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{{More citations needed|date=November 2006}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
This article provides a collection of the [[etymology]] of the [[name]]s of [[administrative division]]s. This page generally only deals with regions and provinces; cities and other localities and features may appear listed under the individual country, with a link below.
{{TOC right}}
==
===States===
*[[New South Wales]]: named with reference to [[Wales]] by Captain [[James Cook]].<ref name="NSW">{{cite web|url=http://www.nsw.gov.au/about.asp |title=About New South Wales |access-date=7 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080120184419/http://www.nsw.gov.au/about.asp |archive-date=20 January 2008 }}</ref> For the etymology of Wales, see [[#United Kingdom|below]].
*[[Queensland]]: named in honour of [[Queen Victoria]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/federation/stories/s223425.htm|title= How Queensland Got Its Name|website= [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]}}</ref>
*[[South Australia]]: located in the south-central region of Australia
*[[Tasmania]]: named after [[Abel Tasman]], who sighted the island in 1642; originally named by Tasman as ''Van Diemen's Land'', after [[Anthony van Diemen]], the colonial governor who commissioned Tasman's voyage <!--http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9110551 requires subscription-->
*[[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]: named in honour of Queen Victoria<ref>{{cite web|website=foundingdocs.gov.au|access-date=23 April 2023
|url=http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/resources/transcripts/vic3_doc_1851.pdf|title=Australian Constitutions Act 1850}}</ref>
*[[Western Australia]]: comprises the western third of Australia
===
===
* [[Australian Capital Territory]]
* [[Northern Territory]]: territory in north-central Australia
* [[Jervis Bay Territory]]: bay named by Lieutenant Bowen in 1791 for the naval hero Admiral Sir [[John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent|John Jervis]], 1st [[Earl of St. Vincent]].<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/TerritoriesofAustralia_JervisBay_JervisBayHistory
|title = Jervis Bay History
|access-date = 10 October 2008
|date = 19 February 2008
|publisher = Territories Division, Attorney-General's Department, Australian Government
|quote = 1791 The bay was named 'Jervis Bay' by Lieutenant Bowen of the ''Atlantic'' in honour of Admiral Sir John Jervis under whom he had served|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080923135207/http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/TerritoriesofAustralia_JervisBay_JervisBayHistory|archive-date = 23 September 2008}}</ref>
===
* [[Ashmore and Cartier Islands]]: named for [[Ashmore Reef]] islets and [[Cartier Island]]
** Ashmore Reef: first recorded sighting by a European, Captain Samuel Ashmore of the ''Hibernia'', 11 June 1811<ref>{{cite web | title=Search Results | website=DCCEEW | url=http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/mpa/ashmore/plan/chap4.html#42 | access-date=23 April 2023}}</ref>
** Cartier Island: discovered by a Captain Nash, aboard the ''Cartier''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Australia.html|title=Australia|website=worldstatesmen.org}}</ref>
* [[Christmas Island]]: bestowed by Captain [[William Mynors]] of the British [[East India Company]] for its discovery on Christmas Day, 25 December 1643.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Christmas-Island|title=Christmas Island | Geography & History|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|date=22 June 2023 }}</ref>
* [[Cocos (Keeling) Islands]]<!--sic-->:
**Cocos Islands: for the plentiful [[coconut]]s (''Cocos nucifera'') growing there<ref>[http://www.cocos-tourism.cc/discover.htm Cocos Tourism – Discovery]</ref>
** Keeling Islands, an alternate name: for their discovery by Captain [[William Keeling]] of the [[English East India Company]] in 1609.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://academic.eb.com/|title=Britannica Academic|website=academic.eb.com}}</ref>
* [[Coral Sea Islands]]: uninhabited islands in the [[Coral Sea]], named for its [[coral]] formations, especially the [[Great Barrier Reef]], the largest coral reef in the world.<ref name="auto"/>
* [[Heard Island and McDonald Islands]]:
** Heard Island: discovered (first ''confirmed'' sighting) by Captain John Heard of the merchant vessel ''Oriental'', 25 November 1853<ref name="autogenerated1">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.heardisland.aq/history/discovery.html
|title=Heard island: History: Discovery
|access-date=28 August 2008
|publisher=Australian Antarctic Division
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051205005843/http://www.heardisland.aq/history/discovery.html
|archive-date=5 December 2005
|quote=The first confirmed sighting of Heard Island was made on 25 November 1853 by Captain John Heard on the merchant vessel ''Oriental''. Earlier sightings of land in the area in the 1830s are considered doubtful.
}}
</ref>
** McDonald Islands: discovered by Captain William McDonald, 4 January 1854<ref name="autogenerated1" />
*[[Norfolk Island]] ([[Norfuk language|Norfuk]]: ''Norfuk Ailen''): discovered and named by James Cook (1774) for Duchess [[Mary Howard, Duchess of Norfolk (d. 1773)|Mary Howard, Duchess of Norfolk]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/gui/files/NI%20fact%20sheet.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=9 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517143123/http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/gui/files/NI%20fact%20sheet.pdf |archive-date=17 May 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.norfolkisland.com.au/history_and_culture/paradise.cfm|title=Paradise |website=Norfolk Island |access-date=9 February 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070314220834/http://norfolkisland.com.au/history_and_culture/paradise.cfm|archive-date=14 March 2007}}</ref>
==
===
*[[Burgenland]] (German; {{langx|hu|Várvidék}}; {{langx|hr|Gradišće}}): originally called ''Vierburgenland'', "Land of four Burgs (castles)", a name suggested in 1919 from the endings of the four former counties forming the state: [[Bratislava|Preßburg]], [[Moson|Wieselburg]], [[Sopron|Ödenburg]] and [[Vas|Eisenburg]]. In 1922 Austria ceded Ödenburg to Hungary and dropped the numeric prefix ''Vier-'' ("four"); the remaining three counties became Burgenland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aeiou.at/aeiou.encyclop.b/b944915_en.htm|title=Burgenland|website=aeiou.at}}</ref>
*[[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]], German'' Kärnten'': etymologically related to the early Slavic medieval principality [[Carantania]] (Slovenian ''Karantanija'', German ''Karantanien''); a suggested etymology references a Celtic term for "stone" or "crag", while a popular etymology holds that the name means "land of friends"
*[[Lower Austria]], German ''Nieder-Österreich'': the lower part (lower in height) of the original territory of Austria ('the eastern country'), as opposed to Upper Austria; also called ''Österreich unter der Enns'' "Austria below the (river) [[Enns (river)|Enns]]"
*[[Salzburg (state)|Salzburg]]: after the city of [[Salzburg]] (literally "salt castle"), which takes its name from the [[salt mine]]s that existed there during the Middle Ages
*[[Styria]], German ''Steiermark'': after the castle of [[Steyr]]; in the high Middle Ages, it formed a [[Marches|march]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], hence ''-mark''
*
*[[Upper Austria]], German ''Ober-Österreich'': the upper (physically higher) part of the original territory of Austria, as opposed to Lower Austria; also called ''Österreich ob der Enns'' "Austria above the (river) Enns"
*[[Vienna]], German ''Wien'': from Celtic ''Vindobona'' (''vindo'' "white" + ''bona'' "foundation, fort")
*[[Vorarlberg]], literally "in front of the Arlberg", takes its name from the [[Arlberg]], a mountain (German: ''Berg'') with a high mountain pass, characterised by ''Arle'', a local German term for "[[mountain pine]]".
==Belgium==
===
*[[Brussels]], Dutch ''Brussel'', French ''Bruxelles'' (the capital city, outside any province; also Belgium's third region): medieval Dutch ''broek'' 'bog' + ''zele'' (in many place names in the Low Countries="habitation using thatching")
*[[Flanders]], Dutch ''Vlaanderen'', French ''Flandre(s)'': plural of a terrain type; or "flooded land"; or a compound Flemish ''vlakte'' "plain" and ''wanderen'' "to wander".<ref>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=flanders&searchmode=none
| title = Flanders
| first = Douglas
| last = Harper
| author-link = Douglas Harper
| work=Online Etymology Dictionary
| access-date = 10 June 2010
| quote = probably a compound of roots represented by Flemish vlakte 'plain' + wanderen 'to wander.'
}}
</ref> The name extended from the historical county (about half lost to French and Dutch neighbours; the rest roughly made up two administrative provinces, East Flanders and West Flanders; in French ''les Flandres'', plural) to the whole Dutch-speaking, majority part of Belgium (French ''la Flandre'', singular)
*[[Wallonia]], French ''Wallonie'': from the (Romanized (Germano-) Celtic, now Francophone) Walloon people: as in many European countries, so named by Germanic neighbours; meaning: "strangers". Compare "Wales" [[#United Kingdom|below]].
===
*[[Antwerp Province|Antwerp]]: from the city of [[Antwerp]], the province's capital, which may derive from the [[Frankish language|Frankish]] ''anda'' ("against") and a noun derived from the verb ''werpen'' ("to throw").
*Brabant (now divided for administrative purposes into [[Flemish Brabant]] and [[Walloon Brabant]]): The name in Carolingian times appeared in Latinised form as ''pagus Bracbatensis'', from ''bracha'' "new" and ''bant'' "region". See also under the Netherlands.
*[[East Flanders|East]] and [[West Flanders]]; see Flanders, above.
*[[Hainaut Province|Hainaut]]: after the river [[Haine]].
*[[Liège Province|Liège]]: of disputed etymology. The name ''Liège'' (also used by the city of [[Liège]], the province's capital) may have the same origin as the ancient name of Paris, i.e. ''[[Lutetia]]''; the German form, ''Lüttich'', suggests this. Liège and Lutetia would both derive from [[Latin language|Latin]] ''lucotætia'', "marsh" or "mud". Another suggestion derives the names from Latin ''Lætica'', "colony", or ''Leudica'', "free". Alternatively, the Latin ''Leudica'' meaning "public place" may have given rise to the [[Walloon language|Walloon]] ''Lîdje'' and thence to ''Liège''. Note that the name appeared in written form as ''Liége'' (with an acute accent) until the 1950s.
*[[Limburg (Belgium)|Limburg]]: Derived from the castle-fortified town of [[Limbourg]], which in turn was derived from "lint" "dragon" and burg "fortress". See also under the Netherlands.
*[[Luxembourg (Belgium)|Luxembourg]]: identical with the independent country of the same name to the east. See [[List of country name etymologies#Luxembourg]] for the etymology of "Luxembourg".
*[[Namur Province|Namur]]: after the city of [[Namur]], the province's capital, of uncertain etymology.
==
{{Main|List of Brazil state name etymologies}}
==
{{Main|List of Bulgaria province name etymologies}}
==
*[[Banteay Meanchey Province]]: Ford of Victory in [[Khmer language|Khmer]]
*[[Battambang Province]]: Lost Staff in Khmer according to the legend of Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung.
*[[Kampong Cham Province]]: Port of [[Kingdom of Champasak|The Chams]] in Khmer
*[[Kampong Chhnang Province]]: Port of the Pots in Khmer
*[[Kampong Speu Province]]: Port of [[Carambola]] in Khmer
*[[Kampong Thom Province]]: According to legend two large snakes came to the port and it was named Kampong Pos Thom which means Large Snakes' Port in Khmer but passed through the years it was simplified to Kampong Thom which means Large Port in Khmer
*[[Kampot Province]]: [[Tetraodontidae]] in Khmer
*[[Kandal Province]]: Central in Khmer
*[[Koh Kong Province]]: Kong Island in Khmer
*[[Kep Province]]: [[Saddle]] of horse in Khmer
*[[Kratie Province]]: A kind of cosmetic powder in Khmer
*[[Mondulkiri Province]]: Mountain of Mandala
*[[Oddar Meanchey Province]]: Northern Victory in Khmer and Snaskrit
*[[Pailin Province]]: From the Word Phe Leng meaning [[Pinniped]] playing
*[[Phnom Penh]]: More information at {{slink|Phnom Penh|Etymology}}
*[[Sihanoukville Province]]: Named after the former king, [[Norodom Sihanouk]]
*[[Preah Vihear Province]]: Sacred Temple named after [[Preah Vihear]]
*[[Pursat Province]]: According to legend, a type tree swings and it was grown in then it was called A type of tree swings
*[[Prey Veng Province]]: Long Forest
*[[Ratanakiri Province]]: Precious Gems Mountain
*[[Siem Reap Province]]: [[Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932)|Siam]] Defeated, literally Siam Flat
*[[Stung Treng Province]]: Lake of Reeds
*[[Svay Rieng Province]]: Aligned Mangoes
*[[Takeo Province]]: Grandfather Keo
== Cameroon ==
===
* [[Adamawa Region|Adamaoua]]: From the [[Adamawa Emirate]], a vassal state of the 19th-century [[Sokoto Caliphate]]. ''Adamawa'' comes from the name of its founder, [[Modibo Adama|Modibbo Adama]]. The suffix ''-wa'' is used in the [[Hausa language]] to signify the collective identity of 'people of' that place. Therefore, ''Adamawa'' means "the people of Adama".<ref name=":0">{{Cite thesis |title=The rise and fall of Fulani rule in Adamawa 1809-1901. |url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/29268/ |publisher=SOAS University of London |date=1969 |degree=phd |language=en |first=Martin Zachary |last=Njeuma |page=17}}</ref>
==
===
{{Main|Canadian provincial and territorial name etymologies}}
===
*'''[[Acadia]]''' (French ''Acadie''): origin disputed:
**# Credited to Italian [[navigator]] [[Giovanni da Verrazzano]], who first named a region around Chesapeake Bay ''Archadia'' ([[Arcadia (utopia)|Arcadia]]) in 1524 because of "the beauty of its trees", according to his diary. Cartographers began using the name ''Arcadia'' to refer to areas progressively farther north until it referred to the French holdings in maritime Canada (particularly [[Nova Scotia]]). The ''-r-'' also began to disappear from the name on early maps, resulting in the current ''Acadia''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.billcasselman.com/canadian_food_words/acadia_one.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040802234006/http://www.billcasselman.com/canadian_food_words/acadia_one.htm|archive-date=2 August 2004|title=Acadia: Origin of the Word by Bill Casselman|url-status=usurped|date=2 August 2004}}</ref>
**# Possibly derived from the [[Míkmaq language|Míkmaq]] word ''akatik'', pronounced roughly "agadik", meaning "place", which French-speakers spelled as ''-cadie'' in place names such as [[Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia|Shubenacadie]] and [[Tracadie, New Brunswick|Tracadie]], possibly coincidentally.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/education/prov_e.php#ns|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080604204017/http://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/education/prov_e.php|title=Provinces and Territories – The origins of their names|archive-date=4 June 2008}}</ref>
*'''[[Nunatsiavut]]''': [[Inuktitut]], meaning "our beautiful land".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nunatsiavut.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211182545/http://www.nunatsiavut.com/en/nunatsiavutgov.php|title=Nunatsiavut Government|archive-date=11 February 2010|website=Nunatsiavut Government}}</ref>
==
===
Roman numerals originally identified the regions in order from north to south (except Santiago). With the establishment of [[Arica-Parinacota Region|Arica-Parinacota]] and [[Los Ríos Region]] in 2007 the numbers no longer reflect the regions' positions.
*'''[[Maule Region]]''' (Spanish ''VII Región del Maule''): named after the [[Maule River]].
*'''[[Biobío Region]]''' (Spanish ''VIII Región del Biobío''): named after the [[Bío-Bío River]].
*'''[[Los Ríos Region]]''' (Spanish ''XIV Región de los Ríos''): refers to the river systems of [[Valdivia River|Valdivia]] and [[Bueno River|Bueno]] and to the nickname of the city of [[Valdivia, Chile|Valdivia]]. The name may also reflect the name of [[Los Lagos Region]] (Spanish for Region of the Lakes) from which Los Ríos split away.
*'''[[Aisén Region]]''', sometimes also spelled Aysén (Spanish ''XI Región Aisén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo''): The name Aisén may come from the [[Huilliche]] word ''achen'', meaning "to crumble". Another theory suggests that the [[Chono people|Chonos]] culture used the word to mean "going more to the interior", in reference to the [[Aisén Fjord|Fjord of Aisén]] that stretches east from the [[Moraleda Channel|Moraleda strait]].
*'''[[Magallanes y Antártica Chilena Region]]''' (Spanish ''XII Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena''): named in honour of [[Ferdinand Magellan]], the [[Strait of Magellan]] and the city of [[Punta Arenas]], formerly called ''Magallanes''.
==China==
{{hatnote|For other, historical divisions of China, see [[History of the administrative divisions of China (disambiguation)|History of the administrative divisions of China]].}}
===
*[[Anhui]] ({{linktext|安|徽}}) – lit. "Peaceful Badge", actually abbreviates [[Anqing]] & [[Huizhou (region)|Huizhou]]
*[[Beijing]] ({{linktext|北|京}}) – "Northern Capital"
*[[Chongqing]] ({{linktext|重|慶}}) – "Doubled Celebration", named in 1189 by [[Emperor Guangzong of Song|Emperor Guangzong]] of [[Song dynasty]] who was crowned as king and then emperor in short succession
*[[Fujian]] ({{linktext|福|建}}) – lit. "Luck Builds", actually abbreviates [[Fuzhou]] & [[Jian'ou]]
*[[Gansu]] ({{linktext|甘|肅}}) – lit. "Willingly Serious", actually abbreviates [[Zhangye|Ganzhou]] & [[Jiuquan|Suzhou]] ({{linktext|肃|州}})
*[[Guangdong]] ({{linktext|廣|東}}) – lit. "Eastern Expanses", actually contracts the earlier "Eastern Guangnan" (''[[Guangnan East Circuit|Guangnandong]]'')
<!--nothing to do with Guangzhou the city-->
*[[Guangxi]] ({{linktext|廣|西}}) – lit. "Western Expanses", actually contracts the earlier "Western Guangnan" (''[[Guangnan West Circuit|Guangnanxi]]'')
*[[Guizhou]] ({{linktext|貴|州}}) – lit. "Expensive Province", actually refers to [[Mount Gui]]
*[[Hainan]] ({{linktext|海|南}}) – "South of the Sea", in reference to the [[Qiongzhou Strait]], for the Hainan Island. Similarly, [[Leizhou Peninsula]], which faces Hainan across the strait, is also called Haibei, meaning "North of the Sea".
