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Etymology of Place Names




Quiz


  1. Which territory was given a name by Eric the Red in 982 to attract settlers?
  2. Spanish Conquistadors gave which island country a name which means 'shallow sea' in Spanish?
  3. Which country in Central America is named after Jesus?
  4. Which Asian port means "fragrant harbour" in its native language?






  5. Which country gets its name from a line of latitude?
  6. Which islands gets its name from the Latin word for dog? It was given by the first Europeans to arrive there.
  7. 'Stan' as in Afghanistan and Pakistan is a Persian suffix meaning what?
  8. Which country gets its name from the Latin for "unknown southern land"?
  9. What word which forms part of the name of a country in Oceania means "land of the people with the frizzy hair" in Malay?
  10. Which european island's name means "sheep islands" in its native language?
  11. Which Asian country's name means "land of the free"?
  12. Two kingdoms became a country in 1932 and was named after its royal family. Name the country?
  13. Which european country's name is thought to mean "land of young cattle"?
  14. Which country is the only one to be named after a chemical element?
  15. Which country is known as the "Land Of The Long White Cloud" by its native population?
  16. Which country's name is derived from a native language and means "little settlement"?
  17. Which island nation is the only country in the world named after a real woman?
  18. Which country's name translates to "rich coast", the name it was given by Spanish settlers in the early 16th century?
  19. Which country is named after a tree?
  20. Which european country gets its name a fertility goddess and means "the fertile place"?


Answers



  1. Greenland
  2. Bahamas ("Baja Mar" means "Low (Shallow) Sea" in Spanish)
  3. El Salvador ("the saviour" in Spanish)
  4. Hong Kong
  5. Ecuador (from "the equator")
  6. Canary Islands (after "canaria")
  7. Land
  8. Australia
  9. Papua (Papua New Guinea)
  10. Faroe Islands
  11. Thailand
  12. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (named after its Royal Family – the al-Sauds)
  13. Italy
  14. Argentina (derived from the Latin "argentum" for silver)
  15. New Zealand
  16. Canada
  17. Saint Lucia
  18. Costa Rica
  19. Brazil (named after the brazilwood tree)
  20. Eire, Ireland