Country Names in the World
Bahamas - from Spanish "Baja Mar" ("shallow sea"). Spanish conquistadors named the islands based on the characteristics of the surrounding water.
Bahrain - from Arabic "two seas." There is still debate about which seas are being referred to here.
Bahrain is located in a bay surrounded by Arab land and the Qatari peninsula, and some people believe that "two seas" refers to the water of the bay on both sides of the island. Others think it refers to the position of Bahrain island in the Persian Gulf, separated by "two seas" from the Arab shore to the south and Iran to the north.
The state occupies more than 20 islands in the Persian Gulf and is named after the largest of them. From Arabic "bahr" - "sea," "bahari" - "marine." Sometimes the name of the island is translated as "the place of the confluence of two seas," which is actually incorrect. Here, seawater mixes with freshwater - there are freshwater springs at the bottom.
Bangladesh - from Sanskrit/Bengali. Bangla means people who speak Bengali, and Desh - "country," thus, Bangladesh means "Country of Bengali speakers." The country was previously part of India, and Bengali culture spans a vast territory of India and Bangladesh.
Barbados - was named by Portuguese explorer Pedro a Campos "Los Barbados," which means "the bearded ones." This was said about the appearance of the island's fig trees.
Belarus - "White Russia," formerly Belorussia, "white Russia." The name "White Russia" referred to territories, part of which is now in Belarus, since the 13th century. The term "white" possibly denoted Russian lands that were not dependent on either the Tatar-Mongols or the Lithuanians. The name was changed after the collapse of the USSR to emphasize that Belarus and Russia were and remain separate countries. It is suggested that the new name has an independent root "rus" from Ruthenia. Although in fact, Ruthenia and Russia originated from the same root "rus," which came to us from the Vikings. Thus, the Ukrainian region of Ruthenia can be found in old sources as "Red Russia" (possibly referring to Kievan Rus), where the term does not relate to all of Ukraine or the USSR.
Belgium - from the name of the Celtic tribe, Belgae. The name may have derived from "Bolg" (Proto-Indo-European language group), meaning bag or womb.
Belize - According to one version, Belize got its name from a distorted Spanish pronunciation of "Peter Wallace" - a pirate who established the first settlement in Belize in 1638.
Benin - named after the old African empire of the same name, on whose territory modern Benin is located. The state of Benin was previously called Dahomey after the most numerous ethnic group.
Bhutan - land of Bhotia. It can be translated as "the outskirts of Tibet." The inhabitants of Tibet or Bhotia migrated from Tibet to Bhutan in the 10th century. The common root "bod," the ancient name for Tibet. The second unofficial name is Druk-Yul, meaning "land of the thunder dragon," "land of thunder," or "land of the dragon."
The name is formed by combining two Tibetan words - "Bod" (actually Tibet) and "anta" - "end, outskirts." The self-designation - Druk-Yul - means "land of the thunder dragon."
Brunei. The full name Brunei Darussalam means "Brunei, dwelling in peace." The name Brunei (in forms Borneo, Berunai) has been known since the 16th century, but its etymology has not yet been determined.
Brazil - from the name of the tree of the same name, which, in turn, was named because of the reddish color of the wood, resembling the color of glowing coals (brasil in Portuguese).
Britain - "painted," referring to the original settlers of the islands who used paint and tattoos to adorn their bodies; it may also derive from the Celtic goddess Brigid.
Bolivia - named after Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), a military leader who fought against the Spaniards and the first president of the republic (after independence was recognized in 1824).
Bosnia and Herzegovina - previously the country consisted of two separate territories: the larger northern part was named after the river Bosnia, while the smaller southern part took its name from the German noble title "duke." This title was awarded to the supreme voivode of the territory, Stefan Vukcic (if not pronounced this way, I apologize) by Emperor Frederick IV in 1448.
Botswana - named after the predominant ethnic group in the country, Tswana. The previous name - Bechuanaland - came from Bechuana, another spelling of "Botswana."
Bulgaria - "the land of a tribe formed from many tribes." "Bulg" comes from a Turkish root meaning "mixed." The Volga-Kama Bulgars, who migrated to the Balkans in the 7th century, initially held a dominant position in the state.
Burkina Faso - "the land of honest people." The country was previously called "Upper Volta" after the names of two main rivers - White and Black Volta, which originate in Burkina Faso. In 1984, Thomas Sankara, then the leader of the African state of Upper Volta, renamed his country Burkina Faso to uplift national spirit, which literally translates to "the land of honest people."
Burundi - the land of speakers of the Rundi language.