*[[Hebei]] ({{linktext|河|北}}) – "North of the <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Yellow River|Yellow]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> River"
*[[Heilongjiang]] ({{linktext|黑|龍|江}}) – "[[Amur River|Black Dragon River]]", the Chinese name for the [[Amur River]], from its [[Manchu language|Manchu]] name ''Sahaliyan Ula'' ([[File:Sahaliyan ula.png]]) ("Black River")
*[[Henan]] ({{linktext|河|南}}) – "South of the <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Yellow River|Yellow]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> River"
*[[Hubei]] ({{linktext|湖|北}}) – "North of the Lake", in reference to [[Lake Dongting]]
*[[Hunan]] ({{linktext|湖|南}}) – "South of the Lake", in reference to [[Lake Dongting]]
*[[Jiangsu]] ({{linktext|江|蘇}}) – lit. "The River Revives", actually abbreviates [[Nanjing|Jiangning]] & [[Suzhou, Jiangsu|Suzhou]] ({{linktext|苏|州}})
*[[Jiangxi]] ({{linktext|江|西}}) – lit. "West of the <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Yangtze]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> River" (although it is to the Yangtze's south), actually contracts the earlier "Western [[Jiangnan]]" (''[[Jiangnanxidao|Jiangnanxi]]'', "Western Region South of the River")
*[[Jilin]] ({{linktext|吉|林}}) – lit. "Lucky Forest", actually a [[Sinification]] of [[Manchu language|Manchu]] [[File:Girin ula.jpg]] girin ula (吉林乌拉) meaning "Riverside"
*[[Liaoning]] ({{linktext|遼|寧}}) – lit. "Distant Peace", actually refers to "Peaceful Liao", the region around the [[Liao River]]
*[[Inner Mongolia]] ({{linktext|內|蒙古}}) – from the perspective of [[Beijing]], as distinguished from "[[Mongolia|Outer Mongolia]]", which became independent in the 20th century (''Mongolia'' itself from "Land of the Mongols"; ''Mongol'' from the [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]] for "brave")
*[[Ningxia]] ({{linktext|寧|夏}}) – lit. "Peaceful Summer", actually refers to the [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] state of [[Western Xia]]
*[[Qinghai]] ({{linktext|青|海}}) – "Blue Sea", for [[Qinghai Lake]], from [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]] [[File:Koke naghur.svg|20px]] (Köke Naghur)/Хөх нуур (Höh nuur)
*[[Shaanxi]] ({{linktext|陜|西}}) – "West of the Pass(es)" or "West of [[Shan County, Henan|Shanzhou]]". Shanzhou is named in reference to the three former channels of the [[Yellow River]] at [[Sanmenxia]], previously supposed to have been cleft in the rock by [[Yu the Great]] and now submerged by the [[Sanmenxia Dam]]
*[[Shandong]] ({{linktext|山|東}}) – "East of the <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Taihang Mountains|Taihang]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> Mountains"
*[[Shanghai]] ({{linktext|上|海}}) – "On the ocean"
*[[Shanxi]] ({{linktext|山|西}}) – "West of the <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Taihang Mountains|Taihang]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> Mountains"
*[[Sichuan]] ({{linktext|四|川}}) – lit. "Four Rivers", actually refers to the four [[circuit (administrative division)|circuits]] of the region during the [[Song dynasty]] – [[Chengdufu Circuit|Chengdufu]], [[Kuizhou Circuit|Kuizhou]], [[Lizhou Circuit|Lizhou]], and [[Zizhou Circuit|Zizhou]]; erroneously believed to refer to the four rivers in the region{{mdash}}[[Min River (Sichuan)|Min]], [[Tuo River|Tuo]], [[Jialing River|Jialing]] and [[Wu River (Yangtze River tributary)|Wu]].
*[[Tianjin]] ({{linktext|天|津}}) – "Heavenly [[Ford (crossing)|Ford]]", in honor of the [[Yongle Emperor]]'s crossing at that point
*[[Tibet]] – from {{bo|t=བོད་|w=Bod}} ([[Definitions of Tibet#In English|''Böd'']]) in the form ''Mtho-Böd'' 'High Tibet' or ''Stod-Böd'' 'Upper Tibet', or from [[Old Turkic]] ''Töbäd'' or ''Töpüt'' 'the heights'; the modern Chinese name {{linktext|西|藏}} ''Xizang'' means 'Western Tsang", from the [[Sinification]] of Tibetan [[Ü-Tsang|''Tsang'']], the central-southern region of Tibet
*[[Xinjiang]] ({{linktext|新|疆}}) – "The New Frontier"
*[[Yunnan]] ({{linktext|雲|南}}) – lit. "South of the Clouds", actually refers to the [[Yunling Mountains]]
*[[Zhejiang]] ({{linktext|浙|江}}) – "Crooked River", a former name of the modern [[Qiantang River]]
===Special administrative regions===
*[[Hong Kong]] – An [[Anglicized]] transcription of the [[Cantonese Chinese]] place name {{linktext|香|港}} (''Hoeng<sup>1</sup>gong<sup>2</sup>'', "Fragrant Harbor"),<ref name="Room">{{cite book |last=Room |first=Adrian |title=Placenames of the World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M1JIPAN-eJ4C&q=hong+kong+etymology+fragrant+harbor&pg=PA168 |year=2005 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=0-7864-2248-3 |page=168}}</ref> originally the name of the small inlet now known as [[Aberdeen Harbour]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Bishop, Kevin |author2=Roberts, Annabel |title=China's Imperial Way |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1c0UyPNF_I0C&q=%22Heung+Gong+Tsai%22&pg=PT216 |year=1997 |publisher=China Books |isbn=962-217-511-2 |page=218}}</ref> The reference to fragrance may refer to the harbor waters sweetened by the estuarine influx of the [[Pearl River (China)|Pearl River]] or to the [[incense]] factories lining the coast to the north of [[Kowloon]] which was stored around Aberdeen Harbour, prior to the development of [[Victoria Harbour]].<ref name="Room"/> The name was applied to the entirety of [[Hong Kong Island]] in the 1842 [[Treaty of Nanking]].<ref>Fairbank, John King. Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast: The Opening of the Treaty Ports, 1842–1854. 2 vols. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1953.</ref> The [[Kowloon Peninsula]] and [[New Territories]] were later added by the 1860 [[Convention of Peking]] and the 1898 [[Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory]].
*[[Macau]] – for the Cantonese Chinese pronunciation of 媽閣 ([[A-Ma Temple|Maa<sup>5</sup>gok<sup>3</sup>]]), the name of temple of the sea goddess [[A-Ma]],{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} or ''A-Ma Gao'' ({{linktext|阿媽|澳}}, "Bay of [[A-Ma]]").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://macauma.ags.myareaguide.com/?cityguide=history |title=Your Complete Guide to Macau |access-date=21 September 2011 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006172405/http://macauma.ags.myareaguide.com/?cityguide=history |archive-date=6 October 2007 }}</ref> The Chinese name of Macau ({{linktext|澳|門}}) means "Inlet Gates". Also the [[English language|English]] transcription is ''Macao''.
==
[[File:Czech Republic - Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia (en).png|thumb|right|Map of the Czech Republic with traditional regions and current administrative regions]]
===Historical regions===
* [[Czech Republic]]/Czechia (''Česko'' in Czech). From old [[Czech language|Czech]] ''Czech'' (nationality), later written ''Čech''. Until 19th century referred predominantly to [[Bohemia]] only, later the meaning has been extended to all Czech lands (Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia). Traditionally traced to a [[Forefather Čech]], who brought the Czechs into Bohemia.
*[[Bohemia]]: "Land of the [[Boii]]", a [[Celt]]ic tribe of the region. The ultimate etymology of ''Boii'' is uncertain, but has been connected to [[PIE|Proto-Indo-European]] roots meaning "cow" and "warrior"
*[[Moravia]]: "Land of the [[Morava river, Central Europe|Morava]]"
*[[Silesia]] – from the holy Silesian mountain of [[Ślęża]]
*[[Sudetenland]] – from the [[Sudetes|Sudeten]] mountains
==Denmark==
;Autonomous territories and geographic regions are:
*[[Bornholm]]: The Old Danish form, ''Burghændeholm'' shows derivation with the suffix ''-und'' from ''burgh'' "fortress": "provided with a fortress", later combined with ''holm'', "island".<ref>Jørgensen, Bent, ''Stednavneordbog''. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1994. P. 41</ref> The similarity with the Germanic Burgundian tribe whose name has the same etymology and which may or may not have originated in Scandinavia, can be purely coincidental since the derivation is quite basic in meaning.
*[[Copenhagen]] ({{langx|da|København}}): The Old Danish form, ''Køpmannæhafn''<ref name="Jørgensen, Bent 1994. P. 170">Jørgensen, Bent, ''Stednavneordbog''. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1994. P. 170</ref> shows the older genitive plural ''køpmannæ'' of ''køpman'', "merchant", coupled with ''hafn'', "harbor", producing the meaning "merchants' harbour".<ref name="Jørgensen, Bent 1994. P. 170"/> It has entered English via the (Low) German ''Kopenhagen''.
*[[Danish Virgin Islands]], a former territory: See [[#United Kingdom|British Virgin Islands]] below.
*[[Faroe Islands]] ({{langx|da|Færøerne}}, {{langx|fo|Føroyar}}): From [[Old Norse]] ''Færeyjar'' – literally, "Sheep Islands", from their dense population of sheep. Another theory suggests that the lexeme ''fær'' instead derives from Celtic and means "distant".{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}}
*[[Greenland]] ({{langx|da|Grønland}}): From [[Old Norse]] ''Grœnland'', literally, "green land"; so named by [[Erik the Red]] to induce settlement there. [[Kalaallisut language|Greenlandic]]-speakers use the name ''Kalaallit Nunaat'', meaning "Land of the Greenlanders"
*[[Jutland]] ({{langx|da|Jylland}}; {{langx|de|Jütland}}): From Old Danish ''Jutland'',<ref name="Jørgensen, Bent 1994. P. 148">Jørgensen, Bent, ''Stednavneordbog''. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1994. P. 148</ref> derived from the tribal name of the [[Jutes]], combined with ''land'' "land".<ref name="Jørgensen, Bent 1994. P. 148"/>
*[[Zealand (Denmark)|Zealand]] ({{langx|da|Sjælland}}): Old Icelandic ''Selund'', Latin rendering ''Selon'', Old Danish ''Sialand''.<ref name="Jørgensen, Bent 1994. P. 249">Jørgensen, Bent, ''Stednavneordbog''. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1994. P. 249</ref> A somewhat later form, now poetic, is ''Sjølund''. The oldest forms with the single l and the original vowel reveal that the name is derived with the suffix ''-und'' (cf. Bornholm above) from Old Danish ''*sial'' meaning either "seal" or "furrow": "provided with seals" or "provided with furrows", referring either to populations of seals or inlets from the sea.<ref name="Jørgensen, Bent 1994. P. 249"/> The suffix has later been reinterpreted as the lexeme ''land'' "land.<ref name="Jørgensen, Bent 1994. P. 249"/>
;Present administrative [[regions of Denmark]] are:
*[[Region Hovedstaden]] – "Capital City Region"
*[[Region Midtjylland]] – "Mid Jutland Region", see above for "Jutland"
*[[Region Nordjylland]] – "North Jutland Region", see above for "Jutland"
*[[Region Sjælland]] – "Region Zealand", see above for "Zealand"
*[[Region Syddanmark]] – "Region of Southern Denmark"
==Dominican Republic==
{{Main|List of Dominican Republic Provinces by etymology}}
==Estonia==
Note: [[Estonian language|Estonian]] ''maakond'' means "[[Counties of Estonia|county]]" and ''maa'' means "land". Counties given here without the suffix -''maa'' take their names (and etymologies as given here) from their capitals.
*[[Hiiumaa]]: from [[Estonian language|Estonian]] ''hiis'' – "holy grove", or ''hiid'' – "giant", meaning "land of holy groves" or "land of giants".
*[[Ida-Virumaa]]: "Eastern Virumaa" – see Virumaa below
*[[Jõgeva]]: from [[Estonian language|Estonian]] ''jõgi'' – "river" ([[Pedja River|Pedja river]]) and possibly ''vahe'' – "between" (since the old estate stood on an island in the river), meaning "between rivers".
*[[Järvamaa]]: from [[Estonian language|Estonian]] ''järv'' – "lake", meaning "land of lakes".
*[[Läänemaa]]: from [[Estonian language|Estonian]] ''lääne'' – "western", meaning "western land".
*[[Lääne-Virumaa]]: "Western Virumaa" – see Virumaa below
*[[Petseri]]: from Russian ''peshchera'' – "caves".
*[[Põlva]]: from [[Estonian language|Estonian]] ''põlv'' – "knee". According to a legend, a virgin was once bricked in a church wall on her knees. According to another version, the [[Tartu]]-[[Võru]] and [[Kanepi]]-[[Räpina]] roads form a curve, shaped like a knee.
*[[Pärnu]]: named after [[Pärnu River|Pärnu river]], that drains into the sea at Pärnu
*[[Saaremaa]]: from [[Estonian language|Estonian]] ''saar'' – "island", meaning "island-land".
*[[Valga, Estonia|Valga]]: from German family names ''de Walco'' and ''de Walko''. According to another version, from [[Estonian language|Old Estonian]] ''valketa'' – "white".
*[[Virumaa]]: from several [[Finnic languages]] ''virukas'' – "big" or "strong", or ''vire'' "sharp" or "penetrating" (for wind), meaning "land of the strong / big" or "land of the sharp / penetrating winds". (In Finnish, the words for [[Estonia]] and [[Estonians]] derive from Virumaa – ''Viro'' and ''virolaiset''.)
==
*[[Helsinki]]: The Swedish name {{lang|sv|Helsingfors}} ({{IPA|sv|helsiŋˈforsː|IPA|Helsingfors.ogg}} <small>or</small> {{IPA|sv|hɛlsɪŋˈfɔʂː||sv-Helsingfors.ogg}}) represents the original official name of the city of Helsinki (in the very beginning, in the form 'Hellssingeforss'). The Finnish language form of the city's name probably originates from 'Helsinga' and similar names used for the river currently known as Vantaanjoki, as documented as early as the 14th century. ''Helsinki'' (pronounced with the stress on the first syllable: {{IPA|fi|ˈhelsiŋki||fin-Helsinki.ogg}}), refers to the city in all languages except Swedish and Norwegian. ''Helsingfors'' comes from the name of the surrounding parish, ''Helsinge'' (source for Finnish ''Helsinki'') and the rapids (in Swedish: ''fors''), which flowed through the original village. The name ''Helsinge'' possibly originated with medieval Swedish settlers who came from [[Hälsingland]] in Sweden. Another possible derivation looks to the Swedish word ''hals'' (neck), referring to the narrowest part of the river, i.e. the rapids.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://veta.yle.fi/svenskfinland/artikel.php?id=23&subject=mellannyland |title=Utbildning & Vetenskap: Svenskfinland |publisher=Veta.yle.fi |access-date=8 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512081641/http://veta.yle.fi/svenskfinland/artikel.php?id=23&subject=mellannyland |archive-date=12 May 2008 }}
</ref>
*[[Ostrobothnia (historical province)|Ostrobothnia]] (or in Swedish: ''Österbotten'') – "Eastern Bothnia". Bothnia is a [[Latin]]ization of [[Old Norse]] ''botn'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://runeberg.org/svetym/0146.html|title=58 (Svensk etymologisk ordbok)|first=Elof|last=Hellquist|date=20 October 1922|website=runeberg.org}}</ref> meaning "bottom". The name ''botn'' was applied to the Gulf of Bothnia as ''Helsingjabotn'' in [[Old Norse]], after [[Hälsingland]], which at the time referred to the coastland west of the gulf. Later, ''botten'' was applied to the regions [[Västerbotten]] on the western side and [[Ostrobothnia (administrative region)|Österbotten]] the eastern side ("East Bottom" and "West Bottom"). The Finnish name of Österbotten, ''Pohjanmaa'', or "Pohja"-land, gives a hint as to the meaning in both languages: ''pohja'' means both "bottom" and "north".
*[[Åland]] – "Waterland", from the proposed Germanic root ''*ahw-'', [[cognate]] with [[Latin language|Latin]] ''aqua'' and meaning "water".{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} ''Ahvenanmaa'', its [[Finnish language|Finnish]] name means "Land of [[European perch|Perch]]" and is partially borrowed, partially [[folk etymology|folk-etymologized]] from Germanic.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}
*[[Finland Proper (historical province)|Finland Proper]]: The first part of Finland to be colonised by Swedes, therefore called Finland, later the name Finland was extended to all the country.
*[[Uusimaa]] (Swedish: ''Nyland''): means ''New Land'', reflects the colonisation around the 13th-14th century.
*[[Lapland (Finland)|Lapland]]: land of the Lappi (the [[Sami people]]), same word as [[Lapland (Sweden)]]
==
===Historic regions===
Most modern French [[Departments of France|départements]] take their names from local geographical features: usually rivers, occasionally mountain ranges or coasts. Thus most such names have a self-evident immediate origin. The traditional provinces and regions (of any period) often bear names with richer but more obscure histories.
*[[Alsace]] – from [[Latin]] ''Alsatia'', a Latinised form of the Germanic name that also yields Old High German ''El-sasz'' (modern German ''Elsass''), allegedly meaning "foreign settlement" (according to the [[OED]] article on "Alsatia"<ref>{{cite book
|title=Oxford English Dictionary
|url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordenglishdic0006unse
|url-access=registration
|edition=2nd
|year=1989
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|___location=Oxford
|isbn=0-19-861186-2
|chapter="Alsatia"
|quote=[L. form of El-sasz, i.e. foreign settlement, Fr. Alsace.]
}}
</ref>); or "settlement on the [[Ill (France)|Ill]] River"{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}}
* [[Artois]] – from [[Latin]] ''Atrebatensis'', adjectival form derived the Belgic tribe [[Atrebates]], whose name comes from ''*ad-treb-ates'', meaning 'inhabitants', based on the Celtic root ''treb-'' 'building', 'home' (cf. Old Irish ''treb'' 'building', 'farm', Welsh ''tref'' 'building', Middle Breton ''treff'' 'city', toponyms in ''Tre-'', [[Occitan language|Provençal]] ''trevar'' 'to live in a house or in a village').<ref>Xavier Delamarre, ''Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental'', éditions Errance 2003. p. 300.</ref> According to [[Alexander MacBain]] (d. 1907),<ref name="ReferenceA">MacBain, Alexander. (1982:§1) ''An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language'' Gairm Publications.</ref> the name ''Atrebates'' parallels the Irish ''aitreibh'', 'building,' [[Old Irish|Early Irish]] ''aittreb'', 'building,' and Welsh ''adref'', 'homeward'. McBain states that the [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] root ''treb'' corresponds to Latin ''tribus'', 'tribe', and to English ''thorpe'', 'village'.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> MacBain reconstructs *''ad-treb''- as the [[Proto-Celtic]] form of [[Old Irish|Early Irish]] ''aittreb''.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> The name of the main city of Artois, [[Arras]] (''Atrecht'' in Dutch) derives directly from the tribe's name [[Atrebates]], so ''Artois'' properly means "territory of Arras".
*[[Northern Basque Country|Basque Country]] ({{langx|fr|Pays Basque}}, {{langx|eu|Euskal Herria}}) – derived from the ancient tribe of the [[Vascones]] via the medieval [[Duchy of Vasconia]] and a ''County of Vasconia'', split from it. The Basque name derives from ''Euskara'' (the autochthonous name of the Basque language).
