Ufa(Settlement & River)Russian From Bashkir Өфө (Ofo), which is of uncertain origin and meaning, possibly derived from the Iranian root ap meaning "water". This is the name of the capital city of the Russian republic of Bashkortostan as well a river that runs through the Ural Mountains.
Ulan-Ude(Settlement)Russian From Buryat Улаан-Үдэ (Ulaan-Ude) meaning "red Uda", derived from Buryat улаан (ulaan) meaning "red" and Үдэ (Ude) referring to the Uda River. The name was originally given to reflect the Soviet Union's communist ideology... [more]
Vavylon(Settlement)Ukrainian, Greek Ukrainian form of Babylon as well as the modern Greek transcription of the name. However, in modern Greece, Vavylona is typically the form used to refer to the capital city of ancient Babylonia.
Velikiy Novgorod(Other)Russian Derived from "великий (velikiy)" meaning great and "новый (novy)" meaning new, and "город (gorod)" meaning city. It joins together to mean "Great New City" or could also be called "Great Novgorod"... [more]
Velikorossiya(Country & Region)Russian Means "Great Russia" (великий/velikiy + россия/rossiya). It is a historical name of what is now mostly the Russian Federation.
Vladikavkaz(Settlement)Russian Means "ruler of the Caucasus" from Russian владеть (vladet) meaning "to own, to possess, to control" combined with Кавказ (Kavkaz) meaning "Caucasus"... [more]
Vladivostok(Political Subdivision)Russian literally 'Ruler of the East', 'Rule the East', 'Lord of the East', or 'Expansion to the East.' The name was first applied to the bay but, following an expedition by Alexey Shefner in 1860, was later applied to the new settlement.
Vladivostok(Settlement)Russian Means "ruler of the East" from Russian владеть (vladet') meaning "to possess, to control, to rule" and восток (vostok) meaning "the East". This is the name of a city in Russia.
Volga(River)English, Russian English and Russian name for the largest river in Europe. The Old Mari name of the river is Volgydo, which means "bright". The name volgydo is cognate to Finno-Ugric valkea meaning "white" or "bright"... [more]
Volodymyr(Settlement)Ukrainian, English, Czech, French, Italian, Slovak Transferred use of the Ukrainian given name Volodymyr. The city in Ukraine was named for Vladimir I Sviatoslavich, the Prince of Novgorod and Grand Prince of Kiev.
Vorkuta(Other)Russian, Komi, Nenets Means "the abundance of bears" in Nenets. Vorkuta is a far north city in the Komi Republic in Russia.
Voroshilovgrad(Other)Russian Means "city of Voroshilov", referring to the military officer Kliment Voroshilov. It is the former name of the Lugansk region.
Vostok(Body of Water)Russian Lake Vostok is the largest subglacial lake in Antarctica. Its name ultimately derives from Russian vostok meaning "east".
Wrocław(Settlement)Polish From the Old Polish names Wrocisław, Wrócisław or Warcisław, meaning a return to glory. Cognate with Czech Vratislav. It is associated with Vratislaus I of Bohemia, the legendary founder, but the first records of the city appear decades after his death... [more]
Yakutsk(Political Subdivision)Russian "Place" of the Yakut (from the Evenk "Yako," a term Russia uses to refer to the "Sakha" people, whose name (of Turkic origin) comes from words that mean "Edge, Collar")
Yekaterinburg(Settlement)Russian Derived from the given name Yekaterina, named in honour of empress consort (later empress regnant) Catherine I of Russia. This is the name of a city in Russia.
Yenisey(River)Russian, English, Turkish, Azerbaijani The name of a river in northern Mongolian and the Siberian federal district of Russia. It may be derived from either Evenki Ионэсси (Ionəssi) meaning "big water" or Old Kyrgyz Эне-Сай (Ene-Sai) meaning "mother river."
Yerevan(Settlement)Armenian, English, Russian Meaning unknown. It may be from Yervand, the name of a 3rd-century BC Armenian king (also known as Orontes IV), or from Էրեբունի (Erebuni), an ancient Urartian fortification and city... [more]
Yoshkar-Ola(Settlement)Mari, Russian Means "red city" in Mari, from Eastern Mari йошкар (yoshkar) meaning "red" and ола (ola) meaning "city". This is the name of the capital city of the Russian republic of Mari El.
Ytyk-Kyuyol(Settlement)Russian, Yakut A settlement in Yakutia, Russia. It is named for a nearby lake, whose name literally means "Sacred Lake" in the Yakut language.
Yuzhno-zakhalinsk(Political Subdivision)Russian literally "South Sakhalin City" - a city in Sakhalin island, and the administrative center of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. It is located in the Far East part of Russia, situated north of Japan... [more]
Zadar(Settlement)Croatian, English Zadar is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city.... [more]
Zagreb(Settlement)Croatian Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia.... [more]
Zalipie(Settlement)Polish Zalipie is known for being "Poland's Painted Village". The insides and outsides of the buildings, doghouses, and even bridges in Zalipie are painted in brightly colored folk art that attracts tourists from around the globe... [more]