Skip to main content

Where do the names of the countries come from?

All of us live in some country .Sometimes it is the one of our birth and other times the host, however: have you asked yourself why it is called like that ? You may know the origin of the name of your country, but do you know where the country names come from ? We have chosen a dozen to investigate its etymology; some because they are where they live more Lifestyles and others because we have found them interesting.We must not forget that the etymology is not an exact science and, in some cases, there are several possible origins .We have collected the most common ones.

Where do the names of the countries come from?

Spain

The name of Spain comes from the Latin voice Hispania and is in turn the name of the merchants Phoenicians: «Ish Fannim» , which means "island of rabbits" .The peninsula is also known as Iberia that comes from the Greek Hesperia and this was the garden that inhabited the Hesperides, nymphs of fruit trees.Hesperia would be something similar to the earthly paradise.

Mexico

Surely comes from "Mexica" , which is how the Aztecs called themselves in honor of Huitzilopochtli, his god , who was also called "Mexi" or "Mexicali" ; although there are many authors who propose a much more poetic origin .It will come from nahuatl , and it would be the union of metz (-tli) which means moon , xic (-tli) which means navel and-co which would be in , therefore «in the navel of the moon» .name would make reference to the lake in which the islets that constituted the capital of the Aztec empire were and had the shape of a rabbit, the same shape that has the shadow that is seen inside the full moon.

Where do the names of the countries come from?

There are many other possible interpretations for this origin.The Spaniards Castilianized the name and called it Mexico or Mexico.

Chile

It is the most enigmatic of the names of the countries we will deal with.Since the end of the 16th century the name comes from.It is known that before the discovery , the They already called "Chili" to the area that remained by under the Atacama Desert .It seems that in Quechua "chili" means "confin" and so the Incas called the part that was further south of the empire."Chili" derived in Chile.

Peru

The natives who inhabited in the land that is below Panama , they were interrogated by the Spanish conquerors about the name the area received.They answered by calling it «Biru» that it was actually the name of the cacique that dominated those lands, they were the domain of Biru, from there derived to «Piru» and finally took the name of Peru .

Venezuela

There are two different versions for the origin of «Venezuela«.On the one hand it seems that the name was given by Americo Vespucio himself , at that the area of ​​Lake Maracaibo, with its rooms built gone on stilts, I remind you of the city of Venice .I call it Venezziola, a small Venice.On the other, some historians believe that can come from a settlement at the entrance from the lake that was called Venezuela, and that would mean "big water" in one of the languages ​​of the area.

Argentina

Simplifying the story, which has a lot and varied documentation, Argentina comes from the Latin word "argentum" which means "silver" .Among the conquerors the rumor spread that following the great river you would reach some incredible deposits of silver.The river was called Rio de la Plata and the area around it, Argentine land or land of silver .It is stated in the documentation and literature since 1587.

Philippines

Philippines owes its name to King Philip II .This was the king of Spain when the conquest and subsequent colonization of the islands took place.

Where do the names of the countries come from?

France

France is the "land inhabited by the Franks" and the Franks were the Germanic people that in the fifth century invaded Gaul."Franco" would be related to the German word "frei" which means "free", since that tribe considered not subject to other peoples.

Ireland

In English, Ireland is Ireland and comes from Gaelic Eireann, that has its root in the voice Eire.Eire would mean "fertile place" or place where the goddess Eriu lived.

Portugal

It comes from Latin « Portus Cale » and possibly the name of « Cale » refers to the town that lived near what is now Porto which means« the port ».The name of "port of Cale" was not limited to that settlement and soon designated the entire region between the Mino and the Douro. "Porto Cale" derived in Portugal .