**[[Labourd]] (''Lapurdi''): from the Roman city of Lapurdum (modern [[Bayonne]]).
**[[Lower Navarre]] (French: ''Basse Navarre'', Basque: ''Nafarroa Behera'', ''Benafarroa''). From the medieval [[Kingdom of Navarre]], itself of disputed etymology (either Basque ''nabar'': "brownish, multicolor", also "ploughshare"; or Romance ''nava'': "river bank"; or Basque ''naba'' (valley, plain) + ''herri'' (people, land)). Compare [[Kingdom of Navarre#Etymology]]
**[[Soule]]: deformation of the original Basque name ''Zuberoa'' or ''Xiberue''
* [[Brittany|Brittany (''Bretagne'')]] – area occupied by refugee [[Britons (historic)|Britons]] from [[Roman Empire|Roman]] Britain (''[[Britannia]]'') ''circa'' 500 AD
* [[Burgundy (region)|Burgundy (''Bourgogne'')]] – part of the land settled by the East Germanic [[Burgundians]], who possibly originated on the island now known as [[Bornholm]]. Speakers of Old Norse knew the island as ''Borgundarholm'', and in ancient Danish especially the island's name appears as ''Borghand'' or ''Borghund''; these names relate to Old Norse ''borg'' "height" and ''bjarg/berg'' "mountain, rock", as the island rises high from the sea.<ref>Mallory, J.P. and D.Q. Adams. ''Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture''. London: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1997: p. 269</ref> Other names known for the island include ''Burgendaland'' (9th century), ''Hulmo'' / ''Holmus'' ([[Adam of Bremen]]), ''Burgundehulm'' (1145), and ''Borghandæholm'' (14th century).<ref>Politikens Nudansk Ordborg (1993), 15th edition, entry "Bornholm"{{in lang|da}}</ref> [[Alfred the Great]] uses the form ''Burgenda land''.<ref>King Alfred's Anglo-Saxon version of Orosius, London, 1859, edited by J. Bosworth</ref> Some scholars<ref>''Essai sur l'histoire du peuple burgonde, de Bornholm (Burgundarholm) vers la Bourgogne et les Bourguignons'', 1965, by Rene Guichard, published by A. et J. Picard et Cie. (Paris)</ref> believe that the [[Burgundians]] take their name from the island of Bornholm; they comprised a [[Germanic peoples|Germanic tribe]] which moved west when the western [[Roman Empire]] collapsed, and occupied and named [[Burgundy (region)|Burgundy]] in France in the 5th century CE.
*[[Champagne (province)|Champagne]] – from the [[Latin]] ''campania'' (plain, open country, battlefield). Compare "Campania", [[#Italy|below]].
*[[Corsica|Corsica (''Corse'')]] – possibly from the [[Phoenician languages|Phoenician]] ''Korsai'', which means something like "forest-covered"
*[[Dauphiné]] – from the nickname and [[coat of arms]] of former ruler Guy VIII of Vienne: "dolphin"
*[[Franche-Comté]] – in French, literally the "Free [[County]]" of [[County of Burgundy|Burgundy]] (as opposed to the [[Duchy of Burgundy]])
*[[Gascony|Gascony (''Gascogne'')]] – from the [[Duchy of Vasconia]] (also ''Wasconia''), itself derived from the ancient tribe of the [[Vascones]]. In Latin and Romance languages in medieval times, ''Vascones'' came to apply to all the [[Basque people|Basque-speaking peoples]].
*[[Languedoc]] – the region speaking the ''[[Languedocien|langue d'oc]]'' (as opposed to the regions whose language ([[langue d'oïl]]) developed into modern French)
*[[Limousin (région)|Limousin]] – from an adjective referring to the local centre, [[Limoges]]
*[[Lorraine (région)|Lorraine]] – from the [[Medieval Latin|Mediaeval Latin]] coining ''[[Lotharingia]]'', meaning the lands granted as a kingdom in 855 AD to [[Lothair II of Lotharingia|Lothair]], son of the Holy Roman Emperor [[Lothair I]]
*[[Maine (province)|Maine]] (province/county), from the [[Maine (river)|Maine River]], considered a variant/continuation of the [[Mayenne River]], whose early French name suggests "middle river"
*[[Normandy|Normandy (''Normandie'')]] – land settled by [[Viking]] ''Northmen'' in the early 10th century
*[[Occitania]], from ''Occitània'' in [[Occitan language|Occitan]]. From medieval Latin ''Occitania'' (approximately since 1290). The first part of the name, ''Occ-'', is from Occitan ''[lenga d']òc'' or Italian ''[lingua d']oc'' (i.e. "Language of Òc"), a name given to the Occitan language by [[Dante]] according to its way of saying "yes" (''òc''). The ending ''-itania'' is probably an imitation of the old Latin name ''[Aqu]itania''.
*[[Provence]] – from Latin ''provincia'' (province), short for ''Provincia Narbonensis'', the Roman province located in present-day southern France.
*[[Savoy]] – of unknown origin, but dating to the days of the [[Kingdom of Burgundy]]
===
*[[Clipperton Island]], a territory: From the [[French language|French]] ''Île de Clipperton'', for the [[England|English]] mutineer and pirate [[John Clipperton]] who hid there in 1705.
*[[Europa Island]], a territory: For the [[UK|British]] ship ''Europa'', which visited the island in 1774. For the etymology of Europe, see [[List of continent etymologies]].
*[[French Guiana]], a territory: See [[List of country-name etymologies#F|France]] and [[List of country-name etymologies#G|Guiana]] at [[List of country-name etymologies]].
*[[French Polynesia]], a territory: ''Polynesia'' formed from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''polynesia'' ("many islands"), a [[compound (linguistics)|compound]] of ''polý-'' (πολύ, "many") and ''nēsos'' (νῆσος, "island").
*[[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]], a territory: Self-descriptive. See [[List of country-name etymologies#F|France]] at [[List of country-name etymologies]] and [[List of continent-name etymologies]].
**[[Bassas da India]], part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands: Cartographic errors misspelling original name [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] ''Baixo da Judia'' ("Jewess Shoal") from the name of a Portuguese ship that ran aground on the reef.<ref>Bernardo Gomes de Brito. ''Historia Tragico-Maritima. Em que se escrevem chronologicamente os Naufragios que tiverão as Naos de Portugal, depois que se poz em exercicio a Navegação da India.'' Lisboa, 1735. {{in lang|pt}}</ref>
*[[Glorioso Islands]], a territory: Presumably from their glorious appearance.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}
*[[Guadeloupe]], a territory: From [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''Guadalupe'', bestowed by [[Christopher Columbus]] in 1493 in honor of [[Santa María de Guadalupe]] in [[Extremadura]], Spain.
*[[Juan de Nova]], a territory: For [[João da Nova]], a 15th-century [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portuguese]] explorer-navigator.
*[[Martinique]], a territory: Bestowed by [[Christopher Columbus]] in honor of Saint [[Martin of Tours]] in 1502
*[[Mayotte]], a territory: A French corruption of the native ''Maore'' or ''Mawuti'', sultanates on the island around the year 1500.
*[[New Caledonia]], a territory: "New Scotland" from the [[Latin language|Latin]] ''Caledonia'', bestowed by [[UK|British]] captain [[James Cook]] in 1774 after a supposed resemblance. For further etymology of "Caledonia", see Scotland [[#United Kingdom|below]].
*[[Réunion]], a territory: Selected in 1793 to commemorate the union of revolutionaries from [[Marseille]] with the [[French National Guard]] in [[Paris]] on 10 August 1792. (For earlier names, see [[History of Réunion]].)
*[[Territorial Collectivity of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon]] ({{langx|fr|Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon}}), an [[overseas collectivity]]:
**Saint Pierre: From the [[French language|French]] for "[[Saint Peter]]", patron of fishermen.
**Miquelon: From the [[Basque language|Basque]] for "Michael", possibly for [[Michael (archangel)|Saint Michael]], published by [[Martin de Hoyarçabal]]'s pilot in 1579 as ''Micquetõ'' and ''Micquelle'', after which it evolved over time into ''Miclon'', ''Micklon'', and finally ''Miquelon''.
*[[Tromelin Island]]: From the [[French language|French]] '' Île Tromelin'' in honor of the [[Chevalier de Tromelin]], a [[French Navy|French Royal Navy]] officer who commanded the French [[corvette (ship)|corvette]] ''[[La Dauphine]]'' which visited the island in 1776.<ref>UNESCO in Action. "[http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=26887&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html The shipwrecked memory of the ''L'Utile'' slaves] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314074609/http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID%3D26887%26URL_DO%3DDO_TOPIC%26URL_SECTION%3D201.html |date=14 March 2010 }}."</ref>
* [[Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands]] ({{langx|fr|Territoire des îles Wallis et Futuna}}), an [[overseas collectivity]]:
**Futuna: From an endonym derived from the local ''futu'' ("[[Fish-poison tree]]")<ref>Smith, S. Percy. "Futuna, or Horne Island, and Its People". ''The Journal of the Polynesian Society'', Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 33{{spaced ndash}}52. 1892</ref>
**Wallis: for the [[UK|British]] explorer [[Samuel Wallis]], who sailed there in 1797.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}
==
=== States ===
*[[Baden-Württemberg]]: formed by combining the names of the former states of [[Baden]] and of [[Württemberg]].
**Baden: after the city of [[Baden-Baden]], formerly ''Baden'', the name became reduplicated to distinguish it from the state (as in "Baden in Baden"). The name means "baths", after the springs in the city.
**Württemberg: after Württemberg Castle, which stood on the Württemberg, a hill in [[Stuttgart]], formerly ''Wirtemberg'', further origin uncertain (''-berg'' means "mountain")
*[[Bavaria]] (German ''Bayern''): the state of Bavaria developed out of the tribe of the [[Baiuvarii]], who probably gained their name from the land of [[Bohemia]]
*[[Brandenburg]]: after the city of [[Brandenburg (town)|Brandenburg]]. The earlier [[Slavic language|Slavic]] name of the castle (''Burg'') of Brandenburg appears as ''Branibor'' (Slavic for "Branim's forest", where ''bor'' means "a dense forest").
*[[Hamburg]]: from the 9th-century name ''Hammaburg'', where ''Hamma'' has multiple conflicting interpretations, but ''burg'' means "castle".
*[[Hesse]]: after the tribe of the [[Chatti]]
*[[Lower Saxony]] (German ''Niedersachsen''): after the tribe of the [[Saxons]]. "Lower Saxony" became differentiated in modern times from the state of [[Saxony]] to its southeast. The word "lower" reflects Lower Saxony's ___location in the lowlands of the [[North German Plain]], as opposed to Saxony, which has a higher elevation. See below for etymology of "Saxony".
*[[Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania]] ([[German language|German]]) ''Mecklenburg-Vorpommern''): formed geographically by joining [[Mecklenburg]] with the western part of [[Pomerania]], also called ''Hither Pomerania''.
**Mecklenburg takes its name from Mecklenburg Castle in [[Dorf Mecklenburg]] (''Burg'' means "castle" in German, the first part means "big": compare [[Middle Low German]] ''mekel'', cognate with English ''mickle''—"big castle").
**''Pomerania'' (German ''Pommern'') comes from [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] roots meaning "near the sea" (in Slavic languages ''more'' means "sea"): the standard modern Polish name for the region, ''Pomorze'', demonstrates this well.
* [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] (German ''Nordrhein-Westfalen'')—geographically formed by joining the northern part of the [[Rhineland]] (after the River [[Rhine]]) with [[Westphalia]].
** The name of the Rhine derives from [[Gaulish]] ''Renos'', and ultimately from the [[Proto-Indo-European root]] *''reie-'' ("to move, flow, run"); words like ''river'' and ''run'' share the same root.<ref name=etym>{{cite web |url= http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Rhine |title=Rhine |work=Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=10 February 2009 |publisher=Douglas Harper |date=November 2001}}</ref> The [[Reno River]] in Italy shares the same etymology.<!--Maybe not the Gaulic bit though--> The spelling with -h- suggests a borrowing from the Greek form of the name, ''Rhenos'',<ref name=etym/> seen also in ''rheos'', "stream", and ''rhein'', "to flow".
** Westphalia formed the westernmost subdivision of the [[Saxons|Saxon]] tribe; the origin of the second part (''-falen'' in German) remains unknown
* [[Rhineland-Palatinate]] (German ''Rheinland-Pfalz''): formed geographically by joining parts of the [[Rhineland]] (see above under North Rhine-Westphalia) with the [[Palatinate region|Rhenish Palatinate]], formerly a [[palatine county]] located near the Rhine, meaning that its count administered a palace of the [[Holy Roman Emperor]].
** The word Palatinate derives from [[Latin]] ''palatinus'' "imperial", from ''palatium'' "palace", after the ___location of the palace of the Roman Emperor [[Caesar Augustus|Augustus]] on the [[Palatine Hill]] in Rome
*[[Saarland]]: after the [[Saar River]]
*[[Saxony]] (German ''Sachsen''): land of the [[Saxons]] (possibly the "sword-folk"). The state of Saxony developed out of the Saxon tribe, which principally inhabited present-day [[Lower Saxony]]; during the Middle Ages and early modern times, the name migrated to the current ___location of the state of Saxony
*[[Saxony-Anhalt]] (German, ''Sachsen-Anhalt''): formed geographically by joining the Prussian [[Province of Saxony]] (see above under Saxony) with [[Anhalt]]
**Anhalt takes its name from Anhalt Castle near [[Harzgerode]]; the origin of the name of the castle remains unknown
*[[Schleswig-Holstein]]: created by joining [[Schleswig]] and [[Holstein]].
**Schleswig takes its name from the [[City of Schleswig]], which in turn derives its name from the [[Schlei]] bay and the [[Low German]] word ''wig'' for "trading place".
** "Holstein" comes from a [[Saxon people|Saxon]] subtribe named, in Latin, [[Holcetae]], whose means "dwellers in the wood" (Northern Low Saxon: ''Hol(t)saten''; German: ''Holzsassen'').
* [[Thuringia]] (German ''Thüringen'') – after the tribe of the [[Thuringii]].
===Historic regions===
* [[Braunschweig (region)|Brunswick]] (German: ''Braunschweig''): from the town of [[Braunschweig|Brunswick]], possibly originating as "Bruno's ''wik''" (Bruno's marketplace) (with reference to the legendary founder [[Bruno, Duke of Saxony]], died 880, or another Bruno) or as "burnt ''wik''"); the High German form ''Braunschweig'' is an erroneous translation of the original [[Low German language|Low German]] ''Brunswick''
* [[Franconia]] (German: ''Franken''): from the traditional designation "[[Franks]]", referring especially to the [[Eastern Francia|Kingdom of the East Franks]]. The name refers to those areas east of the [[Rhine]] that were first occupied by the Franks, as opposed to areas that were held by the [[Swabians]], [[Bavarians]] or [[Saxons]].
* [[Province of Hohenzollern|Hohenzollern]]: ultimately from the names of [[Hohenzollern Castle]] and its ___location, Mount Hohenzollern (known locally as ''Zoller'' or ''Zollern''). The lexeme ''hoh''/''hohen'' in German means "high/height".
*[[Duchy of Oldenburg|Oldenburg]], after the city of [[Oldenburg (city)|Oldenburg]], first recorded in 1108 as the town of ''Aldenburg'', subsequently also a county, duchy, grand duchy and republic, meaning "old castle"
*[[Prussia]] (German: ''Preußen'') – (at times historically connected with Germany or with parts thereof): from the people known as the [[Old Prussians|Prussians]], a grouping of western [[Balts|Balt]] peoples whose collective name (German: ''Prussen'' or anciently ''Pruzzen'') may possibly derive from an [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] root meaning "swamp": see [[Old Prussians]]; for political reasons, the electors of [[Electorate of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]] decided to name themselves kings of [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] in the 18th century; in this way, they transferred the name of the remote eastern region to a major German state
* [[Swabia]] (German: ''Schwaben'' or ''Schwabenland''): after the tribe of the [[Suebi]] whose name may come from [[Proto-Germanic]] *''swēbaz'' based on the [[Proto-Germanic]] [[Root (linguistics)|root]] *''swē-'' meaning "one's own" [people],<ref name="urnordisk">
{{cite web|last=Peterson |first=Lena |title=Swābaharjaz |work=Lexikon över urnordiska personnamn |publisher=Institutet för språk och folkminnen, Sweden |url=http://www.sofi.se/images/NA/pdf/urnord.pdf |pages=16 |access-date=11 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518012642/http://www.sofi.se/images/NA/pdf/urnord.pdf |archive-date=18 May 2011 }} (Text in Swedish); for an alternative meaning, as "free, independent" see {{Citation | last=Room | first=Adrian | contribution=Swabia, Sweden | title=Placenames of the World: Origins and Meanings of the Names for 6,600 Countries, Cities, Territories, Natural Features and Historic Sites: Second Edition | publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers | year=2006 | ___location=Jefferson, North Carolina, and London | pages=363, 364 | isbn=0-7864-2248-3}}; compare [[Suiones]].
</ref> from an [[Proto-Indo-European language|Indo-European]] root *swe-,<ref>{{cite web|last=Pokorny |first=Julius |author-link=Julius Pokorny |title=Root/Lemma se- |work=Indogermanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch |publisher=Indo-European Etymological Dictionary (IEED), Department of Comparative Indo-European Linguistics, Leiden University |pages=882–884 |url=http://www.indoeuropean.nl/cgi-bin/startq.cgi?flags=endnnnl&root=leiden&basename=%5Cdata%5Cie%5Cpokorny |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809064309/http://www.indoeuropean.nl/cgi-bin/startq.cgi?flags=endnnnl&root=leiden&basename=%5Cdata%5Cie%5Cpokorny |archive-date=9 August 2011 }} Some related English words include ''sibling, sister, swain, self''.
</ref> the third-person [[reflexive pronoun]].
==Greece==
*[[Arcadia (regional unit)|Arcadia]]: from [[Arcas]], the legendary eponymous leader of early Hellenic settlers
*[[Sparta]]: from Greek Σπάρτη ''spartē'', a cord or rope made from the shrub ''spartos'', a type of broom
*[[Macedonia (Greece)|Macedonia]], from Greek mak- (long, tall)—'highland'.
==India (Republic of India)==
See [[List of Indian state and union territory name etymologies]].
==Indonesia==
*[[Aceh]]: name of the [[Acehnese people|coastal people]] of the area (the main group inhabiting the inland area are the [[Gayo people]]).
*[[Banten]]: named in the honor of the former [[Banten Sultanate]], which ruled over the region from 16th to the 18th centuries and became one of the main fronts of opposition against the colonial might of the [[Dutch East India Company]] (VOC).
*[[Bengkulu]]: named after the Bengkulu river, which passes through the area of the province. The name of ''Bengkulu'' itself comes from the Malay word ''bangkai'' meaning "corpse", and ''hulu'' meaning "river-source"—it refers to the story that in the past the area near the source of the river Bengkulu had often served as a battlefield—tribes and clans battled each other on the river banks leaving them full of corpses and blood.
*[[Gorontalo (province)|Gorontalo]]: from the Dutch version of the local phrase ''hulontalo'', meaning "lands surrounded by water" due to the many lakes and rivers formerly in the area
*[[Irian Jaya]]: The name ''Irian'' is said to come from the [[Biak language]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2007}} An alternative etymology for ''Irian'' stems from the acronym ''Ikut Republik Indonesia, Anti Nederland'' ("Join/Follow the Republic of Indonesia, rejecting The Netherlands) (see the article on the [[Papua (province)|Province of Papua]]—{{as of|2009|lc=on}} the official Indonesian and internationally recognized name for ''Irian Jaya'').{{Citation needed|date=March 2007}} The word ''jaya'' means "victory" or "glorious" in [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]], referring to the Indonesian victory over the colonisers who controlled the area both militarily and diplomatically, a sign of pride as the Indonesians showed themselves capable not only of defending their lands from the Dutch attempt to reestablish colonial rule after World War II, but also of taking over lands not included in the 1945 proclamation or the 1950 reunification, specifically ''Irian Jaya'' or the province of Papua.
