (Ramah) near Jerusalem has been proposed.
Armenia (Country) English, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Polish, Greek, Norwegian, Finnish, Indonesian, Malay, Ancient Roman, Ancient GreekFrom Greek
Ἀρμενία (Armenia), which was from Old Persian
Armina, which is itself probably of Armenian origin. This is the name of a country in the Caucasus region, called
Hayastan in Armenian.
Ashur (Settlement & Region) English, Arabic, Persian, AkkadianFrom Akkadian
𒀸𒋩 (Assur), meaning unknown. This was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire, supposedly named for the god
Ashur, though the god was in fact probably named for the city. The empire, Assyria, was also named for it. The city was destroyed in the 14th century by the forces of Tamerlane.
... [more] Asia (Region) English, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Greek, Norwegian, Indonesian, Malay, Ancient Roman, Ancient GreekPerhaps derived from Akkadian
asu, meaning
"east". This is the name of the world's largest continent.
Assisi (Settlement) Italian, English, GermanFrom Latin
Asisium, which is of unknown, possibly pre-Latin, origin. This is the name of a city in central Italy.
Athens (Settlement) EnglishFrom Ancient Greek
Ἀθήναι (Athenai), meaning unknown, probably from a pre-Greek language. The Greek goddess
Athena was probably named for the city, not vice versa. Athens is a city in eastern Greece, emerging as a powerful city-state in the classical period. It has been the capital of the modern country of Greece since 1834.
Atlantic (Body of Water) EnglishFrom Greek
Ἀτλαντικός (Atlantikos), derived from the name of the mythical island of
Atlantis. Greek writers used this name to refer to the waters beyond the Pillars of Hercules (the Strait of Gibraltar).
Babylon (Settlement) English, German, Dutch, Biblical, Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, Ancient Greek, Biblical GreekGreek form of Akkadian
𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (Babili), which appears to mean
"gateway of God", from Akkadian
𒆍 (babu) meaning "gate" and
𒀭 (ilu) meaning "God", though it may in fact derive from a non-Semitic language. This was the name of a major city in ancient Mesopotamia, the capital of the Babylonian Empire. It was located in present-day Iraq.
Baggio (Settlement) ItalianFrom Latin
Badalocum meaning
"watch place". This is the name of an Italian town, now a district of Milan.
Bahrain (Country & Island) Arabic, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Romanian, Catalan, Indonesian, Malay, Filipino, TagalogMeans
"two seas" in Arabic, derived from
بحر (bahr) meaning "sea" combined with the dual suffix
ين (ayn). This is the name of a small island country in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article:
البحرين (al-Bahrayn).
Banff (Settlement) Scottish, EnglishPossibly from Gaelic
banbh meaning
"young pig". This is the name of a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is also the name of a town and national park in Alberta, Canada.
Bangladesh (Country) Bengali, Indian, Assamese, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Mongolian, Armenian, Hebrew, Persian, Indonesian, MalayFrom Bengali
বাংলাদেশ (Bangladesh) meaning
"country of the Bengali people", from the name of the Bengali people
বাংলা (Bangla) combined with
দেশ (desh) "country, state". The ethnic name is derived from that of the ancient kingdom of
Vanga. This is the name of a country in south Asia.
Batra (Settlement) ArabicArabic form of
Petra. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article:
البتراء (al-Batra).
Bavaria (Political Subdivision) English, Late RomanFrom Late Latin
Baiovarii, the name of a Germanic tribe, named after an earlier Gaulish tribe the
Boii. This is the name of a state in Germany (called
Bayern in German).
Begoña (Settlement) Basque, SpanishPossibly from Basque meaning
"lower foot". This is the name of a district (formerly a separate town) of Bilbao, Spain.
Belize (Country & River) English, Italian, Portuguese, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Turkish, Indonesian, MalayFrom Spanish
Belice, earlier
Balis, from the name of the Belize River, which may itself be from Mayan
beliz meaning
"muddy water". This is the name of a country on the Atlantic coast of Central America.
Bengal (Region & Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom Persian
بنگاله (Bangaleh), probably from the name of the ancient kingdom of
Vanga. This is a region in south Asia, now divided between the country of
Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.
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, MalayFrom 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).
Bergamo (Settlement) Italian, EnglishFrom Latin
Bergomum, possibly from a Celtic word meaning
"mountain". This is the name of a city in northern Italy.