Yes you like the etymology and you have been interested to know where the names of the countries come from, maybe you want to know where the names of the colors come from.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mentally Strong People: 7 characteristics

Do you consider yourself among mentally strong people? Surely, almost all of us have two or three qualities that allow us to survive day by day, deal with the obstacles of work and family life, conquer goals or resist the real and imaginary pressures and aggressions to which we are subjected throughout of our life. In Lifestyle we present 7 attitudes or qualities that psychologists characterize mentally strong people. Mentally Strong People: 7 characteristics 1.They are not discouraged by difficulties and delays Mentally strong people do not give up when they are presented with some apparently insurmountable obstacle or setback. They look for alternatives and ways to get around the barriers without giving up your project.They believe in that phrase that says when God closes a door opens a window to you . 2.They know how to handle stress Mentally strong people do not feel on the verge of collapse when cooling put pressure on work, in the intermediate spaces of soci...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why is salmon pink, even being a hatchery? Find it out!

Do you like salmon? It is a very healthy food, don't you think? The answer is sadly no, at least not the farmed salmon.Have you ever wondered why the salmon is pink? We invite you to discover it, but you may get a surprise. Do you know why salmon is pink, even being a hatchery? Find out! In its natural state, salmon acquires its color at three years of life, by a substance called astaxanthin , which is present in its diet, based on crustaceans , shrimp and krill. This substance accumulates in the tissues of salmon and this is what gives it the color.But...How many people can afford to consume natural salmon? It is very expensive and not easy to obtain, which is why the fish farm was responsible for raising a salmon that was obtained at a more affordable price, to meet the demand for this “healthy” food has currently generated by its “multiple benefits”. Farmed salmon are gray .Yes, gray, because their diet consists of oil, fish, corn starch and transgenic soybeans , no...
Post a Comment
Read more

An Asian threat in the Caribbean Sea!

Before moving on to the article we would like to remind you that we have launched a YouTube channel and that we would be very happy if you subscribed to watch our videos, you can click here–> YouTube Lifestyle In 1992 the hurricane Andrew , among other damage in Florida, broke an aquarium where six fish were brought from the Indian Ocean, which stood out for their exotic figure and dangerous attributes, and entered the waters of the Caribbean Sea through Biscayne Bay. There were six copies of Pterois sp. , popularly known as lionfish , which in less than twenty years occupied all the reefs of the Caribbean Sea and that these days must already be found on the north coast of Brazil. A ponzonoso fish This fish is a frequent inhabitant of reefs and lagoons (the lagoons of the atolls) of the islands of the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific, is a solitary predator that feeds mainly on shrimp and crabs.Its exotic appearance is given by a series of thorns with pointy point...
Post a Comment
Read more

In 5-10 years a fungus could cause the disappearance of bananas, is there a solution?

Platano, cambur (in Venezuela), banana, this wonderful fruit, so well named scientifically ( Musa paradisiaca ), loved and consumed in almost the whole world, could be in danger of extinction, at less as a world export product. It is not the first time that the disappearance of bananas from international trade is considered, but that is why it is still tremendously disturbing. In 5-10 years a fungus could cause the disappearance of bananas, is there a solution? In the 60s, the main species of commercial bananas consumed in the world was the Gros Michel , a variety that was swept away by a fungus known as evil or Panama disease , which forced me to look for another kind of banana resistant to this fungus, and which turned out to be the Cavendish , currently the most consumed on the planet.However, in the 70s, another strain of this fungus emerged in Southeast Asia ( Fusarium oxy sporum ), which attacks the roots and against which it has been fighting in Asia, Oceania and Afr...
Post a Comment
Read more

The 15 most incredible cinemas in the world

In this article we present the 15 most incredible cinemas in the world, we know that there are many more, but in our opinion these are, without a doubt, the most outstanding! With luck, you can even watch some of the mythical John Wayne movies, for example, if you visit one of these cinemas on one of your trips. The most incredible cinemas in the US 1.The Chinese theater in Los Angeles, USA An incredible cinema in the middle of the Hollywood stars walk. A must if you go to Los Angeles. 2.The Senator in Baltimore , USA Its facade is a benchmark for Art Deco lovers. Surely your facade sounds like you... 3.Cinespia, in Los Angeles USA It's an open-air cinema in in the middle of a cemetery where are buried nothing more and nothing less than stars like John Huston , director, screenwriter and actor or actress ca nobody Fay Wray . https://youtu.be/P3pxotYBx_k You can't be closer to the stars! 4. Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas , on the Coast, USA The originality ...
Post a Comment
Read more