*[[Jakarta]]: from the Javanese words ''jaya'' (meaning "victory") and ''karta'' (meaning "glory"), which make up the phrase "victorious & glorious; this refers to the victory of Prince Pati Unus (also known as [[Fatahillah]]) of the [[Demak Sultanate]] in his campaign to defeat the rival [[Malacca Sultanate|Malacca]] Sultanate of the [[Malay Peninsula]] and [[Samudera Pasai]] Sultanate of [[Aceh]] region in the mid-16th century. The "glorious victory" also refers to the event of [[Indonesian Proclamation of Independence]] on 17 August 1945 which took place in the city.
*[[Jambi]]: the province takes its name from the historical [[Jambi Sultanate]] which ruled over the area from the 17th to the 19th centuries
*[[Lampung]]: From the word "Lambung" in the Old Malay phrase ''anjak Lambung'', which means "descended from the heights". This refers to the ancestral riddle of the Lampung people, who allegedly had ancestors "descended from the heights". The "heights" reference the southernmost part of the Barisan mountain range that runs through all the western part of the Lampung province.
*[[Nusa Tenggara]]: from ''Nusa'' meaning "islands" (referring to the Lesser Sunda Islands that make up the area) and ''tenggara'' meaning "south-east" (referring to the position of the area within the country).
*[[Sumatra]]: from [[Ibn Battuta]]'s 14th-century pronunciation of the name of the [[Pasai|Samudra Kingdom]] (13th to 15th centuries CE)
*[[Yogyakarta]]: From 'Jogja' and 'Karta'. Jogja is a Javanised version of a [[Sanskrit]] word, 'Ayodhya', the prefix A- meaning 'not' and 'Yodhya' is synonymous to Hindi 'Yuddha', meaning battle, combat, fight, or war. Thus Ayodhya, which later Javanised into Jogja, meant 'The place of no fight' or in simpler interpretation, peaceful. This may refer to the geographic ___location of Jogjakarta, being fortified naturally by the Java Sea to the South, the Merapi Mountain to the north, the Gunung Sewu Karst Mountains to the east and Progo River to the west where it would be the perfect fortress of peace, and even more supported as a breeding place of peaceful life with its rich and fertile volcanic land and rivers, sourcing up to the majestic Merapi. The word 'Karta' means glory, referring to a hope that this city would bring glory to its people.
==Iran (Persia)==
*[[Lorestan]]: land of the [[Lurs]]
*[[Mazendran]]: its combination of 3 words: Mad (female, mother, mater) and Zainthi (wisdom, knowledge, science) Eran (aryans), Both MAD and Eran is either suffix or prefix of many places in greater Iran or Persia Europeans called + upper India
==Iraq==
*[[Iraqi Kurdistan]]: The name Kurdistan literally means Land of the Kurds, believed to mean nomad in the [[Proto-Iranian language]]. In the Iraqi Constitution, it is referred to as Kurdistan Region.[5] The full name of the government is "Kurdistan Regional Government" (abbrev: KRG).
==Ireland (Éire)==
*[[Connacht]]: ''Connachta'' in Irish. "Descendants of Conn". From the Irish [[Connachta]] people, who all claimed descent from the High King [[Conn of the Hundred Battles|Conn Cétchathach]], Conn of the Hundred Battles.
*[[Leinster]]: ''Laighin'' in Irish. From the Irish [[Laigin]] people, named after ''láigne'', the broad blue-grey iron spearheads they carried, and Old Norse ''staðr'', meaning place or territory.
*[[Munster]]: ''Mhumhain'' in Irish. From the Gaelic goddess Muman and the old Norse ''staðr'', meaning place or territory.
*[[Ulster]]: ''Ulaidh'' in Irish. From the Irish [[Ulaid]] people, whose name probably comes from Old Irish ''ul'', "beard", and old Norse ''staðr'', meaning place or territory.
*[[County Meath|Meath]]: ''Mide'' in Irish. "Middle" in Old Irish. No longer a province of Ireland.
{{See also|Etymological list of counties of Ireland}}
==Italy==
* [[Abruzzo]]: ''Aprutium'' in medieval Latin ([[6th century]]), a name by which the "County of Teramo" was known; in turn, Aprutium perhaps derives from the ancient people of [[Praetutii]], who inhabited the territory in pre-Roman times.
* [[Aosta Valley]] (Valle d'Aosta): From the valley where [[Aosta]] rises, which owes its name to its ancient Latin name of ''Augusta Pretoria.''
* [[Apulia]] (Puglia): From ''Apulia'', a toponym used in pre-Roman times to indicate a territory corresponding to the current north-central Apulia. In turn, ''Apulia'' derived from the indigenous toponym "''Japudia''" (parallel to the Greek term Ἰαπυγία, then Latinized to lapygia), with a passing from D to L, typical of italic languages or, more precisely, Osco-Sabellic.
* [[Basilicata]]: From the Greek ''basilikos'' (royal, imperial), appeared during the [[7th century]] and used to designate Bizantine Themi governors. ''Basilikos'' means "King official", being adjective of ''basileus'', "king"; Basilicata is a term referred to the period when the region belonged to the Eastern Roman Empire. In ancient times it was also known as "''Lucania''", a term that either originated from the pre-Romani people named Lucani (who took their name from the eponymous hero Lucus or by the Latin term "''lucus''", meaning sacred wood) or by the Greek for wolf: ''lykos''. Another supported theory indicates that the term may have originated from the ancient Anatolian people of Lici, which would be established in the area of their original land: ''Licia''.
* [[Calabria]]: a Roman times toponym at the time referred to the [[Salentine Peninsula]], now part of [[Apulia]], that may be originated from a pre-Indo-European mediterranean root cal-/cala- or calabra/galabra-, meaning "rock", "calcareous concretion".
* [[Campania]]: From the homonymous Latin name, coming from the [[Campanians]] people, the ethnonym would come from ''campus'', "open field, countryside", since this people was completely dedicated to agriculture; the first meaning of the Region name was the equivalent of "Land of Work", a name that was given to it for the same reason. Compare "Champagne", [[#France|above]].
* [[Emilia-Romagna]]: Emilia derives from the [[Via Aemilia]], a main trading route, that takes its name from its builder, Marco Emilio Lepido, from the ''[[Aemilia gens]].'' Romagna derives from Romania (Roman territory).
* [[Friuli-Venezia Giulia]]; Friuli derives from Latin Forum Iulii "Forums of Giulio", name of [[Cividale del Friuli]], in honour of [[Julius Caesar]]; Venezia Giulia was instead proposed by [[Graziadio Isaia Ascoli]], to identify all the areas inhabited by Italian people but still in the hands of the [[Austro-hungarian empire]] after [[1866]].
* [[Lazio]]: From Latin "''Latium"'', given to the Region by the [[Latins (Italic tribe)]]; in turn the toponym may be deriving from the size of their territory, being it wide, flat or large (''latus'' in Latin). [[Ovid]] hints at perhaps a slightly more sophisticated [[folk etymology]], with a legend of the naming of Latium after [[Saturn (mythology)|Saturn]] ''latente deo'' (as a god in hiding) after he allegedly fled to Italy following his expulsion by [[Jupiter (god)|Jupiter]]. Modern linguists postulate origins in a [[Proto-Indo-European language]] (PIE) root ''*stela-'' (to spread, extend), expressing the idea of "flat land" (in contrast to the local [[Sabine]] high country). But the name may originate from an earlier, non-Indo-European one. See the [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=latium&searchmode=none Online Etymological Dictionary].
* [[Liguria]]: From the homonymous Latin toponym, the ancient pre-Romani people of [[Ligures]], in greek Λιγυες, Ligues and in Latin ''Ligures'', of uncertain origin, mentioned from the [[7th century BC]] to the [[5th century BC]].
* [[Lombardy]]: from the medieval Latin "''Langobardia''", Land of the [[Lombards]], a germanic population that invaded the Italian peninsula in [[568]], making [[Pavia]] its own reign capital.
* [[Marche]]: from the plural of ''Marca'', identifying a frontier territory, developed to designate the territory on a political and administrative level during the early Middle Ages, referring to the period in which the Region was at the border of [[Charlemagne]] Empire during the [[8th century]].
* [[Molise]]: Derives from a toponym registered for the first time during the early Middle Ages, indicating a [[Normans]]' county, like "''Castello di Molise" (Molise Castle''), which name may be originated from the Latin "''Molensis''".
* [[Piedmont]]: From the expression that alludes to the Region morphology, ''at the foot of the mountains'', particularly at the foot of the [[Western Alps]].
* [[Sardinia]]: From the Latin ''Sardinia'' and the name of its ancient inhabitants, Sardi. It is unclear how those populations did define themselves, while it is possible that the etnonym derived from [[Sherden]] people.
* [[Sicily]]: From the Latin ''Sicilia'' and the Greek ''Sikelia'', by the name of the people who inhabited the island, [[Sicels]], who may had originated from the centre of Italy but moved then to the eastern side of Trinacria. Yet since the [[2nd century BC]], the Latin term ''Siculus'' has lost every ethnolinguistic connotation, indicating who is born or lives on the island.
* [[Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol]]: Trentino derived from the Latin ''Tridentinus'', adjective of ''Tridentum'', [[Trento]], identifying the area of its [[Autonomous province]]. Alto Adige alludes to the upper course of the river [[Adige]] and identifies the area of [[Bolzano]]'s Autonomous province.
* [[Tuscany]]: From the medieval Latin "''Tuscania''", having as an adjective ''Tuscanus'', from the late Latin ''Tuscia'', from the adjective ''Tuscus,'' plural ''Tusci'', in turn from a previous ''Truscus'', shortening of ''Etruscus'', plural ''Etrusci, [[Etruscan civilization]],'' the inhabitants of the Region during the pre-Roman times.
* [[Umbria]]: From the Latin ''Umbria'', from the ancient [[Umbri]] people; it's unclear the provenance of their etnonym. An hypothesis was proposed by [[Pliny the Elder]] in the "[[Natural History (Pliny)]]": "The umbrian population is estimated to be the most ancient of Italy; in facts, we believe that Umbri have been called ''Ombrii'' by the Greeks, since they may be survived to the rains when their land was flooded by the Flood". "''Ombros''" in Greek and "Imbris" in Latin means "rain, downpour".
* [[Veneto]]; From the ancient pre-Roman [[Adriatic Veneti]], also known as ''Paleoveneti'', mentioned by some main historical figures like: [[Julius Caesar]], [[Tacitus]] and [[Pliny the Elder]]; the Indo-European root detected at the origin of this name is ''wen'', to love, so Veneti may be the "''lovely and friendly ones''".
==Japan==
{{See also|List of Japanese prefectural name etymologies}}
===Main Islands===
*[[Honshu]]: "Main [[zhou (country subdivision)|Province]]" in [[Japanese language|Japanese]]
*[[Kyushu]]: "Nine Provinces" in Japanese, in reference to the [[Chikuzen Province|Chikuzen]], [[Chikugo Province|Chikugo]], [[Hizen Province|Hizen]], [[Higo Province|Higo]], [[Buzen Province|Buzen]], [[Bungo Province|Bungo]], [[Hyūga Province|Hyūga]], [[Ōsumi Province|Ōsumi]], and [[Satsuma Province|Satsuma]] provinces of 7th-century [[Saikaidō]] (''See:'' [[Gokishichidō]])
*[[Shikoku]]: "Four States" in Japanese, in reference to the [[Awa Province (Tokushima)|Awa]], [[Tosa Province|Tosa]], [[Sanuki Province|Sanuki]] and [[Iyo Province|Iyo]] provinces of 7th-century [[Nankaidō]] (''See:'' [[Gokishichidō]])
*[[Hokkaido]]: "Northern Sea [[circuit (administrative division)|Circuit]]" in Japanese, a compromise archaism selected by bureaucrats during the [[Meiji Restoration]] (''See:'' [[Hokkaido#Naming of Hokkaido|Naming of Hokkaido]])
==Korea==
*[[Chungcheong-do|Chungcheong]] – from the first characters in the city names [[Chungju]] and [[Cheongju]].
*[[Gangwon-do (South Korea)|Gangwon]] (South Korea) /[[Kangwon (North Korea)|Kangwŏn]] ([[North Korea]]) – from the first characters in the city names [[Gangneung]] and [[Wonju]].
*[[Gyeonggi]] – the [[Hanja]] for the name mean "area around the capital", referring to the ___location of the province around [[Seoul]], South Korea
*[[Gyeongsang]] – from the first characters in the city names [[Gyeongju]] and [[Sangju]].
*[[Hamgyong Province|Hamgyŏng]] – from the first characters in the city names [[Hamju]] and [[Kyŏngsŏng]] (?).
*[[Hwanghae]] – from the first characters in the city names [[Hwangju]] and [[Haeju]].
*[[Jeolla]] – from the first characters in the city names [[Jeonju]] and [[Naju]] (The first character of Naju is actually "ra"—"r" changes to "n" in the initial position, and the combination "nr" changes to "ll" due to phonological characteristics of the [[Korean language]]).
*[[Pyongan|P'yŏngan]] – from the first characters in the city names [[Pyongyang|P'yŏngyang]] and [[Anju (city)|Anju]].
==Laos==
*[[Attapeu province|Attapeu]] (ອັດຕະປື) – from "Idkabue" (meaning, 'buffalo dropping').
*[[Bokeo province|Bokeo]] (ບໍ່ແກ້ວ) – Bo (ບໍ່) in Lao can mean "source", and keo or kaew (ແກ້ວ) in Lao means "Gem".
*[[Bolikhamxai province|Bolikhamxai]] (ບໍລິຄໍາໄຊ) –
*[[Champasak province|Champasak]] (ຈຳປາສັກ) –
*[[Houaphanh province|Huaphanh]] (ຫົວພັນ) –
*[[Khammouane province|Khammuan]] (ຄໍາມ່ວນ) – Kham (ຄໍາ) in Lao means "gold", and Muan (ມ່ວນ) in Lao means "Joyous"
*[[Luang Namtha province|Luang Namtha]] (ຫລວງນໍ້າທາ) – means "royal sugar palm" or "royal green river"
*[[Luang Prabang province|Luang Prabang/Luang Phabang]] (ຫລວງພະບາງ) – Luang (ຫລວງ) in Lao means "Large" or "Grand", and Phabang (ພະບາງ) is the name of the buddha image which the city is named after.
*[[Oudomxay province|Udomxai]] (ອຸດົມໄຊ) –
*[[Phongsaly province|Phongsali]] (ຜົ້ງສາລີ) –
*[[Salavan Province|Salavan]] – one million days
*[[Savannakhet province|Savannakhet]] (ສະຫວັນນະເຂດ) – derives from ''Savanh Nakhone'' ('heavenly district' or 'land of fertility suitable for agriculture'). Savanh (ສະຫວັນ) in Lao means "Heaven" and Nakhet (ນະເຂດ) in Lao means "District"
*[[Vientiane|Vientiane/Vieng Chan]] (ວຽງຈັນ) – city of sandalwood. Vieng (ວຽງ) in Lao means "city" and Chan (ຈັນ) in Lao means "Moon" or "Sandalwood"
*[[Sainyabuli province|Sainyabuli]] (ໄຊຍະບູລີ) – The name is derived from the Sanskrit words sena ('army') and puri ('city').
*[[Sekong province|Xekong]] (ເຊກອງ) –
*[[Xaisomboun province|Xaisomboun]] (ໄຊສົມບູນ) –
*[[Xiangkhouang province|Xieng Khwang]] (ຊຽງຂວາງ) – Xieng or Xiang (ຊຽງ) in Lao means "City" and Khwang (ຂວາງ) in Lao means "Horizontal"
==Malaysia==
*[[Alor Star]] – ''alor'' in Malay means "furrow", while ''star'' refers to a kind of tree (''Bouea macrophylla'') that bears small, sour fruit known as ''kundang'' or ''remia'' in [[Malay language|Malay]]
*[[Cyberjaya]] – Malay: "cyber excellence", a reference to the city's designation as the "[[Silicon Valley]] of Malaysia"
*[[Ipoh]] – named after the [[Upas tree|''ipoh'' tree]] whose poisonous sap the [[Orang Asli]] used to coat their [[blowdarts|blowpipe darts]] with
*[[Johor]] – from Arabic ''jauhar'', or "precious stones"
*[[Kangar]] – named for the Malay 'kangkok', a kind of [[hawk]] (''Spizaetus Limnaetu'')
*[[Kelantan]] – said to be a corruption of ''gelam hutan'', the Malay name for the ''Melaleuca leucadendron'' tree, also possibly derived from ''kilatan'' ("lightning")
*[[Klang, Malaysia|Klang]] – possibly from [[Mon-Khmer]] ''klong'' or Malay ''kilang'' ("warehouse")
*[[Kota Bharu]] – Malay: "new town/fort"
*[[Kota Kinabalu]] - The word of "kota" means city in Malay while the word of "kinabalu" derived from the Kadazandusun ''aki nabalu'' ("grandfather" for ''aki'', and "mountain" for ''nabalu'')
*[[Kuala Lumpur]] – Malay: "muddy confluence", a reference to the founding of the city at the confluence of [[Gombak River]] and [[Klang River]]
*[[Kuching]] - Malay: "cat", but probably a corruption of the Indian ''cochin'' ("port") or a reference to the [[:ms:Pokok Mata Kucing|''mata kucing'' trees]] that used to proliferate where the city grew subsequently
*[[Labuan]] – derived from the Malay ''labuhan'' ("anchorage")
*[[Langkawi]] – Malay for "eagle island", but possibly related to [[Langkasuka]], an ancient Hindu kingdom founded in [[Kedah]] in the 1st century CE
*[[Malacca]] – named by the founder of Malacca, [[Parameswara (sultan)|Parameswara]], after the [[Indian gooseberry|Melaka tree]] under which he sheltered
*[[Negeri Sembilan]] – Malay: "nine states", a reference to the nine original districts (or ''nagari'') settled by the [[Minangkabau people|Minangkabau]]
*[[Penang]] – named after the [[Betel nut|Pinang tree]]
*[[Perak]] – Malay: "silver", from the silvery colour of tin for which the area is known or possibly from the "glimmer of fish in the water"
*[[Putrajaya]] – Malay: literally: "the son's victory"; but taken to mean "princely excellence". Named after the first [[Prime Minister of Malaysia]], [[Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra]], possibly with reference to the planned city's status as the new administration centre for the Federal Government
*[[Selangor]] – possibly from the Malay ''selangau'' ("fly") due to the abundance of flies along the [[Selangor River]]
*[[Sungai Petani]] – literally "farmer river" in Malay, said to originate from the concentration of [[paddy field|paddy-fields]] and [[farmer]]s in the state
*[[Taiping, Perak|Taiping]] – Chinese: "great peace"
==Mexico==
{{See also|Mexican state name etymologies}}
==Mongolia==
*[[Arkhangai Province|Arkhangai]]: from the [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: ''Ar'' (north; back side of a mountain) and [[Khangai Mountains]]
*[[Bayan-Ölgii Province|Bayan-Ölgii]]: from the [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: ''Bayan'' (rich), ''Ölgii'' (cradleregion), a province later built in the 1940s especially for some Kazakh tribes migrated to Mongolia in the early 1910s for land.
