Country name In 35 editions of 36.

conventional long form:

People's Democratic Republic of Algeria

conventional short form:

Algeria

local long form:

Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Sha'biyah

local short form:

Al Jaza'ir

etymology:

the country name derives from the capital city of Algiers

conventional long form:

Republic of Angola

conventional short form:

Angola

local long form:

Republica de Angola

local short form:

Angola

former:

People's Republic of Angola

etymology:

name derived by the Portuguese from the title "ngola" held by kings of the Ndongo (Ndongo was a kingdom in what is now northern Angola)

conventional long form:

Republic of Benin

conventional short form:

Benin

local long form:

Republique du Benin

local short form:

Benin

former:

Dahomey

etymology:

named for the Bight of Benin, the body of water on which the country lies

conventional long form:

Republic of Botswana

conventional short form:

Botswana

local long form:

Republic of Botswana

local short form:

Botswana

former:

Bechuanaland

etymology:

the name Botswana means "Land of the Tswana" - referring to the country's major ethnic group

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Burkina Faso

local long form:

none

local short form:

Burkina Faso

former:

Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta

etymology:

name translates as "Land of the honest (incorruptible) men"

conventional long form:

Republic of Burundi

conventional short form:

Burundi

local long form:

Republique du Burundi/Republika y'u Burundi

local short form:

Burundi

former:

Urundi

etymology:

name derived from the pre-colonial Kingdom of Burundi (17th-19th century)

conventional long form:

Republic of Cabo Verde

conventional short form:

Cabo Verde

local long form:

Republica de Cabo Verde

local short form:

Cabo Verde

etymology:

the name derives from Cap-Vert (Green Cape) on the Senegalese coast, the westernmost point of Africa and the nearest mainland to the islands

conventional long form:

Republic of Cameroon

conventional short form:

Cameroon

local long form:

Republique du Cameroun/Republic of Cameroon

local short form:

Cameroun/Cameroon

former:

• French Cameroon,
• British Cameroon,
• Federal Republic of Cameroon,
• United Republic of Cameroon

etymology:

• in the 15th century, Portuguese explorers named the area near the mouth of the Wouri River the Rio dos Camaroes (River of Prawns) after the abundant shrimp in the water;
• over time the designation became Cameroon in English;
• this is the only instance where a country is named afer a crustacean

conventional long form:

Central African Republic

conventional short form:

none

local long form:

Republique Centrafricaine

local short form:

none

former:

Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire

abbreviation:

CAR

etymology:

• self-descriptive name specifying the country's location on the continent;
• "Africa" is derived from the Roman designation of the area corresponding to present-day Tunisia "Africa terra," which meant "Land of the Afri" (the tribe resident in that area), but which eventually came to mean the entire continent

conventional long form:

Republic of Chad

conventional short form:

Chad

local long form:

Republique du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad

local short form:

Tchad/Tshad

etymology:

named for Lake Chad, which lies along the country's western border; the word "tsade" means "large body of water" or "lake" in several local native languages

conventional long form:

Union of the Comoros

conventional short form:

Comoros

local long form:

• Udzima wa Komori (Comorian);
• Union des Comores (French);
• Jumhuriyat al Qamar al Muttahidah (Arabic)

local short form:

• Komori (Comorian);
• Comores (French);
• Juzur al Qamar (Arabic)

etymology:

name derives from the Arabic designation "Juzur al Qamar" meaning "Islands of the Moon"

conventional long form:

Democratic Republic of the Congo

conventional short form:

DRC

local long form:

Republique Democratique du Congo

local short form:

RDC

former:

• Congo Free State,
• Belgian Congo,
• Congo/Leopoldville,
• Congo/Kinshasa,
• Zaire

abbreviation:

DRC

etymology:

• named for the Congo River, most of which lies within the DRC;
• the river name derives from Kongo, a Bantu kingdom that occupied its mouth at the time of Portuguese discovery in the late 15th century and whose name stems from its people the Bakongo, meaning "hunters"

conventional long form:

Republic of the Congo

conventional short form:

Congo (Brazzaville)

local long form:

Republique du Congo

local short form:

Congo

former:

• French Congo,
• Middle Congo,
• People's Republic of the Congo,
• Congo/Brazzaville

etymology:

• named for the Congo River, which makes up much of the country's eastern border;
• the river name derives from Kongo, a Bantu kingdom that occupied its mouth at the time of Portuguese discovery in the late 15th century and whose name stems from its people the Bakongo, meaning "hunters"

conventional long form:

Republic of Cote d'Ivoire

conventional short form:

Cote d'Ivoire

local long form:

Republique de Cote d'Ivoire

local short form:

Cote d'Ivoire

note: pronounced coat-div-whar

former:

Ivory Coast

etymology:

name reflects the intense ivory trade that took place in the region from the 15th to 17th centuries

conventional long form:

Republic of Djibouti

conventional short form:

Djibouti

local long form:

Republique de Djibouti/Jumhuriyat Jibuti

local short form:

Djibouti/Jibuti

former:

French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland

etymology:

the country name derives from the capital city of Djibouti

conventional long form:

Arab Republic of Egypt

conventional short form:

Egypt

local long form:

Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah

local short form:

Misr

former:

United Arab Republic (with Syria)

etymology:

• the English name "Egypt" derives from the ancient Greek name for the country "Aigyptos";
• the Arabic name "Misr" can be traced to the ancient Akkadian "misru" meaning border or frontier

conventional long form:

Republic of Equatorial Guinea

conventional short form:

Equatorial Guinea

local long form:

Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial/Republique de Guinee Equatoriale

local short form:

Guinea Ecuatorial/Guinee Equatoriale

former:

Spanish Guinea

etymology:

• the country is named for the Guinea region of West Africa that lies along the Gulf of Guinea and stretches north to the Sahel;
• the "equatorial" refers to the fact that the country lies just north of the Equator

conventional long form:

State of Eritrea

conventional short form:

Eritrea

local long form:

Hagere Ertra

local short form:

Ertra

former:

Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia

etymology:

the country name derives from the ancient Greek appellation "Erythra Thalassa" meaning Red Sea, which is the major water body bordering the country

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Swaziland

conventional short form:

Swaziland

local long form:

Umbuso weSwatini

local short form:

eSwatini

etymology:

"Land of the Swazi" people; the name "Swazi" derives from 19th century King MSWATI II, under whose rule Swazi territory was expanded and unified

conventional long form:

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

conventional short form:

Ethiopia

local long form:

Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik

local short form:

Ityop'iya

former:

Abyssinia, Italian East Africa

abbreviation:

FDRE

etymology:

the country name derives from the Greek word "Aethiopia," which in classical times referred to lands south of Egypt in the Upper Nile region

conventional long form:

Gabonese Republic

conventional short form:

Gabon

local long form:

Republique Gabonaise

local short form:

Gabon

etymology:

name originates from the Portuguese word "gabao" meaning "cloak," which is roughly the shape that the early explorers gave to the estuary of the Komo River by the capital of Libreville

conventional long form:

Republic of The Gambia

conventional short form:

The Gambia

etymology:

named for the Gambia River that flows through the heart of the country

conventional long form:

Republic of Ghana

conventional short form:

Ghana

former:

Gold Coast

etymology:

named for the medieval West African kingdom of the same name, but whose location was actually further north than the modern country

conventional long form:

Republic of Guinea

conventional short form:

Guinea

local long form:

Republique de Guinee

local short form:

Guinee

former:

French Guinea

note: the country is named after the Guinea region of West Africa that lies along the Gulf of Guinea and stretches north to the Sahel

`conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau

conventional short form:

Guinea-Bissau

local long form:

Republica da Guine-Bissau

local short form:

Guine-Bissau

former:

Portuguese Guinea

note: the country is named after the Guinea region of West Africa that lies along the Gulf of Guinea and stretches north to the Sahel; "Bissau" distinguishes the country from neighboring Guinea

conventional long form:

Republic of Kenya

conventional short form:

Kenya

local long form:

Republic of Kenya/Jamhuri ya Kenya

local short form:

Kenya

former:

British East Africa

etymolgy:

named for Mount Kenya; the meaning of the name is unclear but may derive from the Kikuyu, Embu, and Kamba words "kirinyaga," "kirenyaa," and "kiinyaa" - all of which mean "God's resting place"

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Lesotho

conventional short form:

Lesotho

local long form:

Kingdom of Lesotho

local short form:

Lesotho

former:

Basutoland

etymology:

the name translates as "Land of the Sesotho speakers"

conventional long form:

Republic of Liberia

conventional short form:

Liberia

etymology:

name derives from the Latin word "liber" meaning "free"; so named because the nation was created as a homeland for liberated African-American slaves

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Libya

local long form:

none

local short form:

Libiya

note: name derives from the Libu, an ancient Libyan tribe first mentioned in texts from the 13th century B.C.

