Catalan Place Names

Catalan names are used in Catalonia in eastern Spain, as well as in other Catalan-speaking areas including Valencia, the Balearic Islands, and Andorra.
type
usage
Àfrica (Region) Catalan
Catalan form of Africa.
Amèrica (Region) Catalan
Catalan form of America, used to refer to the continents.
Antàrtida (Region) Catalan
Catalan form of Antarctica.
Àsia (Region) Catalan
Catalan form of Asia.
Àustria (Country) Catalan
Catalan form of Austria.
Bahrain (Country & Island) Arabic, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Romanian, Catalan, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog
Means "two seas" in Arabic, derived from بحر (baḥr) 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-Baḥrayn).
Benín (Settlement, Body of Water & Country) Spanish, Catalan, Icelandic
Spanish, Catalan and Icelandic form of Benin.
Berlín (Settlement) Spanish, Catalan, Czech, Slovak, Icelandic
Form of Berlin used in multiple languages.
Bolívia (Country) Portuguese, Catalan, Hungarian
Portuguese, Catalan and Hungarian form of Bolivia.
Botswana (Country) Tswana, English, Shona, German, French, Italian, Catalan, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian
Means "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 the south of 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.
Brasil (Country) Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Norwegian, Indonesian
Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Norwegian and Indonesian form of Brazil.
Brunei (Country) Malay, Indonesian, English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Albanian, Georgian, Turkish, Hindi, Tagalog
Possibly 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]
Camerun (Country) Italian, Romanian, Catalan
Italian, Romanian and Catalan form of Cameroon.
Catalunya (Region & Political Subdivision) Catalan
Catalan form of Catalonia.
Comores (Country) French, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan
French, Portuguese, Spanish and Catalan form of Comoros.
Corea (Country) Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Late Roman
Italian, Spanish and Catalan form of Korea, as well as the Latin form.
Dubai (Settlement & Political Subdivision) English, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan, Romanian, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Turkish, Hindi, Bengali, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog, Chinese
From Arabic دبيّ (Dubayy), of uncertain meaning, possibly related to Arabic دبّ (dabba) meaning "to creep, to crawl", referring to the slow flow of a creek in the area. This is the name of an emirate and city in the United Arab Emirates.
Egipte (Country) Afrikaans, Catalan
Afrikaans and Catalan form of Egypte or Aegyptus (see Egypt).
El Salvador (Country) Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Estonian, Finnish, Bosnian, Macedonian, Greek, Hebrew, Turkish, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog
Form of Salvador with the Spanish definite article, which was officially added to the name in 1915. Some languages include the untranslated article, some do not, and some use both forms.
Eslovàquia (Country) Catalan
Catalan form of Slovakia.
Eslovènia (Country) Catalan, Occitan
Catalan and Occitan form of Slovenia.
Espanya (Country) Catalan, Tagalog, Cebuano
Catalan, Tagalog and Cebuano form of Hispania (see Spain).
França (Country) Portuguese, Catalan
Portuguese and Catalan form of Francia (see France).
Grècia (Country) Catalan
Catalan form of Graecia (see Greece).
Guatemala (Country) Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, Italian, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Turkish
From Nahuatl Cuauhtemallan meaning "place of the woodpile". This is the name of a country in Central America.
Hongria (Country) Catalan
Catalan form of Hungary.
Iemen (Country) Catalan, Galician, Japanese
Catalan, Galician and Japanese form of Yemen.
Índia (Country) Portuguese, Catalan, Occitan
Portuguese, Catalan and Occitan form of India.
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.
Jerusalem (Settlement) English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Luxembourgish, Afrikaans, Catalan, Bosnian, Biblical
From Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalayim), from an earlier Canaanite form like Urushalim, probably meaning "established by (the god) Shalim". This is the name of a city in Israel and Palestine. Originally a Canaanite city, it was conquered by the Israelites under King David at the beginning of the 10th century BC. It is now regarded as a holy city by Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Laos (Country) French, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Greek, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Hebrew, Hindi, Nepali, Malay, Indonesian, Tagalog
The name of a country in southeastern Asia, derived from the Lao people, the majority ethnic group. Their name may be derived from an Austroasiatic root meaning "human". The name Laos was originally applied to the region by France, who established it as a colony in 1893. It achieved independence in 1953.
Líbia (Country) Portuguese, Catalan, Hungarian
Portuguese, Catalan and Hungarian form of Libya.
Luxemburg (Country, Settlement & Political Subdivision) German, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Romanian, Catalan, Hungarian, Slovak
Form of Luxembourg used in several languages. In Hungarian this is the name of the country only (Luxembourg is the city), while in Slovak this is the name of the city only (Luxembursko is the country).
Madrid (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Spanish, Asturian, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, French, Italian, English, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Mongolian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog
From Old Spanish Magerit, itself from Arabic مجريط (Majrīṭ), of uncertain meaning. It may be derived from Arabic مجرى (majrā) meaning "watercourse, channel" or from Latin matrix meaning "source, origin (of a river)". This is the name of the capital city of Spain as well as an autonomous community surrounding it.