*[[Bayankhongor Province|Bayankhongor]]:
*[[Bulgan Province|Bulgan]]: from the [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: ''Darkhan'' (great) and ''Uul'' (mountain)
*[[Darkhan-Uul Province|Darkhan-Uul]]: from the [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: ''Darkhan'' (great) and ''Uul'' (mountain)
*[[Dornod Province|Dornod]]: from the [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: ''Dornod'' (the east)
*[[Dornogovi Province|Dornogovi]]: from the [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: ''Dorno'' (east) and [[Gobi Desert]] (''Govi'' in Mongolian)
*[[Dundgovi Province|Dundgovi]]: from the [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: ''Dund'' (middle) and [[Gobi Desert]] (''Govi'' in Mongolian)
*[[Govi-Altai Province|Govi-Altai]]: after the [[Gobi Desert]] (''Govi'' in Mongolian) and the [[Altai Mountains]]
*[[Govisümber Province|Govisümber]]:
*[[Khentii Province|Khentii]]: after the [[Khentii Mountains]]
*[[Khovd Province|Khovd]]: after [[Khovd River]]
*[[Khövsgöl Province|Khövsgöl]]: after [[Khövsgöl Nuur|Khövsgöl Lake]]
*[[Ömnögovi Province|Ömnögovi]]: from the [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: ''Ömnö'' (South) and [[Gobi Desert]] (''Govi'' in Mongolian)
*[[Orkhon Province|Orkhon]]: after the [[Orkhon River]]
*[[Övörkhangai Province|Övörkhangai]]: from the [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: ''Övör'' (south;front side of a mountain) and [[Khangai Mountains]]
*[[Selenge Province|Selenge]]: after the [[Selenge River]]
*[[Sükhbaatar Province|Sükhbaatar]]: after [[Damdin Sükhbaatar]], a Mongolian military leader in the revolution of independence.
*[[Töv Province|Töv]]: from [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: ''Töv'' (center)
*[[Uvs Province|Uvs]]: after [[Uvs Lake]]
*[[Zavkhan Province|Zavkhan]]: after [[Zavkhan River]]
*[[Ulan Bator]]: from [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: ''Ulaan'' (red), ''[[Baghatur|baatar]]'' (hero)
==Morocco==
*[[Western Sahara]], claimed territory: After its geographic position. "Sahara" derives from the Arabic ''aṣ-Ṣaḥrā''' (الصحراء), meaning "desert". The area is also claimed by the [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic|Sahrawis]].
==Kingdom of the Netherlands==
===Constituent countries===
*[[Aruba]]: Uncertain. One etymology derives from Spanish ''Oro Hubo'' ("there was gold");{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} another cites the [[Arawak people|Arawak]] ''oibubai'' ("guide").{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}
*[[Curaçao]]: Uncertain. One etymology derives from Portuguese ''curaçao'' ("healing");{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} another from Portuguese ''coração'' ("heart");{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} another that it is a local endonym.<ref>Joubert & Van Buurt. 1994.</ref>
*[[Netherlands]] ({{langx|nl|Nederland}}): "Lowlands".<ref>Online Etymology Dictionary. "[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Netherlands Netherlands]". Accessed 16 September 2011.</ref> See [[List of country name etymologies#Netherlands]].
*[[Sint Maarten]]: Southern part of the island of [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]], which was named for Saint [[Martin of Tours]], as it was first sighted by [[Christopher Columbus]] on [[St. Martin's Day]] (11 November), 1493.
===Provinces===
*[[Drenthe]] ([[Dutch Low Saxon]]: ''Drentie''): first mentioned in a Latin document of 820 as ''pago Treanth''. Treanth probably finds its origin in the number three, as the area was then divided in three jurisdictions.
*[[Flevoland]]: from Latin ''Lacus Flevo'' (Lake Flevo), a name used in [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] sources to refer to a body of water at what would later become known as the [[Zuiderzee]]. The Netherlands government established the province in 1986 on lands reclaimed from the Zuiderzee in the 1950s and 1960s.
*[[Friesland]] ({{langx|fy|Fryslân}}): land of the [[Frisians]].
*[[Gelderland]] (also English: ''Guelders''): Named after the modern city of [[Geldern]], Germany.
*[[Groningen (province)|Groningen]] ([[Gronings]]: ''Grönnen'' or ''Grunnen''). Named after [[Groningen (city)|its capital city]]. The origin of the city name is uncertain; theories include an original meaning of "people of Groni" (a man's name) or "green fields".
*[[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]]: Derived from the castle-fortified town of [[Limbourg]] which in turn was derived from "lint" "dragon" and burg "fortress". See also under Belgium.
*[[North Brabant]] ({{langx|nl|Noord-Brabant}}). The name in Carolingian times appeared in Latinised form as ''pagus Bracbatensis'', from ''bracha'' "new" and ''bant'' "region". See also under Belgium.
*[[North Holland]] ({{langx|nl|Noord-Holland}}): Northern part of the region of [[Holland]]. See [[List of country name etymologies#Netherlands]] for the etymology of "Holland".
*[[Overijssel]]: Dutch for "[Lands] across the [[IJssel]] river" (also Latin: "Transiselania")
*[[South Holland]] ({{langx|nl|Zuid-Holland}}): Southern part of the region of [[Holland]]. See [[List of country name etymologies#Netherlands]] for the etymology of "Holland".
*[[Utrecht (province)|Utrecht]]: named after the city of [[Utrecht (city)|Utrecht]], the name of which derives from Latin ''Ultraiectum ad Rhenum'', meaning "place to cross the Rhine river".
*[[Zeeland]] (also English: ''Zealand''): Dutch for "sea land".
===Other names===
*[[Alkmaar]]: from ''Aelcemaer'', meaning 'lake of auks', due to the fact that lakes formerly surrounded the core of Alkmaar—all of them now drained and thus turned into dry land
*[[Amsterdam]]: from ''Amstelredam'', which means "dam over the [[Amstel]]" (the river Amstel flows through present-day Amsterdam)
*[[Netherlands|Batavia]] (Germanic): "arable land" (derived from the regional name "[[Betuwe]]", as opposed to the other regional name "Veluwe" meaning "fallow" or "waste" land). Alternatively: the people known as the Batavians (Latin: ''Batavi'') inhabited the island of ''Betawe'' between the [[Waal River|Waal]] and the [[Rhine]]. The name of the island probably derives from ''batawjō'' ("good island", from Germanic ''bat''—"good, excellent" and ''awjō''—"island, land near water"), referring to the region's fertility.
*[[Bonaire]]: Uncertain, but thought to have been originally derived from the [[Caquetio people|Caquetio]] word ''bonay''. Later Dutch and Spanish colonists modified it, first to Bojnaj and finally to its current name of Bonaire (French: "good air").
*[[Holland]] (part of the Netherlands; but the term often refers to the country as a whole): Germanic "holt (i.e. wooded) land" (often incorrectly regarded as meaning "hollow [i.e. marsh] land")
*[[Netherlands Antilles]], a territory: From their Dutch owners and from a mythical land or island ([[Antillia]]), west of Europe, or a combination of two [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] words ''ante'' or ''anti'' (possibly meaning "opposite" in the sense of "on the opposite side of the world") and ''ilha'' ("island"), currently the name for these Caribbean Islands.
*[[Rotterdam]]: meaning 'dam over the Rotte' (the river Rotte flows through present-day Rotterdam)
*[[Groningen (province)|Stad en Ommelanden]] for the province of Groningen, meaning "city and surrounding lands" and referring to the [[city of Groningen]] and the medieval Frisian lordships west, north and east of the city.
*[[Twente]] (region in the east of the province of Overijssel): from [[Latin]] ''tvihanti'';{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} or after the Germanic tribe the [[Twente|Tubantii]] as described by [[Tacitus]]; or an early form of the current [[Twents]]-language word for a 2-year-old horse: ''Tweanter''.
==New Zealand==
{{See also|List of New Zealand place names and their meanings}}
===Provinces===
*[[Auckland]]: in honour of [[George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland|George Eden]], [[Earl of Auckland]], a patron of [[William Hobson]], who founded and named the city of Auckland. The Earl took his sobriquet from Auckland in [[Durham, England|Durham]], United Kingdom, possibly deriving from the [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] ''Alclet'' or ''Aclet'', or "Cliffs of the Clyde". Although nowhere near the [[River Clyde]], the locality may have had connections with the Celtic kingdom of [[Strathclyde]]; it may have borrowed the name of the Clyde for aesthetic or prestige reasons, as Alclet's river—the [[Gaunless]]—means "useless" in [[Old Norse]]; or a nearby river may have had the name "Clyde"—history does not record the name of the river Gaunless before the Norse named it
*[[Hawke's Bay (region)|Hawke's Bay]]: in honour of [[Edward Hawke]], 1st Baron Hawke of [[Barony of Towton|Towton]]
*[[Marlborough Region|Marlborough]]: to commemorate [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough]]
*[[Nelson, New Zealand|Nelson]]: in honour of [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson]] (the Admiral)
*[[Otago]]: anglicised from the Māori name ''Otakou'', a ''kainga'' east of present-day Otago Harbour, originally meaning "one isolated village" or "place of red earth"
*[[Wellington (region), New Zealand|Wellington]]: in honour of [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]]
===Other categories===
*[[Cook Islands]], a territory: In honor of [[UK|British]] captain [[James Cook]], who discovered the islands in 1770.
*[[Levin, New Zealand|Levin]]: from a director of the railway company that established the town to help boost its railway
*[[Niue]], a territory: ''Niu'' probably means "coconut", and ''é'' means "behold". According to legend, the [[Polynesia]]n explorers who first settled the island knew that they had come close to land when they saw a coconut floating in the water.
*[[Plimmerton]]: from John Plimmer, [[Wellington]] pioneer, director of the railway company that created the seaside resort to help boost its railway; central [[Wellington]] has Plimmer's Steps.
*[[Tasman, New Zealand|Tasman]]: district named from the bay name, in honour of Dutchman [[Abel Tasman]], commander of first European expedition to sight the country; also a [[mountain]] and [[glacier]] name. [[Abel Tasman National Park]] bears a fuller version of his name.
*[[Tokelau]], a territory: From the [[Tokelauan language|Tokelauan]] "North" or "Northern", in reference to their position relative to [[Samoa]]. The Tokelauan people traditionally suppose themselves to have originated from settlers from Samoa.
*[[Waikato]]: Named after the [[Waikato River]]. The hydronym is a [[Māori-language]] word meaning "flowing water".
== Nigeria ==
=== States ===
* [[Adamawa State|Adamawa]]: the state occupies most of the territory of the defunct 19th-century [[Adamawa Emirate]], which stretched from [[North East (Nigeria)|northeastern Nigeria]] to [[Adamawa Region|northern Cameroon]]. The word ''Adamawa'' derives from the name of the founder of the emirate, [[Modibo Adama|Modibbo Adama]]. The original name for the emirate was Fombina (<nowiki>''</nowiki>southlands" in [[Fula language|Fulfulde]]), named by the founder of the [[Sokoto Caliphate]], [[Usman dan Fodio]]. However, it later came to be known as Adamawa, meaning "the people of Adama" in the [[Hausa language]]. The suffix -wa is appended in Hausa to signify the collective identity of 'people of' that place, so, Adamawa means "the people of Adama".<ref name=":0" />
==Norway==
=== Counties ===
* [[Akershus]] – Fortress of (the district) Aker (named after the farm Aker, meaning agriculture field)
* [[Aust-Agder]] – East Agder. Agder has a pre-[[Viking Age]] unknown meaning. Maybe meaning coast, related to English edge.
* [[Buskerud]] – after a farm Buskerud, meaning the Bishops farm (rud more specifically means clearing the wood for farming)
* [[Finnmark]] – Land of the [[Sami people]].
* [[Hedmark]] – Hed comes from the name of an old tribe. [[March (territory)|Mark]] means border land or wood land.
* [[Hordaland]] – land of the [[Charudes]], an old tribe.
* [[Innlandet]] – Inner land, the land away from the coast.
* [[Møre og Romsdal]] – Møre, and Rom valley. Møre probably means sea (land at the sea) and Roms comes from the river [[Rauma (river)|Rauma]], unknown meaning.
* [[Nordland]] – Northern land
* [[Nord-Trøndelag]] – (Self-ruling) country of the Trønder people, northern part.
* [[Oppland]] – the Upper lands
* [[Oslo]] – disputed, maybe "the meadow beneath the ridge", see [[History of Oslo's name]]
* [[Rogaland]] – Land of the [[Rugii]], an old tribe.
* [[Sogn og Fjordane]] – Sogn refers to [[Sognefjord]], "the fjord with tidal stream". Og Fjordane means "and the (other) fjords".
* [[Sør-Trøndelag]] – (Self-ruling) country of the Trønder people, southern part.
* [[Telemark]] – Tele comes from an old tribe. [[March (territory)|Mark]] means border land or wood land.
* [[Troms]] – Unknown
* [[Vest-Agder]] – West Agder. Agder has a pre-[[Viking Age]] unknown meaning. Maybe meaning coast, related to English edge.
* [[Vestfold]] – West (side of) Fold, where Fold means fjord, here the [[Oslo Fjord]].
* [[Vestland]] – Western land, traditional name of the west coast of Southern Norway
* [[Viken (county)|Viken]] – the inlet; old name of the area ([[Viken (region)|Viken]]) around the [[Oslo Fjord]].
* [[Østfold]] – East (side of) Fold, where Fold means fjord, here the [[Oslo Fjord]].
===Territories===
*[[Bouvet Island]] ({{langx|no|Bouvetøya}}), a [[dependent territories of Norway|dependent territory]]: Named after the French explorer [[Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier]], who discovered it in 1739.<ref name="mills">{{cite book | title=Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia, Vol. 1| first=William James | last=Mills | publisher=ABC-CLIO | year=2003 | isbn=1-57607-422-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PYdBH4dOOM4C}}</ref>
*[[Svalbard]], a territory: A [[compound (linguistics)|compound]] of [[Norwegian language|Norse]] roots meaning "cold edge"{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}
==Pakistan==
*[[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] – from the native [[Pashto language]] for "valley of the Pashtuns", who are ethnic [[Afghans]]
*[[Balochistan (Pakistan)|Balochistan]] – Land of the indigenous [[Balochi people]] of the [[Iranian plateau]] that straddles south-east [[Iran]] and south-west Pakistan
*[[Punjab (Pakistan)|Punjab]] – from the [[Persian language|Persian]] for "Land of Five Rivers" in Central Pakistan
*[[Sindh]], '''Sindhustan''' or '''Sindhistan''' – from "Sindhu", the [[Sanskrit]] name for the Land of the [[Indus River]]
*[[Azad Jammu and Kashmir]] – ''Azad'': Urdu, "Free"; "Kashmir"
**[[Hyderabad state]] – From Haydar 'lion' and ābād 'city', after [[Caliph]] [[Ali Ibn Abi Talib]].
==Papua New Guinea==
*[[New Britain]] – in honour of Great Britain. Originally named by [[William Dampier]] in the [[Latin]] form ''Nova Britannia''; called ''Neu-Pommern'' (New [[Pomerania]]) during the period of German colonization until the conquest of the area by Australia in 1914
*[[New Ireland (island)|New Ireland]] – named after Ireland (with the Latin phrase ''Nova [[Hibernia]]'') by [[Philip Carteret]] in 1767 when he established that it differed from nearby [[New Britain]]. (Officially known as New [[Mecklenburg]] (German: ''Neumecklenburg'' or ''Neu-Mecklenburg'') during the period of [[German New Guinea]] from 1885 to 1914.)
==Peru==
{{See also|Peruvian region name etymologies}}
==Philippines==
{{See also|List of Philippine provincial name etymologies}}
==Poland==
*[[Greater Poland]] – from the tribe of [[Polans (western)|Polans]] or from the word "pole" (field) meaning "country of fields" – "Greater" distinguishes it from the whole Polish state
*[[Kuyavia]] – "covered by [[sand dune]]s"
*[[Lesser Poland]] – in contrast with [[Greater Poland]]
*[[Lower Silesia]] – in contrast to [[Upper Silesia]]
*[[Lubusz Land]] – from the town of [[Lebus|Lubusz]]
*[[Masovia]] – "boggy"
*[[Masuria]] – from the [[Masovia]]ns, who settled Masuria
*[[Podlaskie|Podlachia]], "by [[Name of Poland|Lach]]s", i.e., "by [[Polish people|Poles]]"
*[[Polesie]] – "covered by forests"
*[[Pomerania]] – "along the sea"
*[[Silesia]] – from the holy Silesian mountain of [[Ślęża]], which in turn derives its name from the nearby river [[Ślęza]].
*[[Subcarpathian Voivodship|Subcarpathia]] – "at the foot of the [[Carpathian Mountains|Carpathians]]"
*[[Warmia]] – from the [[Old Prussian]] tribe of Varms
==Portugal==
*[[Alentejo]]: meaning "beyond the Tejo (the [[Tagus]] river)"
*[[Algarve]]: meaning "the west" (of the Guadiana River), from the Arab "Al-Gharb"
*[[Azores]]: from Açores (pl.), after the "[[Northern goshawk|açor]]", the Portuguese word for the northern goshawk
*[[Beira, Portugal|Beira]]: quite literally, the "edge" (during the early phase of Portugal's history, Beira formed a borderland)
*[[Estremadura Province (historical)|Estremadura]]: from [[Medieval Latin]] ''Extrema Dorii'' (literally, "extremes of the [[Douro]] river"), referring to the territories south of the Douro basin (see also: [[Extremadura|Spanish Extremadura]])
*[[Madeira]]: "wood"
*[[Minho River|Minho]]: after the river Minho, that passes north of the region
*[[Ribatejo Province|Ribatejo]]: meaning "above the Tejo (the [[Tagus]] river)"
*[[Trás-os-Montes (region)|Trás-os-Montes]]: literally, "behind the mountains", its territory is behind the mountains of [[Serra do Marão]]
==Romania==
{{hatnote|For etymologies of Romanian counties, see [[Etymological list of counties of Romania]]}}
*[[Bessarabia]] – from [[Basarab I]], [[Principality of Wallachia|Wallachian]] prince who led some expeditions in this land
*[[Bukovina]] – (from Serbian Bukovina in German: "''Buchenland''") = "beech land"
*[[Dobruja]] – from [[Dobrotitsa]], ruler of the region in the 14th century<ref>See [[Dobruja#Etymology]] for this and alternative etymology</ref>
*[[Hațeg]] – "''Terra Herzog''"=Duke's land
*[[Muntenia]] – from ''muntean''=man of the mountains, from Romanian ''munte''=mountain
*[[Oltenia]] – from the river [[Olt River|Olt]], called ''Alutus'' by the Romans, possibly from Latin ''lutum'', meaning "mud" or "clay".