Bethany (Settlement) BiblicalFrom Greek
Βηθανία (Bethania), which is of uncertain meaning. The first part of the name is derived from Hebrew/Aramaic
בַּיִת (bayit) meaning "house". Suggestions for the second part of the name include
עָנָה ('anah) leading to
"house of affliction" or
תְּאֵנָה (te'enah) leading to
"house of figs". In the New Testament the town of Bethany is the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha.
Bethel (Settlement) BiblicalMeans
"house of God" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is a town north of Jerusalem, where
Jacob saw his vision of the stairway.
Bethlehem (Settlement) English, German, Dutch, BiblicalMeans
"house of bread" in Hebrew, from the roots
בַּיִת (bayit) meaning "house" and
לֶחֶם (lechem) meaning "bread". This is the name of a city in Palestine. It appears in the both the Old Testament and the New Testament, notably as the town where
Jesus is born.
Bohemia (Region) English, Spanish, Late RomanFrom Latin
Boiohaemum, from the name of the Gaulish tribe the
Boii combined with Old German
heim "home". This is the name of a historical region within the Czech Republic. The region is called
Čechy in Czech, while the country is called
Česko.
Bologna (Settlement) Italian, English, GermanFrom Latin
Bononia, possibly derived from a Celtic word meaning
"settlement". This is the name of a city in northern Italy.
Botsvana (Country) Russian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Icelandic, Bulgarian, Albanian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Armenian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, MongolianForm of
Botswana in several languages.
Botswana (Country) Southern African, Tswana, English, Shona, German, French, Italian, Catalan, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, RomanianMeans
"place of the Tswana people" in the Tswana language, from the locative prefix
bo- combined with the name of Tswana people, itself of uncertain origin, possibly from
tswa "to go out" or
tshwana "to resemble". This is the name of a country in southern Africa. During the British colonial period the region was called
Bechuanaland, which was more accurately rendered as
Botswana when the country achieved independence in 1966.
Brazil (Country) English, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, MalayFrom 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, GeorgianRomanian and Georgian form of
Brazil. This is also the Georgian name for Brazil's capital city
Brasília.
Bretagne (Region & Island) French, German, DutchFrench form of
Britannia (see
Britain). In French this typically refers to the region known as Brittany in France, while Great Britain is called
Grande-Bretagne.
Britain (Island) EnglishFrom
Britannia, the Latin name for the island of Great Britain, the land of the Britons. It derives from the name of the Britons, recorded in Greek in the 4th century BC as
Πρεττανική (Prettanike), and reconstructed as Proto-Brythonic *
Pritanī, possibly meaning "tattooed people".
Brunei (Country) Malay, Indonesian, English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Albanian, Georgian, Turkish, Indian, Filipino, Hindi, TagalogPossibly from Sanskrit
वरुण, the Hindu god
Varuna or figuratively meaning
"water, ocean". However, according to tradition,
Brunei was from the Malay phrase
baru nah meaning "there!" or "that's it!", which was supposedly declared by Brunei's first sultan Muhammad Shah when he discovered it in the 14th century.
... [more] Čad (Body of Water & Country) Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Macedonian, SloveneCzech, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Macedonian and Slovene form of Arabic
تشاد (see
Chad).
Caiazzo (Settlement) ItalianFrom Latin
Caiatia, a derivative of the given name
Caius. This is the name of a city near Naples.
Cairo (Settlement) EnglishFrom Arabic
القاهرة (al-Qahirah) meaning
"the victorious", in honour of the conquering Fatimid caliph al-Mu'izz li Din Allah (932-975). This is the name of the capital city of Egypt.
Caivano (Settlement) ItalianFrom Latin
Calvianum, a derivative of the cognomen
Calvus. This is the name of a city near Naples.
California (Political Subdivision & Island) English, Spanish, Italian, LiteratureFrom the name of a fictional utopian island populated only by women in the 16th-century novel
The Adventures of Esplandián by the Spanish author Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. The name comes from the island's queen, Calafia, itself probably derived from Arabic
خليفة (khalifah), an Islamic title meaning "successor". This is the name of an American state as well as two states of Mexico (Baja California and Baja California Sur).
Canaan (Region) English, French, BiblicalFrom Hebrew
כְּנַעַן (Kena'an), possibly from a root meaning
"low, humble". This was the name of an ancient region, the home of the biblical Canaanites, in what is now Palestine and Israel.