Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?

By the editors

We know most of their names... but don't always know the origins behind the names. Check out the gallery and discover the backstories behind the names of a handful of different countries spanning the globe.

Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?
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Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?
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France: the origin of the name comes from the word “Francia” which means “country of the Franks” in Latin, as the empire belonged to the Franks.
Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?
Norway: the name comes from the Old English word Norþweg, meaning “northern way”.
Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?
India: the name stems from the word Indus, which is Old Persian for Hindu. The river that runs through the country is called the Indus River, and the inhabitants are “the people of the Indus”.
Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?
Saudi Arabia: its name comes from the last name of the founder of the country, Abdulaziz Al Saud. The country’s real name translates literally to “the Saudi Arab kingdom”.
Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?
China: the actual name of the country is Zhongguo, meaning “central state”.
Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?
Australia: inspired by the Latin Terra Australis, the name means “southern land”.
Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?
Argentina: its name comes from the Latin word for “silver” given to it by Spanish explorers, who thought they would find “mountains of silver” there.
Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?
Germany: the English name comes from the Latin word “Germania”, adopted by Julius Caesar; Deutschland comes from old German meaning “land of the people”.
Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?
Italy: stemming from the named of the legendary king of the people in the south of Italy named Italus.
Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?
America: the country got its name from the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?
Brazil: its name is derived from a particular tree indigenous to the country, brazilwood. In Portuguese, the wood is called “pau-brasil”.
Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?
England: the name is derived from the Old English name Engaland, meaning “land of the Angles” – the first settlers of the area.
Where Did The Countries Get Their Names?
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