*[[Transylvania]] – "beyond the woods"—i.e., from Hungary
**''Ardeal'' – possibly a borrowing of the Hungarian name Erdély, like the Romani name ''Ardyalo''—speakers of old Hungarian pronounced ''Erdély'' as ''Erdél''. The initial Hungarian "e-" occasionally changes to "a-" in Romanian (compare Hungarian ''egres'' "gooseberry" and ''Egyed'', which became ''agriş'' and ''Adjud'' in Romanian). The ending '-eal' in Romanian does not suggest a Romanian borrowing from Hungarian. In parallel examples, Hungarian ''-ely'' becomes ''-ei'' in Romanian. But when Hungarian adopts a word from Romanian, "a" usually becomes "e": ''Andreas'' becomes ''Endre'', the Latin ''ager'' becomes ''eger'', etc. Thus the word ''Ardeal'' could become ''Erdély''. The linguist Josep Lad Pic determined{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} that the word "Ardeal" has an Indo-European origin, while the words ''Erdely'' and ''Erdo'' do not. The Proto-Indo-European root *arde ("to grow", "high") manifests itself in the Old Indian ''árdhuka'' ("prospering"), and in Latin ''arduus'' ("high"). In Celtic Gaul, ''Arduenna silva'' parallels the English "[[Forest of Arden]]" and the Ardennes Woods in Belgium. In Romanian, ''deal'' means "hill" and ''ardica'' "to grow, high, prosperous".
*[[Wallachia]] – "land of the Romance-speaking people"
==Russia==
{{Main|List of Russian federal subject name etymologies}}
*[[Arkhangelsk Oblast]]: the region of the city of [[Arkhangelsk]], whose name the inhabitants traditionally associated with a monastery in the area dedicated to the [[Archangel Michael]] (Russian: Архангел Михаил or ''Arkhangel Mikhail'').
*[[Chechnya]]: the Russian [[ethnonym]] ''[[Chechen people|Chechen]]'' probably derives from the name of the ancient village of [[Chechana]] or [[Chechen-aul]]. The village stands on the bank of the [[Argun River (Caucasus)|Argun River]], near [[Grozny]]. Another theory derives the name from ''chechenit' sya'', "to talk mincingly".<ref>Webster's third international dictionary; [[Merriam-Webster]] 1993, p.381.</ref> [[Max Vasmer|Vasmer]] suggests a [[Kabardian language|Kabardian]] origin: ''šešen''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vasmer|first=Max|author-link=Max Vasmer|title=Russisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch|volume=3|year=1958|publisher=Carl Winter|___location=Heidelberg|language=de|pages=334}}</ref> The native term, ''Noxçi'', comes from ''nexça'' (sheep cheese), ''nox'' (plow) or from the prophet [[Noah]] (''Nox'' in Chechen).
*[[Dagestan]]: the word ''Daghestan'' or ''Daghistan'' ({{langx|av|Дагъистан}}; Arabic and {{langx|fa|داغستان}}) means "country of mountains"; it derives from the Turkic word ''dağ'', meaning "mountain" and the Persian suffix [[-stan|-''stan'']] meaning "land of". The spelling ''Dagestan'' transliterates the Russian name, which lacks the [[voiced velar fricative]].
*[[Kaliningrad Oblast]]: from the Russian name ''Kaliningrad'' (Kalinin-city) of its largest city, renamed in 1946 to commemnorate [[Mikhail Kalinin]]
*[[Kazan Governorate|Kazan]] (former Imperial Russian governorate): (compare the name of the city of [[Kazan]])
*[[Khabarovsk Krai]]: the Khabarovsk region. The city of [[Khabarovsk]] took its name from the explorer [[Yerofey Khabarov]]
*[[Leningrad Oblast]]: from the city ([[Saint Petersburg]]) formerly known as ''Leningrad'' (Russian for [[Vladimir Lenin|Lenin]]-city)
*[[Nizhniy Novgorod]]: Russian: literally "lower Novgorod": for "lower new city", "new city on the Lower Volga"; in contrast to the older [[Novgorod]]
*[[Novaya Zemlya]]: Russian for "new land"
*[[Sakhalin]]: derived from misinterpretation of a Manchu name "sahaliyan ula angga hada" (peak of the mouth of the [[Amur River]]). "Sahaliyan" means "black" in Manchu and refers to the Amur River ([[File:sahaliyan ula.jpg]] ''sahaliyan ula'').
*[[Siberia]]: from a [[Tatar language|Tatar]] word meaning "sleeping land"
*[[Smolensk Oblast]]: from the river Smolnya
*[[Vladikavkaz]]: Russian for "ruler of the [[Caucasus]]" or "rule the Caucasus"
==Slovakia==
*[[Banská Bystrica Region|Banská Bystrica]]: The name includes two distinct roots: the adjective ''Banská'' (from Slovak ''baňa''—"mine") and the name of the local river Bystrica (from Slavic ''bystrica''—"a swift stream").<ref name="krsko">{{cite journal|title=Názvy potokov v Banskej Bystrici a okolí|journal=Bystrický Permon|date=June 2003|first=Jaromír|last=Krško|volume=1|issue=2|pages=8}}</ref> Its name in {{langx|hu|Besztercebánya}} has the same semantic origin. The name literally means "mining creek".
*[[Bratislava Region|Bratislava]]: The first written reference comes from the ''[[Annales Iuvavenses]]'', which calls the locality ''Brezalauspurc'' (literally: [[Braslav, Duke of Lower Pannonia|Braslav]]'s castle), in relation to the battles between the [[Bavaria]] and Hungary, which took place before the walls of [[Bratislava Castle]] in 907.<ref>Janota, ''Bratislavské rarity'', page 152; {{cite web
|url = http://www.visit.bratislava.sk/en/vismo/dokumenty2.asp?id_org=700014&id=1030&p1=1596
|title = Historical calendar
|access-date = 9 April 2008
|publisher=The Official Website of the City of Bratislava
}}</ref> The castle got its name either from Predslav, third son of King [[Svatopluk I]] or from the local noble Braslav.<ref>Lacika, ''Bratislava'', pág. 6; Janota, ''Bratislavské rarity'', pág. 154</ref> This former variant reappears as "Braslav" or "Preslava" on coins minted by King [[Stephen I of Hungary|István I]] of [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungary]], dating to about the year 1000 and in which appeared the motto "Preslavva Civitas".<ref name=spectator>{{cite web
|url = http://travel.spectator.sk/ss2001/bratislava_history.html
|title = Historical melting pot of cultures
|access-date = 9 April 2008
|last = Habšudová
|first = Zuzana
|year= 2001
|work=travel.spectator.sk
}}</ref> At the end of the [[Middle Ages]], the name took its final German form '''Pressburg''': [[Slovak language|Slovak]] of ''Prešporok'' derived from this.<ref name=spectator/> Although '''Pressburg''' remained the official name until 1919, the Hungarians use and used the name ''Pozsony'' (attested by the 12th century).<ref name=spectator /><ref name=Salner>{{cite journal
| author=Salner, Peter
| title = Ethnic polarisation in an ethnically homogeneous town
| year = 2001
| journal=Czech Sociological Review
| volume = 9
| number = 2
| pages = 235–246
| doi = 10.13060/00380288.2001.37.12.14
| url = http://sreview.soc.cas.cz/uploads/153c34f76d58d204323a341b3d3bce4caa51242b_171_235SALNE.pdf
| access-date = 8 March 2010
| doi-access = free
}}</ref> ''Bozan'' could result from a ruling of the [[Bratislava Castle]] from the eleventh century. The name ''Posonium'' [[Latin]] derives from Hungarian.<ref>Janota, Bratislavské ''rarity'', pp. 155</ref> In addition to these names, documents of the [[Renaissance]] call the city 'Ιστροπόλις' '''Istropolis''' which means "City of the Danube" in [[Ancient Greek]]. The current name, ''Bratislava'', dates from 1837 when the Slavist scholar [[Pavel Jozef Šafárik]] reconstructed a variant of the name, ''Břetislaw''<ref>Lacika, Bratislava, pp. 6</ref> a from old names, believing that these derived from the name of the ruler [[Bretislaus I of Bohemia]].
*[[Košice Region|Košice]]: The first written mention of the city as "villa Cassa" dates from 1230.<ref name="short">{{cite web|publisher=City of Košice |url=http://www.kosice.sk/clanok.asp?sekcia=historia |title=Short History of Košice |year=2005 |access-date=10 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024134127/http://www.kosice.sk/clanok.asp?sekcia=historia |archive-date=24 October 2007 }}</ref> The Slovak name of the city comes from the Slavic [[personal name]] "Koša" with the patronymic [[slavic languages|slavic]] suffix "-ice".<ref>{{cite web|publisher=City of Košice |url=http://www.kosice.sk/clanok.asp?file=history_z_hist_13_stor.htm |title=Z histórie Košíc – 13. storočie |year=2005 |access-date=10 February 2008 |language=sk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070627063426/http://www.kosice.sk/clanok.asp?file=history_z_hist_13_stor.htm |archive-date=27 June 2007 }}</ref> According to other sources the city name probably stems from an ancient Hungarian first [[Hungarian names|name]] which begins with "Ko" such as Kokos-Kakas, Kolumbán-Kálmán, or Kopov-Kopó.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.c3.hu/~csszmka/index/kszlov/kassa.htm| title = Csehországi és Szlovákiai Szlovákiai Magyar Kultúráért Alapítvány honlapja | access-date = 12 August 2008 | language = hu}}</ref> Historically, the city has been known as ''Kaschau'' in German, ''Kassa'' in Hungarian, ''Cassovia'' or ''Caschovia'' in [[Latin]], ''Cassovie'' in French, ''Caşovia'' in [[Romanian language|Romanian]], ''Кошицы'' (''Koshitsy'') in Russian and ''Koszyce'' in Polish (see [[Names of European cities in different languages: I-L#K|here]] for more names).
* [[Nitra Region|Nitra]]: The first mention of Nitra dates back to 880 (other variations: 826 as Nitrawa, 880 as Nitra, and in 1111/1113 as Nitra, Nitria). The name of the city derives from the [[Nitra (river)|river Nitra]]. The name originates in the Germanic word ''Nitrahwa'': in the Indo-European languages ''nid'' means "flow" while ''ahwa'' means "water".
* [[Prešov Region|Prešov]]: The city name originates in the Hungarian word ''eper'' which means "[[strawberry]]".<ref name="one">{{cite web | url=http://flagspot.net/flags/sk-preso.html| title = Presov city, Slovakia | access-date = 13 August 2008 }}</ref> The city's historic coat of arms contains strawberries.<ref name="one" /> Historically, the city has been known as ''Eperjes'' in Hungarian, ''Eperies'' or ''Preschau'' in German, ''Fragopolis'' in Greco-[[Latin language|Latin]], ''Preszów'' in Polish, ''Peryeshis'' in [[Romany language|Romany]], ''Пряшев'' (''Pryashev'') in Russian and ''Пряшів'' (''Priashiv'') in [[Rusyn language|Rusyn]] and [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]].
* [[Trenčín Region|Trenčín]]: Trenčín first appeared under Greek name ''Leukaristos ''(Λευκαριστος), depicted on the [[Ptolemy world map]] around 150 CE. In 179 CE, during the [[Marcomannic Wars]] between the [[Roman Empire]] and Germanic [[Quadi]], the Romans carved an inscription on the rock under the present-day castle, mentioning the place as ''Laugaricio''. (The inscription marks the northernmost known presence of the Romans in Central Europe.) The first written mentions in the Middle Ages date from 1111 (as ''Treinchen'') and from 1113 (adjective: ''Trenciniensis''). The name became ''Trentschin'' in later German and ''Trencsén'' in Hungarian.
*[[Trnava Region|Trnava]]: The name of the city derives from the Slovak word ''tŕnie'' ("thornbush") which characterized the river banks in the region. The Hungarian name ''Nagyszombat'' (first mentioned in 1238 in the form of ''Zumbotel'') originates from the Hungarian word ''szombat'' ("Saturday"), referring to the weekly market fairs held on Saturdays.
*[[Žilina Region|Žilina]]
==South Africa==
===Before 1994===
[[File:Map of the provinces of South Africa 1976-1994 with English labels.svg|right|thumb|200px|Map of the provinces of South Africa before 1994]]
* [[Transvaal Province|Transvaal]]: literally ''beyond the [[Vaal River]]'', which acted as its southern border.
* [[Natal Province|Natal]]: ''see below at KwaZulu-Natal''.
* [[Orange Free State]]: the Free State operated as an independent country (Free State) during most of the 19th century. The adjective ''Orange'' came from the [[Orange River]] to the south/south-west of the province, in turn named in 1779 by [[Robert Jacob Gordon]] (1743–1795), commander of the Cape Colony garrison (1780–1795), in honour of the Dutch [[House of Orange-Nassau]].<ref>
{{cite book
|first1= Anton
|last1= Earle
|first2= Daniel
|last2= Malzbender
|first3= Anthony
|last3= Turton
|first4= Emmanuel
|last4= Manzungu
|title= A preliminary basin profile of the Orange/Senqu River
|url= http://www.acwr.co.za/pdf_files/05.pdf
|access-date= 21 April 2010
|series= Inwent Capacity Development Programme: Integrated Water Resources Management in Shared River Basins in the SADC Region
|date=April 2005
|publisher=African Water Issues Research Unit (AWIRU), University of Pretoria
|___location= Cape Town
|isbn= 1-86854-618-7
|page= 1
|quote= Contrary to popular belief, the Orange River was not named after the reddish orange colour of its silt-laden water. It was in fact named in 1779 by Colonel Robert Gordon, the commander of the garrison of the Dutch East India Company (Cape Town) during a reconnaissance into the interior, in honour of the Dutch House of Orange (DWAF, 2005).
}}
</ref>
* [[Cape Province|Cape of Good Hope]]: named after the [[Cape of Good Hope]], where [[Cape Town]] stands.
===After 1994===
[[File:Map of South Africa with English labels.svg|right|thumb|200px|Current map of South African provinces]]
* [[Eastern Cape]], [[Northern Cape]], [[Western Cape]]: from the [[Cape of Good Hope]], the site of the first European settlement in today's South Africa, which would give its name to [[Cape Town]], [[Cape Colony]], and the former [[Cape Province]], of which each of the three named provinces originally formed a part.
* [[Free State (province)|Free State]]: the popular contraction of this province's historic predecessor, the [[Orange Free State]].
* [[Gauteng]]: The [[Sesotho language|Sesotho]] name for the province's and country's largest city of [[Johannesburg]]. The literal meaning, "Place of Gold", refers to the area's large gold-mining industry.
* [[KwaZulu-Natal]]: a combination of the names of the two entities that merged to form the modern province:
** [[KwaZulu]]: a [[bantustan]] formed in the [[apartheid]] era, ostensibly as a "homeland" for the [[Zulu people|Zulu]]
** [[Natal Province|Natal]]: Portuguese for "Christmas". The Portuguese explorer [[Vasco da Gama]] named the area: he landed on the coast of the future KwaZulu-Natal on Christmas Day in 1497.
* [[Limpopo]]: the [[Limpopo River]] forms the province's and the country's most northern boundary.
* [[Mpumalanga]]: "east", or more literally, "the place where the sun rises", in several [[Nguni languages]], among them [[Swazi language|Swazi]], [[Xhosa language|Xhosa]], and [[Zulu language|Zulu]]. Refers to the province's ___location in the north-east of South Africa.
* [[North West (South African province)|North West]]: From its geographic position, in the north of the country and west of the main population-centre of Gauteng.
==Spain==
*[[Andalusia]]: from the Arabic name ([[Al-Andalus]], with several suggested etymologies) formerly applied to the whole [[Iberian Peninsula]]
*[[Aragon]]: from the [[Aragon River]], that gave its name to the county of Aragon, one of the little Christian polities that resisted Islamic rule in Spain during its greatest extent (see [[Reconquista]])
*[[Asturias]]: the land of the [[Astures]], an early people of north-west Spain
*[[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque Country]] ({{langx|eu|Euskal Herria}}): from the ancient tribe of the [[Vascones]], whose name became an [[ethnonym]] in the Middle Ages. The Basque name derives from ''Euskara'' (the autochthonous name for the Basque language).
**[[Álava]] ({{langx|eu|Araba}}): of uncertain etymology. Various theories see it deriving from a Roman town called ''Alba'', from several prossible Basque etymologies or from Arabs (who only briefly held the province). A chronicle of 905 uses the form ''Arba'', but later the word commonly appears as ''Alaba'' or ''Alava''.
**[[Biscay]] ({{langx|eu|Bizkaia}}, {{langx|es|Vizcaya}}): variant of ''bizkarra'' ("shoulder", "back" or, in this case, "mountain range" in Basque)
**[[Gipuzkoa]] ({{langx|es|Guipúzcoa}}): of unknown etymology. Old documents sometimes use the variant ''Ipuscoa''.
*[[Cantabria]]: from the [[Cantabri]], a [[mountain people]] defeated by the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] only after a great military effort ([[Cantabrian Wars]], 29 – 19 BC). Celtologists have suggested a derivation from the [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] root ''cant-'', meaning "rock" or "stone", and from the suffix ''-abr'', used frequently in Celtic regions. From this we can deduce that the word "cantabrus" means "dwelling in the [[mountain]]s", referring to the rugged terrain of Cantabria. Another suggestion derives ''Cantabria'' from the Celtic ''Kant'' ("mountain" or "rock") and ''Iber'' (the river [[Ebro]]), thus "The Mountains of the Ebro". Spaniards also call this region ''La Montaña'' ("The Mountain"), but usually call the [[Bay of Biscay]] the [[Cantabrian Sea]].
*[[Castile (historical region)|Castile]]: the Spanish/Castilian name ''Castilla'' reflects the Spanish ''castillo'' ("castle") and the Latin ''castellum'' ("fort" or "fortress") with reference to numerous forts or castles erected by King [[Alfonso VI of Castile|Alfonso I]] for the defence of the area
*[[Catalonia]]: from the ''castlà'' ("castellan") class who governed the nascent feudal Catalonia from their castles in the 11th and 12th centuries. (Compare the etymology of "[[Castile (historical region)|Castile]]".) Other parallel theories exist: Lafont (1986) says ''Catalunya'' could come from Arabic ''Qalat-uniyya'' (''Qalat'' means "castle" and ''-uniyya'' operates as a collective suffix) because medieval Catalonia formed a border country with a lot of castles in front of the Muslim and Arabized zone of the Iberic peninsula. Some texts suggest that the name ''Catalunya'' derives from "Gauta-landia": land of the Goths, or "Goth-Alania" meaning "Land of the Goths and Alans"<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v1f8/v1f8a013.html |title=Alans, Encyclopædia Iranica |access-date=21 October 2008 |archive-date=21 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121204510/http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v1f8/v1f8a013.html |url-status=usurped }}</ref> through Arabian ''*Cotelanuyya'' [cf. Andalusia, land of the Vandals], as the Visigoths and Alans invaded and divided Iberia between themselves, agreeing to rule some parts together, with the region of Catalunya going to the Visigoths. Additionally, the Visigothic kingdom of Catalonia may have taken its name from that of the original homeland of the Visigoths, "Gotland". [[Joan Coromines|Coromines]] suggests an Iberian origin: ''Laietani'' (latinization of Iberian ''laiezken'') > ''*laketani'' > ''laketans'' > [[Metathesis (linguistics)|metathesized]] as ''catelans'' > ''catalans'', re-inforced by ''castellani'' (with an [[Epenthesis|epenthetic]] ''s'' according to Coromines). Another theory suggests ''*kaste-lan'' as the Iberian name, later Latinized as ''castellani'' (an Iberian tribe in northern Catalonia according to [[Ptolemy]]); then the name would have evolved into ''*catellani'' > ''*catelans'' > ''*Catalans''.
