Chad(Body of Water & Country)English, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Indonesian, Malay From Arabic تشاد (Tshād), derived from a Kanuri word meaning "lake, large expanse of water". This is the name of a lake in central Africa, as well as the country that is named after it. The lake also borders Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon.
Comoros(Country)English From French Comores, derived from Arabic qamar meaning "moon". This is the name of an island country off the eastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean.
Cyprus(Island & Country)English, Dutch From Greek Κύπρος (Kypros), which may get its name from the cypress tree (Greek κυπάρισσος). This is the name of an island country in the eastern Mediterranean. Although considered one nation by most other countries, the northern part of the island is occupied by Turkish forces and claims independence.
Egypt(Country)English From Latin Aegyptus, itself from Greek Αἴγυπτος (Aigyptos), which was probably derived from Egyptian ḥwt-kꜣ-ptḥ, the name of the temple to the god Ptah in Memphis, meaning "the house of the soul of Ptah". Descendants of the Latin name are used in most European languages to refer to the ancient kingdom and modern country of Egypt. However, the name the ancient Egyptians used to refer to the Nile Valley was Kemet, and the Arabic speakers of modern Egypt call it Masr.
Iraq(Country)Arabic, English, Italian, Catalan, Malay From Arabic العراق (al-ʿIrāq), probably derived from the name of the ancient Sumerian/Akkadian city of Uruk. This is the name of a country in the Middle East.
Jordan(River & Country)English, Danish, Norwegian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, German, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Slovene, Biblical River that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is יַרְדֵן (Yarḏen), and it is derived from יָרַד (yaraḏ) meaning "descend, flow down". The river has lent its name to the country to the east (in German, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish and Slovene this is only the name of the river, with the name of the country taking a different form).
Libya(Country & Region)Berber, English, Norwegian, Finnish, Turkish, Hausa, Swahili, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog, Ancient Roman From Λιβύη (Libye), the Ancient Greek name for North Africa. It was derived from the Berber tribe of the Libu, attested as rbw in Ancient Egyptian. This name was revived in 1934 when the Italian colonies of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica were merged, carrying forward when the country gained independence in 1951. It is called ليبيا (Lībiyā) in Arabic.
Morocco(Country)English The name of a country in North Africa, named after the city Marrakesh. In Arabic the country is named al-Maghrib (see Maghrib).
Palestine(Country & Region)English, French From Latin Palaestina, derived from Greek Παλαιστίνη (Palaistine), from a Semitic source such as Hebrew פְּלֶשֶׁת (Pelesheṯ) meaning "land of the Philistines". This is the name of a historical region between the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. In modern times it is the name of a partially recognized country located in a portion of the region (the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with the remainder being the country of Israel).
Saudi Arabia(Country)English From the family name Al Su'ud combined with Arabia, referring to the Arabian Peninsula. This is a kingdom in the Middle East on the Arabian Peninsula. It was named by its founder Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud in 1932.
Syria(Country & Region)English, Polish, Norwegian, Greek, Ancient Roman, Ancient Greek From Greek Συρία (Syria), which was probably a variant of Assyria, used in an expanded sense to refer to the northern Levant. This was the name of a province of the Roman Empire. It is now the name of a country in western Asia, having gained independence from the Ottoman Empire early in the 20th century.