Malawi (Country) Chewa, English, Swahili, French, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Turkmen, Arabic
Possibly from Chewa malawi meaning "flame, fire". This is the name of a landlocked country in the south of Africa. It was renamed from Nyasaland when the country gained independence from Britain in 1964. Hastings Banda, the country's first president and the man who chose the name, claimed to have seen it on an old map in the form Maravi, referring to a lake.
Mali (Country) Manding, Fula, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan, English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Hungarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Greek, Hebrew, Armenian, Georgian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Persian, Urdu, Sinhalese, Hindi, Chinese, Mongolian, Burmese, Thai, Lao, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog
A landlocked country in West Africa, named after an empire that lasted until the 17th century. The empire's name is possibly from a dialectal variant of the name of the Mande peoples. Alternatively, it could be from the name of the empire's capital (which has not been located) or from a Mande word meaning "hippopotamus".
Moscou (Settlement & River) French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Catalan
French, Brazilian Portuguese and Catalan form of Moscow. In Portuguese it refers to both the city and the river, while in French and Catalan it only refers to the city.
Namíbia (Country) Portuguese, Catalan, Hungarian, Slovak
Portuguese, Catalan, Hungarian and Slovak form of Namibia.
Níger (River & Country) Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Icelandic
Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan and Icelandic form of Niger.
Nil (River) Arabic, French, German, Luxembourgish, Catalan, Czech, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Turkish, Azerbaijani
Form of Nile in various languages. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article: النيل (al-Nīl).
Oman (Country) English, French, Italian, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Polish, Romanian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, Mongolian, Hindi, Bengali, Thai, Indonesian, Malay, Korean, Tagalog
From Arabic عمان (ʿUmān), probably from the name of an ancient town called Omana by the Roman author Pliny the Elder in the 1st century. It can probably be identified with the modern city of Suhar, and is from an Arabic root meaning "to settle, to remain, to dwell". This is the name of a country on the southeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula.
Palestina (Country & Region) Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Afrikaans, Russian, Czech, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Indonesian, Tagalog, Hebrew
Form of Palestine in several languages. In modern Hebrew this refers to the region, with פָלַסְטִין (Falastin) used for the country.
Panamà (Country & Settlement) Catalan
Catalan form of Panama.
Paraguai (Country & River) Portuguese, Catalan, Japanese
Portuguese, Catalan and Japanese form of Paraguay.
Pequín (Settlement) Catalan, Galician, Spanish
Catalan and Galician form of Beijing, as well as a Spanish variant form.
Portugal (Country) Portuguese, English, French, Spanish, Galician, Catalan, German, Dutch, Luxembourgish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Indonesian, Malay
From Portugale, which was derived from Portus Cale, the old name of the city of Porto. The name of the city was later applied to the entire country.
Rin (River) Spanish, Catalan, Romanian, Anglo-Saxon, Old High German, Old Dutch
Spanish, Catalan and Romanian form of Rhine. This is also the Old English, Old High German and Old Dutch form.
Roma (Settlement) Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Ancient Roman
Latinate form of Rome.
Ruanda (Country) German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan, Finnish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Turkish, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, English, French
Form of Rwanda in several languages, as well as a variant spelling in other languages.
Rússia (Country) Portuguese, Catalan
Portuguese and Catalan form of Russia.
Sicília (Island & Political Subdivision) Portuguese, Catalan
Portuguese and Catalan form of Sicily.
Sri Lanka (Country & Island) English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans, French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Romanian, Albanian, Greek, Turkish, Malay, Indonesian
From Sinhalese ශ්‍රී ලංකා (Shrī Lankā), derived from the Sanskrit honorific श्री (śrī) meaning "holy, sacred" combined with the name of the legendary island of Lanka. This is an island nation in southern Asia. Formerly known as Ceylon when it was a colony of the Portuguese, Dutch and English, the country adopted the name Sri Lanka when it became a republic in 1972.
Tadjikistan (Country) French, Catalan, Romanian, Afrikaans
French, Catalan, Romanian and Afrikaan form of Tajikistan.
Turquia (Country) Portuguese, Catalan
Portuguese and Catalan form of Turcia (see Turkey).
Ucraïna (Country) Catalan
Catalan form of Ukraine.
Uganda (Country) English, Ganda, Swahili, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Romanian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Turkish, Georgian, Armenian, Hebrew, Persian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay
From Buganda, the name of a kingdom within Uganda, which means "land of the Ganda" in the Luganda language. The Ganda are an ethnic group, their name possibly deriving from a Bantu word meaning "family". Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa.
Uruguai (Country & River) Portuguese, Catalan, Galician, Basque, Japanese
Portuguese, Catalan, Galician, Basque and Japanese of Uruguay.
València (Settlement & Region) Catalan
Catalan (Valencian) form of Valencia.
Xile (Country) Catalan
Catalan form of Chile.
Zimbàbue (Country) Catalan
Catalan form of Zimbabwe.