*[[Extremadura]]: from [[Medieval Latin]] ''Extrema Dorii'' (literally, "extremes of the [[Douro]] river"), referring to the territories south of the Douro basin; or from an Old [[Castilian Spanish|Castilian]] word used to designate the further territories controlled by the Christians (see [[Reconquista]])
*[[Gallaecia|Galicia]]: from Latin ''[[Gallaecia]]'', the name of the province created in Roman [[Hispania]] by [[Diocletian]] in 298 CE. It derives from ''gallicoi'' or ''callicoi'', (''Galli'' or [[Celts]]).
*[[León (province)|León]]: the ancient [[Kingdom of León|kingdom]] and subsequent [[León (province)|province of León]] take their name from the city of [[León, León|León]], whose name derives from its position as the base of a [[Roman legion]] (Latin ''legio'')
*[[Navarre]] (Spanish: ''Navarra'', Basque: ''Nafarroa''): from the [[Kingdom of Navarre]]. ''Navarra'' has been argued to have either a Basque or Romance etymology. In the first case it would come from ''nabar'' ("brownish, multicolor", also "plowshare"), in the second from ''nava'' ("river bank").
* [[La Rioja (Spain)|Rioja]]: speculatively interpreted as "red" from the redness of a prominent soil type in the area.<ref>
{{cite book
|editor1-last= Fallis
|editor1-first= Catherine
|title= The encyclopedic atlas of wine: a comprehensive guide to the world's greatest wines and wineries
|year= 2006
|publisher=Global Book Publishing
|___location= Willoughby, N.S.W.
|isbn= 1-74048-050-3
|page= 336
}}
</ref>
==Sweden==
===Historical Provinces===
[[File:Sverigekarta-Landskap Text.svg|right|250px|Provinces of Sweden]]
Sweden formerly consisted of [[Provinces of Sweden|historical provinces]] (Swedish: ''landskap''), and the province-names still often serve to describe locations in Sweden. Their names often date from before the year 1000. Officially Sweden now subdivides into [[Counties of Sweden|counties]] (Swedish: ''län''), introduced in 1634.
Historical provinces:
*[[Blekinge]]: from the adjective ''bleke'', which corresponds to the nautical term for "dead calm".
*[[Bohuslän]]: meaning "county of [[Bohus Fortress]]".
*[[Dalarna]]: meaning "the valleys"
*[[Dalsland]]: originally ''Dal'', meaning "the valley"
*[[Gotland]]: land of the [[Gutar]]
*[[Gästrikland]]
*[[Halland]]: the land beyond [[Hovs Hallar]]
*[[Hälsingland]]
*[[Härjedalen]]: valley of the Härje river
*[[Jämtland]]
*[[Lappland, Sweden|Lappland]]: land of the Lappi (the [[Sami people]])
*[[Medelpad]]: Unclear. "Medel" means "in the middle". One theory is "the land between the river valleys" (Ljungan and Indalsälven)
*[[Norrbotten]]: from Norrbotten County
*[[Närke]]
*[[Skåne]]
*[[Småland]]: "small lands", given for a combination of several smaller provinces.
*[[Södermanland]]: "south men's land"
*[[Uppland]] "up land" (north of Stockholm, used after the foundation of Stockholm, was before that three independent provinces)
*[[Värmland]]
*[[Västmanland]]: "west men's land"
*[[Västerbotten]]: West Bothnia (west side of the [[Gulf of Bothnia]]). In old Nordic "botten" meant inner part of a bay/gulf, see the [[Gulf of Bothnia#Name|etymology of Bothnia]]. Compare [[Ostrobothnia (historical province)|Ostrobothnia]] (Österbotten / East Bothnia) in Finland, formerly a Swedish province, and Norrbotten above.
*[[Västergötland]]: means Western [[Götaland|Gothia/Götaland]].
*[[Ångermanland]]: from the [[Old Norse]] "anger", which means "deep fjord" and refers to the deep mouth of the river ''[[Ångermanälven]]''.
*[[Öland]]
*[[Östergötland]]: means Eastern [[Götaland|Gothia/Götaland]]
===Present counties===
*[[Stockholm County|Stockholm]]: from [[Stockholm]], the city. From ''stock'' (timber log) and ''holm'' (small island). (Somewhat disputed.)
*[[Uppsala County|Uppsala]]: from [[Uppsala]], the city. (Ultimate etymology disputed.)
*[[Jönköping County|Jönköping]]: from [[Jönköping]], the city. ''Jön'' comes from the creek Junebäcken; "köping" means "merchant place".
*[[Kronoberg County|Kronoberg]]: from [[Kronoberg Castle]]. ''Kronoberg'' means "the Crown's mountain".
*[[Kalmar County|Kalmar]]: from [[Kalmar]], the city. (Ultimate etymology disputed.)
*[[Västra Götaland County|Västra Götaland]]: means "Western [[Götaland|Gothia/Götaland]]".
*[[Örebro County|Örebro]]: from [[Örebro]], the city, the name of which means "bridge over gravel banks".
*[[Gävleborg County|Gävleborg]]: from [[Gävle]], the city, and ''borg'' (fortress), referring to [[Gävle Castle]].
*[[Västernorrland County|Västernorrland]]: means "Western [[Norrland]]". At the time Norrland meant North Sweden including North Finland, and Western Norrland excluded Finland. Now Västernorrland is located in Eastern Norrland.
*[[Norrbotten County|Norrbotten]]: North Bothnia (originally northern part of Västerbotten County)
*[[Blekinge County|Blekinge]], [[Dalarna County|Dalarna]], [[Gotland County|Gotland]], [[Halland County|Halland]], [[Jämtland County|Jämtland]], [[Skåne County|Skåne]], [[Södermanland County|Södermanland]], [[Värmland County|Värmland]], [[Västerbotten County|Västerbotten]], [[Västmanland County|Västmanland]] and [[Östergötland County|Östergötland]] are named directly after the historical province they match. See previous chapter.
==Switzerland==
*[[Aargau]]: German name labelling the district (''[[Gau (country subdivision)|Gau]]'') of the River [[Aar]].
*[[Appenzell]]: from Latin ''abbatis cella'', meaning "land of the abbot", referring to the fact that Appenzell originally belonged to the [[Abbey of St. Gall]].
*[[Basel]]: traditionally associated with the Greek ''basileus'' ("king") or ''basileos'' ("of the king"): the city saw itself as preserving the [[Roman Empire|Imperial Roman]] heritage of its parent settlement, the Roman town of [[Augusta Raurica]]. Note the use of the [[basilisk]] as a Basler icon.<!-- which came first: the etymology of the name or the heraldic pun? -->
*[[Canton of Bern|Bern]]: German ''Bär[e]n'' (bears): reflected in the [[Bern|capital city]]'s [[bear pit|bear-pit]]s, foundation-legend and [[Heraldry of Bern|coat-of-arms]]
*[[Graubünden]]: (the German name literally means "grey leagues")—from the [[Grey League]], a grey-clad organisation started in 1395.
*[[Canton of Jura|Jura]]: after the [[Jura Mountains]].
*[[Neuchâtel]]: French for "new castle"; ''Neuenburg'' (with the same semantic meaning) in German
*[[Canton of Schwyz|Schwyz]]: named after the town of [[Schwyz]]; the origin of the town name is unknown.
*[[Canton of St. Gallen|St Gallen]]: from [[Saint Gall]] (c. 550 – c. 646), traditionally the Irish founder/namesake of the [[Abbey of St. Gall]] which came to dominate the area.
*[[Canton of Solothurn|Solothurn]]: the city of [[Solothurn]], capital of the Canton of the same name, first appears under the Celtic name ''Salodurum''.
*[[Thurgau]]: an early medieval ''[[Gau (country subdivision)|Gau]]'' county named after the River [[Thur (Switzerland)|Thur]].
*[[Ticino]]: from the principal river of the canton, the [[Ticino River|Ticino]], a tributary of the [[Po River]].
*[[Uri (canton)|Uri]]: (speculatively) from the older German ''Aurochs'', a wild ox (see [[aurochs]]); or from the Celtic word ''ure'', a bull. (Note the head of the bull on the cantonal coat of arms.)
*[[Valais]] (French), Wallis (German): from the Latin word ''vallis'', meaning "valley"; the canton consists mainly of the [[Rhone]] valley.
*[[Canton of Zürich|Zürich]]: after the city of [[Zürich]], called ''Turicum'' in 2nd-century Latin; the origin of the Latin name is unknown.
==Syria==
* [[Latakia]]: {{langx|el|Λαοδίκεια}} (Laodikeia)
* [[Idlib]]: {{langx|ar|إدلب}}
* [[Aleppo]]: Khalpe, Khalibon
* [[Raqqa]]: {{langx|ar|الرقة}}
* [[Al-Hasakah]]:
* [[Tartus]]: {{langx|el-Latn|Antarados}}
* [[Hama]]: {{langx|hit-Latn|Amatuwana}}
* [[Deir ez-zor]]: {{langx|ar|دير الزور}}
* [[Homs]]: {{langx|el|Ἔμεσα}} (Emesa)
* [[Damascus]]: "T-m-ś-q" (15th century BC)
* [[Rif Dimashq]]: {{langx|ar|ريف دمشق}}
* [[Quneitra]]: {{langx|ar|القنيطرة}}
* [[Daraa]]: ''Atharaa'' (hieroglyphic tablets)
* [[As-Suwayda]]: {{langx|ar|السويداء}}
==Taiwan==
*[[Changhua]] ({{linktext|彰化}}): "Manifest [Imperial] Influence" in Chinese (顯彰皇化) in 1723
*[[Chiayi City|Chiayi]] ({{linktext|嘉義}}): "Commend Righteousness" in 1787
*[[Hsinchu]] ({{linktext|新竹}}): Literally "New Bamboo", renamed from "Bamboo Fortress" (Chinese: 竹塹, Mandarin: ''Zhuqian'') in 1878
*[[Hualien City|Hualien]] ({{linktext|花蓮}}): Literally "Lotus Flower" in Chinese, shortened from {{nihongo||花蓮港|Karenkō|lead=yes}}, renamed by 1920 from ''Kiray'' (奇萊), previously "Whirling Waves" (洄瀾; ''Huilan'')
*[[Kaohsiung]] ({{linktext|高雄}}): literally "High Grandeur", from Japanese ''Takao'', renamed in 1920 from ''Takau'' ({{lang-zh|c=打狗|p=Dagou|poj=Táⁿ-káu}}), "Bamboo Forest" in a [[Formosan languages|Formosan language]]
*[[Keelung]] ({{linktext|基隆}}): Literally "Prosperous Base" in Chinese, renamed in 1875 from "Chicken Cage" (Chinese: 雞籠; Mandarin: Jilong; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ke-lâng), possibly derived from the [[Ketagalan people]]
*[[Kinmen]] ({{linktext|金門}}): "Golden Gate", 1387. When a fortress was built to defend the coast of Fujian, Kinmen was described as being "as secure as a metal moat, proudly safeguarding the gate of the sea" (固若金湯, 雄鎮海門)
*[[Miaoli County|Miaoli]] ({{linktext|苗栗}}): Renamed in 1889 from {{linktext|貓|狸}}/{{linktext|貓里}} (Mandarin: Maoli), from the Bari Settlement of the [[Taokas people|Taokas]] Tribe, meaning "Plains"
*[[Nantou County|Nantou]] ({{linktext|南投}}): 1695, after the ''Ramtau'' settlement of the Arikun Tribe
*[[Penghu]] ({{linktext|澎湖}}): "Splashing Lake" in Chinese, (formerly {{lang-zh|c=平湖|poj=Pîⁿ-ô͘}})<ref>{{holodict|40074|e=平湖}}</ref>
*[[Pingtung County|Pingtung]] ({{linktext|屏東}}): East of Banpingshan (literally "Half-Screen Mountain"), from Japanese {{nihongo||屏東|Heitō}} in 1920
*[[Tainan]] ({{linktext|臺南}}): 1887 creation of [[Tainan Prefecture (Qing)|Tainan Prefecture]], "Southern Taiwan [City]" in Chinese
*[[Taipei]] ({{linktext|臺北}}): "Northern Taiwan [City]" in Chinese, 1875 creation of [[Taipeh Prefecture]]
*[[Taichung]] ({{linktext|臺中}}): "Central Taiwan [City]" in Chinese, from Japanese {{nihongo||臺中縣|Taichū-ken}} created 1896
*[[Taitung City|Taitung]] ({{linktext|臺東}}): "Eastern Taiwan [City]" in Chinese. Creation of [[Taitung Prefecture]] in 1888
*[[Taoyuan City|Taoyuan]] ({{linktext|桃園}}): "Peach Orchard" in Chinese, officially {{nihongo||桃園廳|Tōen Chō}}, 1909
*[[Yilan County, Taiwan|Yilan]] ({{linktext|宜蘭}}): Literally "Suitable Orchid" in Chinese, 1878 creation of ''Gilan Hsien'', derived from the [[Kavalan people]]
*[[Yunlin County|Yunlin]] ({{linktext|雲林}}): Literally "Clouded Woods" in Chinese, created in 1887
==Thailand==
*[[Bangkok]] – Thai: ''place of olives''
*[[Bueng Kan]] – Thai: ''black lake''
*[[Chiang Mai]] – Northern Thai: ''new city''
*[[Chonburi (city)|Chonburi]] – Thai: ''city of water'', as the city is very close to the sea
*[[Kanchanaburi]] – Thai: ''golden city''
*[[Kalasin]] – Thai: ''black water''
*[[Narathiwat]] – Malay: ''Menara'' (''tower'')
*[[Nonthaburi (city)|Nonthaburi]] – Thai: ''city of [[Peltophorum pterocarpum]] (Nontri)'', the provincial tree of [[Nonthaburi Province|Nonthaburi]]
*[[Patani (historical region)|Pattani]] – Malay: ''pata ini'' (''this beach'')
*[[Pattaya]] – from ''thap phraya'', which means ''army of the Phraya''
*[[Phitsanulok]] – Thai: ''[[Vishnu]]'s heaven''
*[[Phuket Province|Phuket]] – Malay: ''bukit'' (''hill'')
*[[Roi Et]] – Thai: ''one hundred and one'' (101)
*[[Udon Thani]] – Thai: ''northern city''
*[[Yasothon]] – named after ''[[Yasodhara]]''
==Turkey==
Main article : [[Toponyms of Turkey]]
==Ukraine==
[[File:Ukraine-Historical regions.png|thumb|275px|Traditional regions]]
Most of Ukraine's [[oblast]]s take their names from their principal city; but Volyn Oblast, Zakarpattia Oblast, the Crimean Autonomous Republic, and since 2016, Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad oblasts, offer exceptions to this rule. See also [[subdivisions of Ukraine]].
*[[Cherkasy Oblast]]: from the city [[Cherkasy]], presumably the city's name derived from [[Circassians]] according to [[Giovanni da Pian del Carpine]], [[Vasiliy Tatishchev]], and [[Aleksandr Rigelman]].<ref>Rigelman, A.I. Chronicles of Russia Minor and its people as well as the [[Cossacks]] in general. Kyiv. "Lybid", 1994. (page 45)</ref>
*[[Chernihiv Oblast]]: from the city [[Chernihiv]]
*[[Chernivtsi Oblast]]: from the city [[Chernivtsi]]
*[[Autonomous Republic of Crimea|Crimea]]: from the [[Crimean Tatar language|Crimean Tatar]] name: ''Qırım''
*[[Dnipropetrovsk Oblast]]: from the city [[Dnipropetrovsk]] (renamed in 1926 after ''Dnipro'' ([[Dnieper river]]) and the Soviet Ukraine 's head of state, the Bolshevik [[Grigory Ivanovich Petrovsky]], in 2016 renamed [[Dnipro]])
*[[Donetsk Oblast]]: from the city [[Donetsk]], after the [[Donets]] river. ''Donets'' is a diminutive form of Don and is a tributary of the river [[Don River, Russia|Don]].
*[[Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast]]: from the city [[Ivano-Frankivsk]], renamed (from ''Stanyslaviv'') after the Ukrainian writer [[Ivan Franko]] (1856–1916) in 1962
*[[Kharkiv Oblast]]: from the city [[Kharkiv]], legendarily named for the mythical Ukrainian folk hero Kharko (died ca 1737)
*[[Kherson Oblast]]: from the city [[Kherson]]
*[[Khmelnytskyi Oblast]]: from the city [[Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine|Khmelnytskyi]], named in 1954 on the 300th anniversary of the [[Treaty of Pereyaslav]], after [[Cossack]] [[leadership|leader]] [[Bohdan Khmelnytsky]]
*[[Kyiv|City of Kyiv]]: ancient name (Ukrainian: ''Kyiv''). Myth/legend tells of a founder named ''[[Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv|Kyi]]''
*[[Kyiv Oblast]]: from the city [[Kyiv]]
*[[Kirovohrad Oblast]]: from the city ''[[Kirovohrad]]'' ("Kirov City"), after [[Sergey Kirov]] (named Kirovo in 1934, Kirovohrad in 1939, in 2016 renamed [[Kropyvnytskyi]])
*[[Luhansk Oblast]]: from the city [[Luhansk]]
*[[Lviv Oblast]]: from the city of [[Lviv]], founded 1256 by King [[Danylo of Halych]], and named after his son [[Lev Danylovich]]
*[[Mykolaiv Oblast]]: from the city [[Mykolaiv]], after the day of [[Saint Nicholas]] (Ukrainian ''Mykolai'', Russian ''Nikolai''), 19 December 1788, commemorating the [[Siege of Ochakov (1788)|fall of the Turkish fortress]] of [[Ochakiv]] to the Russians
*[[Odesa Oblast]]: after the city [[Odesa]] in 1795; etymology unknown, but see [[Timeline of Odesa|Odesa: "History"]] for some possibilities
*[[Poltava Oblast]]: from ''[[Ltava]]'', an ancient name of the city [[Poltava]]
*[[Rivne Oblast]]: from the city [[Rivne]]
*[[Sevastopol|City of Sevastopol]]: (1783) Greek "highly respectable city, august city"; see [[Sevastopol#Etymology|Sevastopol: "Etymology"]]
*[[Sumy Oblast]]: from the city [[Sumy]]
*[[Ternopil Oblast]]: from the city [[Ternopil]]
*[[Vinnytsia Oblast]]: from the city [[Vinnytsia]]
*[[Volyn Oblast]]: ancient name of the region of [[Volyn]]
*[[Zakarpattia Oblast]]: "beyond the [[Carpathian Mountains]]", [[Carpathian Ruthenia|Transcarpathia]]
*[[Zaporizhzhia Oblast]]: from the city [[Zaporizhzhia]], in turn after [[Zaporizhzhia (region)|region "beyond the rapids"]] (seventeenth century), downstream of the [[rapids]] of the [[Dnieper river|River Dnieper]]
*[[Zhytomyr Oblast]]: from the city [[Zhytomyr]] (988), after Zhytomyr, prince of the [[Principality of the Drevlians|Drevlians]]
==United Kingdom==
{{see also|Etymological list of counties of the United Kingdom}}
===Constituent countries===
*[[England]]: "Land of the [[Angles (tribe)|Angles]]", from [[Old English]] ''Englaland'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=England|title=England|publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary|access-date=21 July 2010}}</ref> for the [[Germanic tribes|Germanic tribe]] first attested in 897.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50075354?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=England&first=1&max_to_show=10 |title=England|publisher=[[Oxford English Dictionary]]|access-date=5 September 2009}}</ref> The Angles themselves were first attested as the [[Latin language|Latin]] ''Anglii'' in [[Tacitus]]'s 1st-century ''[[Germania (book)|Germania]]'' and the name was extended to cover the other Germans in [[Great Britain|Britain]] after the ascension of the Kentish [[Egbert of Wessex|Egbert]] to the Saxon thrones.<ref name="Names&Histories">Taylor, Isaac. ''[https://archive.org/details/namesandtheirhi00taylgoog Names and Their Histories; a Handbook of Historical Geography and Topographical Nomenclature]''. Gale Research Co. (Detroit), 1898. Retrieved 24 September 2011.</ref> Their etymology is uncertain: possible derivations include ''Angul''{{citation needed|date=October 2011}} (the [[Angeln]] peninsula of eastern [[Jutland]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50075354?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=Angle&first=1&max_to_show=10 |title=Angle|publisher=[[Oxford English Dictionary]]|access-date=5 September 2009}}</ref> the "people of the Narrow [Water]" (from the proposed [[PIE|proto-Indo-European]] root ''*ang-'', "narrow", or ''*angh-'', "tight") in reference to the Angeln's [[Schlei]] inlet,{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}} "people of the meadows" (cf. [[Old High German]] ''angar''),<ref name="Names&Histories"/> the god ''*Ingwaz''{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}{{spaced ndash}}a proposed [[Proto-Germanic]] form of [[Freyr]]'s earlier name [[Yngvi]],{{spaced ndash}}or the [[Ingaevones]] who claimed their descent from him.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}} See [[Etymology of England]].
