Ayutthaya(Country & Settlement)Thai, English Derived from Sanskrit अयुध्य (ayudhya) meaning "invincible, unconquerable". This was the name of a kingdom (as well as one of its capital cities) that reigned from 1350 to 1767, considered the precursor of modern Thailand.
Azerbaijan(Country, Political Subdivision & Region)English, Basque, Indonesian, Malay From Persian آذربایجان (azarbayjan), which is from Middle Persian Ādurbādagān referring to Atropates, an ancient Persian governor under the Achaemenid Empire... [more]
Baikal(Body of Water)Russian, English From Buryat Байгал (Baygal) of uncertain origin, perhaps from the Turkic roots baj meaning "rich" and kol meaning "lake" or from Mongolian байгалийн нуур (baigaliin nuur) meaning "natural lake"... [more]
Baku(Settlement)English, Russian, Persian From Azerbaijani Bakı from Persian باکو (baku), which is of uncertain meaning. One popular etymology suggests that it means "wind-pounded city" from Persian باد (bad) meaning "wind" and کوبیدن (kubidan) meaning "to pound, to beat", given in reference to the area's frequent storms and high winds... [more]
Ba Lan(Country)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 波蘭 (Ba Lan) possibly from Chinese 波蘭 (Bōlán) or Min Nan 波蘭 (Pho-lân). This is the Vietnamese name for Poland.
Bali(Political Subdivision & Island)Indonesian, Balinese, Javanese, English Derived from Sanskrit बलि (bali) meaning "offering, tribute". This is the name of an island and province in Indonesia.
Bal Yul(Country)Bhutanese, Tibetan From Bhutanese and Tibetan བལ (bal) meaning "Nepal" and ཡུལ (yul) meaning "country, nation". This is the Bhutanese and Tibetan name for Nepal.
Banda Aceh(Settlement)Indonesian Means "port of Aceh" from Indonesian bandar meaning "port, harbour" (of Persian origin) and Aceh. This is the name of the capital city of the Indonesian province of Aceh.
Bandar Lampung(Settlement)Indonesian From Indonesian bandar meaning "harbour, port" (of Persian origin) and Lampung. This is the name of a city in Indonesia.
Bandar Seri Begawan(Settlement)Malay, English Means "town of the radiance of the gods" from Malay bandar meaning "town" (of Persian origin), seri meaning "radiance, splendour, glory" and begawan meaning "holy". The name comes from Seri Begawan, a Malay title used by Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III (1914-1986), which was ultimately derived from Sanskrit श्री भगवान् (shri bhagvan)... [more]
Bandung(Settlement)Indonesian, Sundanese From Indonesian bendung or bendungan meaning "dam, dike", given in reference to the area in relation to the nearby Citarum River. Local sources also relate the name to the phrase Nga-Bandung-an Banda Indung, which is considered sacred in Sundanese culture... [more]
Bangkok(Settlement)Thai, English Believed to be from Thai บาง (bang) meaning "village, settlement" and กอก (kok) meaning "olive" (so named because of the olive trees that used to grow in the area) or perhaps เกาะ (ko) meaning "island"... [more]
Bangsamoro(Political Subdivision)Filipino, Tagalog From Malay bangsa meaning "nation, country, race" combined with Moro, the collective term for the thirteen predominantly Muslim ethnic groups of the Philippines, which is ultimately of Spanish origin... [more]
Banten(Country & Political Subdivision)Indonesian, Sundanese, Javanese Meaning uncertain. It may be derived from the Sundanese and Bantenese phrase katiban inten meaning "struck down by diamonds", which was used to describe the spead of Islam in the region in the 15th century... [more]
Bashkiria(Political Subdivision)English From Russian Башкирия (Bashkiriya) which is from башкир (bashkir), the Russian name for the Bashkir people. This is another name for Bashkortostan, a republic in Russia.
Bashkortostan(Political Subdivision)Russian From Bashkir Башҡортостан (Bashqortostan), which is from башҡорт (bashqort), the name of the people, combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of"... [more]
Bashlam(Mountain)Chechen Means "molten mountain" or "melting mountain" from Chechen беше (beshe) meaning "to melt" and лам (lam) meaning "mountain". This is the Chechen name for Mount Kazbek.
Bayt al-Maqdis(Settlement)Arabic Means "holy house" in Arabic, from بَيْت (bayt) meaning "house" and مُقَدَّس (muqaddas) meaning "holy, sacred". This is an Arabic name for Jerusalem.
Belgrade(Settlement)English, French From Serbian Београд (Beograd) meaning "white city", derived from the Slavic root beli or beo meaning "white" combined with grad meaning "city, town". This is the name of the capital city of Serbia.
Bingdao(Country & Island)Chinese Means "ice island" from Chinese 冰 (bīng) meaning "ice" and 島 (dǎo) meaning "island". This is the Chinese name for Iceland.
Bir Lehlou(Settlement)English Derived from Hassaniya Arabic bir lehlou meaning "sweet water well". Bir Lehlou is an oasis town in the Polisario-controlled region in northeastern Western Sahara.
Bishkek(Settlement)Kyrgyz, English, Russian Meaning uncertain. One theory suggests that it comes from a word meaning "whorl, whisk" in Kyrgyz, referring to a tool used to prepare kumis, a traditional dairy product. It could also mean "five heights" from Kyrgyz беш (besh) meaning "five" and бийик (biyik) meaning "tall, high", or it could mean "five chiefs" from беш (besh) meaning "five" and the Turkish title beg meaning "chieftain, master"... [more]
Bờ Biển Ngà(Country)Vietnamese From Vietnamese bờ biển meaning "coast, seashore" and ngà meaning "ivory". This is the Vietnamese name for the Ivory Coast.
Bồ Đào Nha(Country)Vietnamese From Sino-Vietnamese 葡萄牙 (Bồ Đào Nha) possibly derived from Hokkien 葡萄牙 (Pô-tô-gâ). This is the Vietnamese name for Portugal.
Bogor(Settlement)Indonesian, Sundanese Means "sugar palm" (a type of tree) in Indonesian. This is the name of a city in West Java province, Indonesia.
Bolgharestan(Country)Persian From Persian بلغار (bolghar) meaning "Bulgarian" combined with the suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of". This is the Persian name for Bulgaria.
Bombay(Settlement)English (Archaic), Dutch, French, Spanish From Portuguese Bombaim, which may have been derived from the phrase bom baim meaning "good little bay" or from the Marathi name मुंबई (Mumbai). This is an older English name for Mumbai, officially used until 1995... [more]