conventional long form:

Republic of Madagascar

conventional short form:

Madagascar

local long form:

Republique de Madagascar/Repoblikan'i Madagasikara

local short form:

Madagascar/Madagasikara

former:

Malagasy Republic

note: the name "Madageiscar" was first used by the 13th-century Venetian explorer Marco POLO, as a corrupted transliteration of Mogadishu, the Somali port with which POLO confused the island

conventional long form:

Republic of Malawi

conventional short form:

Malawi

local long form:

Dziko la Malawi

local short form:

Malawi

former:

• British Central African Protectorate,
• Nyasaland Protectorate,
• Nyasaland

etymology:

named for the East African Maravi kingdom of the 16th century; the word "maravi" means "fire flames"

conventional long form:

Republic of Mali

conventional short form:

Mali

local long form:

Republique de Mali

local short form:

Mali

former:

French Sudan and Sudanese Republic

note: name derives from the West African Mali Empire of the 13th to 16th centuries A.D.

conventional long form:

Islamic Republic of Mauritania

conventional short form:

Mauritania

local long form:

Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah

local short form:

Muritaniyah

etymology:

• named for the ancient Kingdom of Mauretania (3rd century B.C. to 1st century A.D.), which existed further north in present-day Morocco;
• the name derives from the Mauri (Moors), the Berber-speaking peoples of northwest Africa

conventional long form:

Republic of Mauritius

conventional short form:

Mauritius

local long form:

Republic of Mauritius

local short form:

Mauritius

note: island named after Prince Maurice VAN NASSAU, stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, in 1598

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Morocco

conventional short form:

Morocco

local long form:

Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah

local short form:

Al Maghrib

note: the English name "Morocco" derives from, respectively, the Spanish and Portuguese names "Marruecos" and "Marrocos," which stem from "Marrakesh" the Latin name for the former capital of ancient Morocco; the Arabic name "Al Maghrib" translates as "The West"

conventional long form:

Republic of Mozambique

conventional short form:

Mozambique

local long form:

Republica de Mocambique

local short form:

Mocambique

former:

Portuguese East Africa

etymology:

• named for the offshore island of Mozambique;
• the island was apparently named after Mussa al-BIK, an influential Arab slave trader who set himself up as sultan on the island in the 15th century

conventional long form:

Republic of Namibia

conventional short form:

Namibia

local long form:

Republic of Namibia

local short form:

Namibia

former:

German South-West Africa (Deutsch Suedwest Afrika), South-West Africa

etymology:

named for the coastal Namib Desert; the name "namib" means "vast place" in the Nama/Damara language

conventional long form:

Republic of Niger

conventional short form:

Niger

local long form:

Republique du Niger

local short form:

Niger

etymology:

named for the Niger River that passes through the southwest of the country; from a native term "Ni Gir" meaning "River Gir"

conventional long form:

Federal Republic of Nigeria

conventional short form:

Nigeria

etymology:

named for the Niger River that flows through the west of the country to the Atlantic Ocean; from a native term "Ni Gir" meaning "River Gir"

conventional long form:

Republic of Rwanda

conventional short form:

Rwanda

local long form:

Republika y'u Rwanda

local short form:

Rwanda

former:

Ruanda, German East Africa

etymology:

the name translates as "domain" in the native Kinyarwanda language

conventional long form:

Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha

conventional short form:

none

etymology:

• Saint Helena was discovered in 1502 by Galician navigator Joao da NOVA, sailing in the service of the Kingdom of Portugal, who named it "Santa Helena";
• Ascension was named in 1503 by Portuguese navigator Afonso de ALBUQUERQUE who sighted the island on the Feast Day of the Ascension;
• Tristan da Cunha was discovered in 1506 by Portuguese explorer Tristao da CUNHA who christened the main island after himself (the name was subsequently anglicized)

conventional long form:

Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe

conventional short form:

Sao Tome and Principe

local long form:

Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe

local short form:

Sao Tome e Principe

etymology:

• Sao Tome was named after Saint THOMAS the Apostle by the Portuguese who discovered the island on 21 December 1470 (or 1471), the saint's feast day;
• Principe is a shortening of the original Portuguese name of "Ilha do Principe" (Isle of the Prince) referring to the Prince of Portugal to whom duties on the island's sugar crop were paid

conventional long form:

Republic of Senegal

conventional short form:

Senegal

local long form:

Republique du Senegal

local short form:

Senegal

former:

Senegambia (along with The Gambia), Mali Federation

etymology:

• named for the Senegal River that forms the northern border of the country;
• many theories exist for the origin of the river name;
• perhaps the most widely cited derives the name from "Azenegue," the Portuguese appellation for the Berber Zenaga people who lived north of the river

conventional long form:

Republic of Seychelles

conventional short form:

Seychelles

local long form:

Republic of Seychelles

local short form:

Seychelles

etymology:

named by French Captain Corneille Nicholas MORPHEY after Jean Moreau de SECHELLES, the finance minister of France, in 1756

conventional long form:

Republic of Sierra Leone

conventional short form:

Sierra Leone

local long form:

Republic of Sierra Leone

local short form:

Sierra Leone

etymology:

the Portuguese explorer Pedro de SINTRA named the country "Serra Leoa" (Lion Mountains) for the impressive mountains he saw while sailing the West African coast in 1462

conventional long form:

Federal Republic of Somalia

conventional short form:

Somalia

local long form:

Jamhuuriyadda Federaalkaa Soomaaliya

local short form:

Soomaaliya

former:

Somali Republic, Somali Democratic Republic

etymology:

"Land of the Somali" (ethnic group)

conventional long form:

Republic of South Africa

conventional short form:

South Africa

former:

Union of South Africa

abbreviation:

RSA

etymology:

• self-descriptive name from the country's location on the continent;
• "Africa" is derived from the Roman designation of the area corresponding to present-day Tunisia "Africa terra," which meant "Land of the Afri" (the tribe resident in that area), but which eventually came to mean the entire continent

conventional long form:

Republic of South Sudan

conventional short form:

South Sudan

etymology:

• self-descriptive name from the country's former position within Sudan prior to independence;
• the name "Sudan" derives from the Arabic "bilad-as-sudan" meaning "Land of the black [peoples]"

conventional long form:

Republic of the Sudan

conventional short form:

Sudan

local long form:

Jumhuriyat as-Sudan

local short form:

As-Sudan

former:

Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

etymology:

the name "Sudan" derives from the Arabic "bilad-as-sudan" meaning "Land of the black [peoples]"

conventional long form:

United Republic of Tanzania

conventional short form:

Tanzania

local long form:

Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania

local short form:

Tanzania

former:

United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

note: the country's name is a combination of the first letters of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the two states that merged to form Tanzania in 1964

conventional long form:

Togolese Republic

conventional short form:

Togo

local long form:

Republique Togolaise

local short form:

none

former:

French Togoland

etymology:

• derived from the Ewe words "to" (water) and "go" (shore) to give the sense of "by the water";
• originally, this designation applied to the town of Togo (now Togoville) on the northern shore of Lake Togo, but the name was eventually extended to the entire nation

conventional long form:

Republic of Tunisia

conventional short form:

Tunisia

local long form:

Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah

local short form:

Tunis

note: the country name derives from the capital city of Tunis

conventional long form:

Republic of Uganda

conventional short form:

Uganda

etymology:

• from the Swahili "Buganda," adopted by the British as the name for their East African colony in 1894;
• Buganda had been a powerful East African state during the 18th and 19th centuries

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Western Sahara

former:

• Rio de Oro,
• Saguia el Hamra,
• Spanish Sahara

etymology:

self-descriptive name specifying the territory's location on the African continent's vast desert

conventional long form:

Republic of Zambia

conventional short form:

Zambia

former:

Northern Rhodesia

etymology:

name derived from the Zambezi River, which flows through the western part of the country and forms its southern border with neighboring Zimbabwe

conventional long form:

Republic of Zimbabwe

conventional short form:

Zimbabwe

former:

Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia

etymology:

takes its name from the Kingdom of Zimbabwe (13th-15th century) and its capital of Great Zimbabwe, the largest stone structure in pre-colonial southern Africa

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Antarctica

etymology:

name derived from two Greek words meaning "opposite to the Arctic" or "opposite to the north"

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Bouvet Island

etymology:

named after the French naval officer Jean-Baptiste Charles BOUVET who discovered the island in 1739

conventional long form:

Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands

conventional short form:

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

local long form:

Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises

local short form:

Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises

abbreviation:

TAAF

etymology:

self-descriptive name specifying the territories' affiliation and location in the Southern Hemisphere

conventional long form:

Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands

conventional short form:

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

abbreviation:

HIMI

etymology:

named after American Captain John HEARD, who sighted the island on 25 November 1853, and American Captain William McDONALD, who discovered the islands on 4 January 1854

conventional long form:

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

conventional short form:

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

abbreviation:

SGSSI

etymology:

• South Georgia was named "the Isle of Georgia" in 1775 by Captain James COOK in honor of British King GEORGE III;
• the explorer also discovered the Sandwich Islands Group that year, which he named "Sandwich Land" after John MONTAGU, the Earl of Sandwich and First Lord of the Admiralty;
• the word "South" was later added to distinguish these islands from the other Sandwich Islands, now known as the Hawaiian Islands

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Greenland

local long form:

none

local short form:

Kalaallit Nunaat

note: named by Norwegian adventurer Erik THORVALDSSON (Erik the Red) in 985 in order to entice settlers to the island

conventional long form:

Republic of Iceland

conventional short form:

Iceland

local long form:

Lydveldid Island

local short form:

Island

etymology:

• Floki VILGERDARSON, an early explorer of the island (9th century), applied the name "land of ice" after spotting a fjord full of drift ice to the north and spending a bitter winter on the island;
• he eventually settled on the island, however, after he saw how it greened up in the summer and that it was in fact habitable

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Jan Mayen

etymology:

named after Dutch Captain Jan Jacobszoon MAY, one of the first explorers to reach the island in 1614

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Svalbard (sometimes referred to as Spitsbergen, the largest island in the archipelago)

etymology:

• 12th century Norse accounts speak of the discovery of a "Svalbard" - literally "cold shores" - but they may have referred to Jan Mayen island or eastern Greenland;
• the archipelago was traditionally known as Spitsbergen, but Norway renamed it Svalbard in the 1920s when it assumed sovereignty of the islands

conventional long form:

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

conventional short form:

Afghanistan

local long form:

Jamhuri-ye Islami-ye Afghanistan

local short form:

Afghanistan

former:

Republic of Afghanistan

etymology:

• the name "Afghan" originally refered to the Pashtun people (today it is understood to include all the country's ethnic groups), while the suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country";
• so Afghanistan literally means the "Land of the Afghans"

conventional long form:

Republic of Armenia

conventional short form:

Armenia

local long form:

Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun

local short form:

Hayastan

former:

Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Armenian Republic

etymology:

• the etymology of the country's name remains obscure;
• according to tradition, the country is named after Hayk, the legendary patriarch of the Armenians and the great-great-grandson of Noah;
• Hayk's descendant, Aram, purportedly is the source of the name Armenia

conventional long form:

Republic of Azerbaijan

conventional short form:

Azerbaijan

local long form:

Azarbaycan Respublikasi

local short form:

Azarbaycan

former:

Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

etymology:

the name translates as "Land of fire" and refers to naturally occurring surface fires on ancient oil pools or from natural gas discharges

conventional long form:

People's Republic of Bangladesh

conventional short form:

Bangladesh

local long form:

Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh

local short form:

Bangladesh

former:

East Bengal, East Pakistan

etymology:

the name - a compound of the Bengali words "Bangla" (Bengal) and "desh" (country) - means "Country of Bengal"

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Bhutan

conventional short form:

Bhutan

local long form:

Druk Gyalkhap

local short form:

Druk Yul

etymology:

• named after the Bhotia, the ethnic Tibetans who migrated from Tibet to Bhutan;
• Bod is the Tibetan name for their land;
• the Bhutanese name "Druk Yul" means "Land of the Thunder Dragon"

conventional long form:

British Indian Ocean Territory

conventional short form:

none

abbreviation:

BIOT

etymology:

self-descriptive name specifying the territory's affiliation and location

conventional long form:

People's Republic of China

conventional short form:

China

local long form:

Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo

local short form:

Zhongguo

abbreviation:

PRC

etymology:

• English name derives from the Qin (Chin) rulers of the 3rd century B.C., who comprised the first imperial dynasty of ancient China;
• the Chinese name Zhongguo translates as "Central Nation"

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Georgia

local long form:

none

local short form:

Sak'art'velo

former:

Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

etymology:

• the Western name may derive from the Persian designation "gurgan" meaning "Land of the wolves";
• the native name "Sak'art'velo" means "Land of the Kartvelians" and refers to the core central Georgian region of Kartli

conventional long form:

Republic of India

conventional short form:

India

local long form:

Republic of India/Bharatiya Ganarajya

local short form:

India/Bharat

etymology:

• the English name derives from the Indus River;
• the Indian name "Bharat" may derive from the "Bharatas" tribe mentioned in the Vedas of the second millennium B.C.;
• the name is also associated with Emperor Bharata, the legendary conqueror of all of India

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Japan

local long form:

Nihon-koku/Nippon-koku

local short form:

Nihon/Nippon

etymology:

• the English word for Japan comes via the Chinese name for the country "Cipangu";
• both Nihon and Nippon mean "where the sun originates" and are frequently translated as "Land of the rising sun"

conventional long form:

Republic of Kazakhstan

conventional short form:

Kazakhstan

local long form:

Qazaqstan Respublikasy

local short form:

Qazaqstan

former:

Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

etymology:

• the name "Kazakh" derives from the Turkic word "kaz" meaning "to wander," recalling the Kazakh's nomadic lifestyle;
• the Persian suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country," so the word Kazakhstan literally means "Land of the wanderers"

conventional long form:

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

conventional short form:

North Korea

local long form:

Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk

local short form:

Choson

abbreviation:

DPRK

etymology:

• derived from the Chinese name for Goryeo, which was the Korean dynasty that united the peninsula in the 10th century A.D.;
• the North Korean name "Choson" means "[land of the] morning calm"

conventional long form:

Republic of Korea

conventional short form:

South Korea

local long form:

Taehan-min'guk

local short form:

Han'guk

abbreviation:

ROK

etymology:

• derived from the Chinese name for Goryeo, which was the Korean dynasty that united the peninsula in the 10th century A.D.;
• the South Korean name "Han'guk" means "land of the Han," where "han" refers to a "great [leader]" (similar to the title "khan")

conventional long form:

Kyrgyz Republic

conventional short form:

Kyrgyzstan

local long form:

Kyrgyz Respublikasy

local short form:

Kyrgyzstan

former:

Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic

etymology:

• a combination of the Turkic words "kyrg" (forty) and "-yz" (tribes) with the Persian suffix "-stan" (country) creating the meaning "Land of the forty tribes";
• the name refers to the forty clans united by the legendary Kyrgyz hero, MANAS

conventional long form:

Republic of Maldives

conventional short form:

Maldives

local long form:

Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa

local short form:

Dhivehi Raajje

etymology:

• archipelago apparently named after the main island (and capital) of Male;
• the word "Maldives" means "the islands (dives) of Male";
• alternatively, the name may derive from the Sanskrit word "maladvipa" meaning "garland of islands";
• Dhivehi Raajje in Maldivian means "Kingdom of the Dhivehi people"

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Mongolia

local long form:

none

local short form:

Mongol Uls

former:

Outer Mongolia

etymology:

the name means "Land of the Mongols" in Latin; the Mongolian name Mongol Uls translates as "Mongol State"

conventional long form:

Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal

conventional short form:

Nepal

local long form:

Sanghiya Loktantrik Ganatantra Nepal

local short form:

Nepal

etymology:

• the Newar people of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas apparently gave their name to the country;
• the terms "Nepal," "Newar," "Nepar," and "Newal" are phonetically different forms of the same word

conventional long form:

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

conventional short form:

Pakistan

local long form:

Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan

local short form:

Pakistan

former:

West Pakistan

etymology:

the word "pak" means "pure" in Persian or Pashto, while the Persian suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country," so the word Pakistan literally means "Land of the pure"

conventional long form:

Russian Federation

conventional short form:

Russia

local long form:

Rossiyskaya Federatsiya

local short form:

Rossiya

former:

Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic

etymology:

• Russian lands were generally referred to as Muscovy until PETER I officially declared the Russian Empire in 1721;
• the new name sought to invoke the patrimony of the medieval eastern European Rus state centered on Kyiv in present-day Ukraine;
• the Rus were a Varangian (eastern Viking) elite that imposed their rule and eventually their name on their Slavic subjects

conventional long form:

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

conventional short form:

Sri Lanka

local long form:

Shri Lanka Prajatantrika Samajavadi Janarajaya/Ilankai Jananayaka Choshalichak Kutiyarachu

local short form:

Shri Lanka/Ilankai

former:

Serendib, Ceylon

note: the name means "resplendent island" in Sanskrit

conventional long form:

Republic of Tajikistan

conventional short form:

Tajikistan

local long form:

Jumhurii Tojikiston

local short form:

Tojikiston

former:

Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic

etymology:

the Persian suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country," so the word Tajikistan literally means "Land of the Tajik [people]"

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Turkmenistan

local long form:

none

local short form:

Turkmenistan

former:

Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic

etymology:

the suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country," so Turkmenistan literally means the "Land of the Turkmen [people]"

conventional long form:

Republic of Uzbekistan

conventional short form:

Uzbekistan

local long form:

O'zbekiston Respublikasi

local short form:

O'zbekiston

former:

Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic

etymology:

a combination of the Turkic words "uz" (self) and "bek" (master) with the Persian suffix "-stan" (country) to give the meaning "Land of the free"

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Anguilla

etymology:

the name Anguilla means "eel" in various Romance languages (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French) and likely derives from the island's lengthy shape

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Antigua and Barbuda

etymology:

• "antiguo" is Spanish for "ancient" or "old";
• the island was discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and, according to tradition, named by him after the church of Santa Maria la Antigua (Old Saint Mary's) in Seville;
• "barbuda" is Spanish for "bearded" and the adjective may refer to the alleged beards of the indigenous people or to the island's bearded-fig trees

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Aruba

etymology:

• the origin of the island's name is unclear;
• according to tradition, the name comes from the Spanish phrase "oro huba" (there was gold), but in fact no gold was ever found on the island;
• another possibility is the native word "oruba," which means "well situated"

conventional long form:

Commonwealth of The Bahamas

conventional short form:

The Bahamas

etymology:

name derives from the Spanish "baha mar," meaning "shallow sea," which describes the shallow waters of the Bahama Banks

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Barbados

etymology:

the name derives from the Portuguese "as barbadas," which means "the bearded ones" and can refer either to the long, hanging roots of the island's bearded-fig trees or to the alleged beards of the native Carib inhabitants

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Belize

former:

British Honduras

etymology:

may be named for the Belize River, whose name possibly derives from the Maya word "belix," meaning "muddy-watered"

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

British Virgin Islands

abbreviation:

BVI

etymology:

the myriad islets, cays, and rocks surrounding the major islands reminded explorer Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 of Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgin followers (Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Virgenes), which over time shortened to the Virgins (las Virgenes)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Cayman Islands

etymology:

the islands' name comes from the native Carib word "caiman," describing the marine crocodiles living there

conventional long form:

Republic of Costa Rica

conventional short form:

Costa Rica

local long form:

Republica de Costa Rica

local short form:

Costa Rica

etymology:

the name means "rich coast" in Spanish and was first applied in the early colonial period of the 16th century

conventional long form:

Republic of Cuba

conventional short form:

Cuba

local long form:

Republica de Cuba

local short form:

Cuba

etymology:

name derives from the Taino Indian designation for the island "coabana" meaning "great place"

Dutch long form:

Land Curacao

Dutch short form:

Curacao

Papiamentu long form:

Pais Korsou

Papiamentu short form:

Korsou

former:

Netherlands Antilles; Curacao and Dependencies

etymology:

the most plausible name derivation is that the island was designated Isla de la Curacion (Spanish meaning "Island of the Cure" or "Island of Healing") or Ilha da Curacao (Portuguese meaning the same) to reflect the locale's function as a recovery stop for sick crewmen

conventional long form:

Commonwealth of Dominica

conventional short form:

Dominica

etymology:

the island was named by explorer Christopher COLUMBUS for the day of the week on which he spotted it, Sunday ("Domingo" in Latin), 3 November 1493

conventional long form:

Dominican Republic

conventional short form:

The Dominican

local long form:

Republica Dominicana

local short form:

La Dominicana

etymology:

the country name derives from the capital city of Santo Domingo (Saint Dominic)

conventional long form:

Republic of El Salvador

conventional short form:

El Salvador

local long form:

Republica de El Salvador

local short form:

El Salvador

etymology:

name is an abbreviation of the original Spanish conquistador designation for the area "Provincia de Nuestro Senor Jesus Cristo, el Salvador del Mundo" (Province of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the World), which became simply "El Salvador" (The Savior)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Grenada

etymology:

probably named for the Spanish city of Granada; in Spanish "granada" means "pomegranate"

conventional long form:

Republic of Guatemala

conventional short form:

Guatemala

local long form:

Republica de Guatemala

local short form:

Guatemala

etymology:

name derives from the Mayan word meaning "land of trees"

conventional long form:

Republic of Haiti

conventional short form:

Haiti

local long form:

Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d Ayiti

local short form:

Haiti/Ayiti

etymology:

the native Taino name means "land of high mountains" and was originally applied to the entire island of Hispaniola

conventional long form:

Republic of Honduras

conventional short form:

Honduras

local long form:

Republica de Honduras

local short form:

Honduras

etymology:

the name means "depths" in Spanish and refers to the deep anchorage in the northern Bay of Trujillo

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Jamaica

etymology:

from the native Taino word "haymaca" meaning "land of wood and water" or possibly "land of springs"

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Montserrat

etymology:

island named by explorer Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 after the Benedictine abbey Santa Maria de Montserrat, near Barcelona, Spain

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Navassa Island

etymology:

• the flat island was named "Navaza" by some of Christopher COLUMBUS' sailers in 1504;
• the name derives from the Spanish term "nava" meaning "flat land, plain, or field"

conventional long form:

Republic of Nicaragua

conventional short form:

Nicaragua

local long form:

Republica de Nicaragua

local short form:

Nicaragua

etymology:

• Nicarao was the name of the largest indigenous settlement at the time of Spanish arrival;
• conquistador Gil GONZALEZ Davila, who explored the area (1622-23), combined the name of the community with the Spanish word "agua" (water), referring to the two large lakes in the west of the country (Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua)

conventional long form:

Republic of Panama

conventional short form:

Panama

local long form:

Republica de Panama

local short form:

Panama

etymology:

according to tradition, the name derives from a former indigenous fishing village and its nearby beach that were called "Panama" meaning "an abundance of fish"

conventional long form:

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

conventional short form:

Puerto Rico

etymology:

• Christopher COLUMBUS named the island San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist) and the capital city and main port Cuidad de Puerto Rico (Rich Port City);
• over time, however, the names were shortened and transposed and the island came to be called Puerto Rico and its capital San Juan

conventional long form:

Overseas Collectivity of Saint Barthelemy

conventional short form:

Saint Barthelemy

local long form:

Collectivite d'outre mer de Saint-Barthelemy

local short form:

Saint-Barthelemy

abbreviation:

Saint-Barth (French); St. Barts or St. Barths (English)

etymology:

explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island in honor of his brother Bartolomeo's namesake saint in 1493

conventional long form:

Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis

conventional short form:

Saint Kitts and Nevis

former:

Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis

etymology:

• Saint Kitts was, and still is, referred to as Saint Christopher and this name was well established by the 17th century (although who first applied the name is unclear);
• in the 17th century a common nickname for Christopher was Kit or Kitt, so the island began to be referred to as "Saint Kitt's Island" or just "Saint Kitts";
• Nevis is derived from the original Spanish name "Nuestra Senora de las Nieves" (Our Lady of the Snows) and refers to the white halo of clouds that generally wreathes Nevis Peak

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Saint Lucia

etymology:

named after Saint LUCY of Syracuse by French sailors who were shipwrecked on the island on 13 December 1502, the saint's feast day

conventional long form:

Overseas Collectivity of Saint Martin

conventional short form:

Saint Martin

local long form:

Collectivite d'outre mer de Saint-Martin

local short form:

Saint-Martin

etymology:

explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island after Saint MARTIN of Tours because the 11 November 1493 day of discovery was the saint's feast day

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

etymology:

Saint Vincent was named by explorer Christopher COLUMBUS after Saint VINCENT of Saragossa because the 22 January 1498 day of discovery was the saint's feast day

Dutch long form:

Land Sint Maarten

Dutch short form:

Sint Maarten

English long form:

Country of Sint Maarten

English short form:

Sint Maarten

former:

Netherlands Antilles; Curacao and Dependencies

etymology:

explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island after Saint MARTIN of Tours because the 11 November 1493 day of discovery was the saint's feast day

conventional long form:

Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

conventional short form:

Trinidad and Tobago

etymology:

• explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the larger island "La Isla de la Trinidad" (The Island of the Trinity) on 31 July 1498 on his third voyage;
• the tobacco grown and smoked by the natives of the smaller island or its elongated cigar shape may account for the "tobago" name, which is spelled "tobaco" in Spanish

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Turks and Caicos Islands

abbreviation:

TCI

etymology:

the Turks Islands are named after the Turk's cap cactus (native to the islands and appearing on the flag and coat of arms), while the Caicos Islands derive from the native term "caya hico" meaning "string of islands"

conventional long form:

United States Virgin Islands

conventional short form:

Virgin Islands

former:

Danish West Indies

abbreviation:

USVI

note: the myriad islets, cays, and rocks surrounding the major islands reminded Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 of Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgin followers (Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Virgenes), which over time shortened to the Virgins (las Virgenes)