**''Anglia'', a former name: As above, in its [[Latin language|Latin]] form.
**''Angelcynn'', a former name: "Folk of the [[Angles (tribe)|Angles]]", from [[Old English]], name used by [[Alfred the Great]].
*[[Northern Ireland]]: Northern part of the island of Ireland; see [[List of country-name etymologies#Ireland|List of country-name etymologies: Ireland]] for the etymology of the name "Ireland".
*Scotland: "Land of the [[Scottish people|Scots]]", attested in the 11th-century ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]s'' of Abingdon, Worcester and Laud.<ref>Swanton, M. ''The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles''. Phoenix Press (London), 2000. Op. cit. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A599691 BBC Online]. Retrieved 14 October 2007.</ref><ref>Garmonsway, G.N. ''[http://www.battleoffulford.org.uk/li_chronicles_2.htm The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]''. Everyman. Retrieved 14 October 2007.</ref> "Scot" from [[Old English]] ''Scottas'', from [[Late Latin]] ''[[Scoti]]'' or ''Scotti'', of ultimately uncertain origin, but used in Latin to reference [[Gaels]] raiding Roman Britain from a region (''Scotia'') in Ireland.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gwynn|first=Stephen|title=The History of Ireland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2RlF7sq48n4C&pg=PA16|year=2009|publisher=BiblioBazaar|isbn=978-1-113-15517-7|page=16}}</ref> and whose colinguists established the realm of [[Dál Riata]] in the vicinity of [[Argyll]].
**''[[Alba]]'', ''Albania'', or ''Albany'', former endonyms: Uncertain etymology, presumed to derive from [[Albion]] or its antecedents.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} See also "Albion" at [[List of country-name etymologies#United Kingdom|List of country-name etymologies: United Kingdom]].
**''[[Caledonia]]'', a former name: "Land of the [[Caledonii]]" in [[Latin language|Latin]], from a Latin name for a local tribe, of uncertain etymology. Possibly related to the [[Welsh language|Welsh]] ''caled'' ("hard", "tough").
*[[Wales]]: From [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] word ''[[Walhaz]]'', meaning "Romanised foreigner"; through [[Old English]] ''welisċ'', ''wælisċ'', ''wylisċ'', meaning "foreigner", with the more specific "''Brytwylisc''" referring directly to [[Brittonic Peoples|Brittonic speaking people]] (literally "British Welsh/Foreigners");<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: A Collaborative Edition. Vol. 6: MS. D|last=Cubbin|first=G.P.|publisher=D. S. Brewer|year=1996|isbn=0-859-91467-4|___location=Cambridge|pages=1, l. 3; pp. 13, l. 20}}</ref> to [[Modern English]] ''[[Welsh people|Welsh]]''. ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle|The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' (British Library MS. Cotton Tiberius B) glosses Bede's [[Ecclesiastical History of the English People|Ecclesiastical History]], citing ''Brytwylsc'' as one of the ''fif geþeodu'', or "five languages", of the island of ''Brytene'', along with the ''Ænglisc, Scottysc, [[Pictish language|Pihttisc]], and [[:ang:Lǣden|Boclæden]]'' (English, Scottish, Pictish, and Latin).<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: A Collaborative Edition. Vol. 6: MS. D|last=Cubbin|first=G.P.|publisher=D. S. Brewer|year=1996|isbn=0859914674|___location=Cambridge|pages=1, l. 1–3}}</ref> The same etymology applies to [[Cornwall]] in [[Great Britain|Britain]] and to [[Wallonia]] in Belgium.<ref name="Wales 1">{{cite book| last=Davies| first=John| author-link=John Davies (historian)| title=A History of Wales| publisher=Penguin| year=1994| ___location=London| page=69| isbn=978-0-14-028475-1}}</ref> See [[Etymology of Wales]].
**''[[Brythoniaiad]]'', a former name: "Britons" in [[Old Welsh]]. See "Britain" under [[List of country-name etymologies#United Kingdom|List of country-name etymologies: United Kingdom]]. More inclusive than "Cymru", its use predominated until around the 12th century.
**''Cambria'': [[Romanization|Latinized]] version of ''Cymru'' below. [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]] related the traditional [[pseudoetymology]] of this name from an eponymous [[King Camber]].
**''[[Cymru]]'' (endonym): "Land of Compatriots" from [[Old Welsh]] ''kymry'' ("compatriots"), first attested in an [[encomium]] to [[Cadwallon ap Cadfan]] c. 633,<ref>"''Ar wynep Kymry Cadwallawn was''" in Afan Ferddig. ''Moliant Cadwallon''. Op. cit. Davies, John. ''A History of Wales'', p. 71. Penguin (London), 1994.</ref> from [[Brythonic languages|Brythonic]] ''combrogi''.<ref name="Wales 1"/> Its use during the [[Sub-Roman Britain|post-Roman era]] amounted to a self-perception that the Welsh and the "[[Hen Ogledd|Men of the North]]" were one people, distinguished from the invaders, [[Cornish people|Cornishmen]] and [[Breton people|Bretons]].<ref>{{Cite book
|last=Lloyd
|first=John Edward
|author-link=John Edward Lloyd
|year=1911
|contribution=Note to Chapter VI, the Name "Cymry"
|contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NYwNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA191
|title=A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest
|volume=I
|edition=Second
|publisher=Longmans, Green, and Co.
|publication-date=1912
|___location=London
|pages=191–192
}}</ref>
===British Crown Dependencies===
*[[Jersey]]: The [[Old Norse|Norse]] suffix ''-ey'' means "island" and is commonly found in the parts of [[Northern Europe]] where [[Norsemen]] established settlements. (Compare modern Nordic languages: ''øy'' in Norwegian, ''ø/ö'' in Danish and Swedish.) The meaning of the first part of the island's name is unclear. Among theories are that it derives from Norse ''jarth'' ("earth") or ''[[Jarl (title)|jarl]]'' ("earl"), or perhaps a personal name, Geirr, to give "Geirr's Island". American writer [[William Safire]] suggested that the "Jers" in Jersey could be a corruption of "Caesar".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/more/841/|title=Wordorigins.org|website=wordorigins.org|access-date=21 September 2011|archive-date=27 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927024353/http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/more/841/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Isle of Man]]: The island's name in both English and [[Manx language|Manx]] (''Mannin'') derives from ''[[Manannán mac Lir]]'', the [[Brythonic languages|Brythonic]] and [[Goidelic languages|Gaelic]], equivalent to the god [[Poseidon]].
===British Overseas Territories===
*[[Anguilla]]: "eel", for its elongated shape, from either [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''anguila'', [[Italian language|Italian]] ''anguilla'', or [[French language|French]] ''anguille'', as it is uncertain whether the island was first sighted by [[Christopher Columbus]] in 1493 or by French explorers in 1564.<ref>Government of Anguilla. "[http://www.gov.ai/elections/anguillahistory.htm Anguilla's History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116203553/http://www.gov.ai/elections/anguillahistory.htm |date=16 January 2010 }}".</ref>
*[[Bermuda]]: "Land of Bermúdez", from the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''La Bermuda'', from the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] captain [[Juan de Bermúdez]] who sighted the island in 1505 while returning from [[Hispaniola]].<ref name=Morison1974>{{cite book
| last = Morison
| first = Samuel
| title = The European Discovery of America: The Southern Voyages, 1492-1616
| url = https://archive.org/details/europeandiscover00mori
| url-access = registration
| publisher = Oxford University Press
| year = 1974
| ___location = New York
}}</ref>
*[[British Indian Ocean Territory]] (BIOT): See [[List of country-name etymologies]] for etymologies of [[United Kingdom|Britain]] and India
*[[British Virgin Islands]]: bestowed by [[Christopher Columbus]] from [[Saint Ursula]] and her 11,000 virgins, on account of the seemingless endless number of islands
*[[Cayman Islands]]: From the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] name ''Caymanas'', from the [[Carib language|Carib]] for "[[caiman]]", a kind of marine alligator.
*[[Falkland Islands]]: From the [[Falkland Sound]] between the two main islands, bestowed by [[Kingdom of England|English]] captain [[John Strong (mariner)|John Strong]] in 1690 in honor of [[Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount Falkland]], [[First Lord of the Admiralty]]. [[Falkland Palace]] was the Caries' ancestral home in Scotland.
**''Islas Malvinas'', its [[Spanish language|Spanish]] name: "Malovian Islands", from the [[French language|French]] ''Malouines'' describing the [[Breton people|Breton]] sailors from [[St. Malo]] in [[Brittany]] who frequented the islands in the 1690s.
**Sebald Islands, a former name now applied in [[Spanish language|Spanish]] to the [[Jason Islands]]: From a [[Dutch language|Dutch]] name commemorating [[Sebald de Weert]], the captain usually credited with first sighting the archipelago in 1598.
*[[Gibraltar]]: A corruption of the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] words ''Jebel Tariq'' (جبل طارق) which means "Tariq's Mountain", named after [[Tariq ibn Ziyad]], a [[Berber people|Berber]] who landed at [[Gibraltar]] in 711 to launch the [[Islamic]] invasion of the [[Iberian Peninsula]].
*[[Montserrat]]: From the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] name ''Santa Maria de Monterrate'' bestowed by [[Christopher Columbus]] in 1493 in honor of the [[Virgin of Montserrat|Blessed Virgin of the Monastery of Montserrate]] in Spain. "Montserrat" itself means "jagged mountain".
*[[Pitcairn Islands]]: A member of the English Captain [[Philip Carteret]]'s crew in his ship [[HMS Swallow (1745)|HMS ''Swallow'']] first sighted the remote islands in July 1767. Carteret named the main island "Pitcairn's Island" after the man who first saw land: the son of Major Pitcairn of the Marines.
*[[Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha]]:
**[[Saint Helena]]: bestowed by [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portuguese]] explorer [[João da Nova]] in honor of [[Helena of Constantinople|Saint Helena]], the mother of [[list of Roman emperors|Roman emperor]] [[Constantine the Great]], for its discovery on Saint Helena's Day, 21 May 1502.
*[[South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands]] (SGSSI):
**South Georgia: "Land of [[George III of the United Kingdom|George]]", from the original "Isle of Georgia" bestowed by [[UK|British]] captain [[James Cook]] in honor of [[George III of the United Kingdom|King George III]] on 17 January 1775. "South" distinguished it from the other [[colony of Georgia]], which became an American state in 1782.
**South Sandwich Islands: Bestowed by [[UK|British]] captain [[James Cook]] in honor of [[John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich|John Montagu]], [[Earl of Sandwich]], who at the time was [[First Lord of the Admiralty]] and helped fund Cook's voyages. "South" distinguished them from the other Sandwich Islands, now known by their native name [[Hawaii]].
*[[Turks and Caicos Islands]] (TCI):
**Turks Islands: for the indigenous [[Melocactus intortus|Turk's-cap cacti]] (''Melocactus communis'')
**Caicos Islands: from the indigenous [[Lucayan language|Lucayan]] ''caya hico'', meaning "string of islands".
==United States==
===States===
{{Main|List of U.S. state name etymologies}}
===Counties===
{{Main|Lists of U.S. county name etymologies}}
===Territories===
* [[Baker Island]] National Wildlife Refuge, an unincorporated territory: for American captain [[Michael Baker (captain)|Michael Baker]] of [[New Bedford, Massachusetts]], who claimed to have discovered it in 1832 or 1834, despite being the third to have done so.<ref>{{cite book|author=Henry Evans Maude|title=Of islands and men: studies in Pacific history|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1968}}</ref>
* [[Guam]], a territory: From the native [[Chamorro people|Chamorro]] word ''guahan'', meaning "we have".
* [[Howland Island]], a territory: Bestowed by Capt. [[George E. Netcher]] in honor of the lookout who sighted it from his ship, the ''Isabella'', on 9 September 1842.
* [[Jarvis Island]], a territory: Bestowed by the [[UK|British]] Captain Brown in honor of Edward, Thomas, and William Jarvis, the owners of his vessel the ''Eliza Francis''.
* [[Johnston Atoll]], a territory: For [[UK|British]] captain [[Charles J. Johnston]], commander of {{HMS|Cornwallis|1805|6}}, who discovered the atoll on 14 December 1807.
* [[Kingman Reef]], a territory: For Capt. [[W.E. Kingman]], who discovered the reef aboard the ''Shooting Star'' on 29 November 1853.
* [[Midway Islands]], a territory: For their geographic ___location, perhaps from the islands' situation midway between North America and Asia, or their proximity to the [[International Date Line]] (halfway around the world from the [[Greenwich Meridian]]).<ref>[http://www.fws.gov/midway/faq.html "Frequently Asked Questions about Midway"], U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</ref>
**Middlebrook Islands or the Brook Islands, former names: For their discoverer, Captain [[N.C. Middlebrooks]].
*[[Navassa Island]], a territory: From the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''Navaza'' (''nava-'' meaning "plain" or "field"),{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} bestowed by members of [[Christopher Columbus]]'s crew who discovered the island while attempting to return to [[Hispaniola]] from [[Jamaica]]
*[[Northern Mariana Islands]], a commonwealth: From its position and the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] name ''Las Marianas'' bestowed by the [[Jesuit]] missionary [[San Vitores]] in 1668 in honour of [[Mariana of Austria]], widow of [[Philip IV of Spain|King Felipe IV]] and regent of Spain.
*[[Palmyra Atoll]], a territory: Named after the boat ''Palmyra'', which belonged to the American Captain Sawle. He sought shelter on the atoll on 7 November 1802, and became the first person known to land on it.
*[[Puerto Rico]], a territory with commonwealth status: [[Christopher Columbus]] named the island ''San Juan Bautista'' in honour of [[Saint John the Baptist]] in 1493. The Spanish authorities set up a capital city called ''Puerto Rico'' (meaning "rich port"). For now unknown reasons, the island and capital city had exchanged names by the 1520s.
* [[United States Virgin Islands]], an insular area: See [[#United Kingdom|British Virgin Islands]] above.
* [[Wake Island]], an unincorporated territory: for [[UK|British]] [[William Wake (sailor)|Captain William Wake]], who sighted the island in 1796, despite the [[Kingdom of Spain|Spanish]] explorer [[Álvaro de Mendaña de Neyra|Mendaña]] having probably sighted it in 1568.
==Venezuela==
*[[Amazonas, Venezuela|Amazonas]]: for the [[Amazon rainforest]].
*[[Anzoátegui]]: in honor of [[Venezuelan War of Independence|independence]] hero [[José Antonio Anzoátegui]].
*[[Apure]]: for the [[Apure River]].
*[[Aragua]]: derived from the [[Cumanagota language|Cumanagota]] word for a type of palm, ''[[Roystonea oleracea]]''.
*[[Barinas (state)|Barinas]]: comes from an indigenous word which identifies a strong wind that occurs during the rainy season, from the valleys of Santo Domingo.
*[[Bolívar (state)|Bolívar]]: in honor of [[Venezuelan War of Independence|independence]] hero [[Simón Bolívar]].
*[[Carabobo]]: comes from the [[Arawak language|Arawak]] ''karau'' (savannah; plain) and ''bo'' (water). The repeated ''bo'' acts as a [[superlative]].
*[[Cojedes (state)]]: for the [[Cojedes River]].
*[[Delta Amacuro]]: for the [[Orinoco Delta]] and the [[Amacuro River]].
*[[Falcón]]: in honor of [[President of Venezuela|president]] [[Juan Crisóstomo Falcón]].
*[[Guárico]]: [[Carib language|Carib]] word for "[[cacique|chief]]".
*[[Lara, Venezuela|Lara]]: in honor of [[Venezuelan War of Independence|independence]] hero [[Jacinto Lara]].
*[[Mérida (state)|Mérida]]: after the city of [[Mérida, Spain|Mérida]] in [[Extremadura]], Spain.
*[[Miranda (state)|Miranda]]: in honor of [[Venezuelan War of Independence|independence]] hero [[Francisco de Miranda]].
*[[Monagas (state)|Monagas]]: in honor of [[President of Venezuela|president]] [[José Tadeo Monagas]] and the Monagas family.
*[[Nueva Esparta]]: after [[Sparta]].
*[[Portuguesa, Venezuela|Portuguesa]]: after [[Portugal]].
*[[Sucre, Venezuela|Sucre]]: in honor of [[Venezuelan War of Independence|independence]] hero [[Antonio José de Sucre]].
*[[Táchira]]: from the [[Timoto–Cuica people|Timoto–Cuica]] word ''tachure'' which was used to designate the bellyache bush (''[[Jatropha gossypiifolia]]'').
*[[Trujillo (state)|Trujillo]]: after the city of [[Trujillo, Cáceres|Trujillo]] in [[Extremadura]], Spain.
*[[Vargas (state)|Vargas]]: in honor of [[President of Venezuela|president]] [[José María Vargas]].
*[[Yaracuy]]: in honor of a local [[cacique]].
*[[Zulia]]: in honor of a mythological [[Wayuu people|Wayuu]] princess.
==See also==
*[[Etymology]]
*[[Toponymy]]
*[[List of country name etymologies]]
*[[List of political entities named after people]]
*[[Lists of etymologies]]
*[[List of double placenames]]
==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Administrative division etymologies}}
[[Category:Lists of administrative divisions|Etymologies]]
[[Category:Lists of place name etymologies]]
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