Did you know that China, America and other countries were named after real people?
Just like parents put some serious thoughts into naming their newborns, a lot goes into the nomenclature of countries as well. In fact, a country’s name, along with its flag, national anthem and few other significant features establish its global identity.
Countries around the world have different naming origins, influenced by both people and nature. For instance, Cape Verde means “green peninsula,” while Costa Rica means “green coast.” And there are of course popular countries like America and China that are named after historically famous people. Let us explore few such countries and the people who inspired their prominent names.
China: Named after Emperor Qin
One of the greatest and most influential countries China is famous for its political and defence strategies and also for being the home to the largest number of people in the world. China derives its name from Emperor Qin (Shi Huang), pronounced as “Chin” who was incidentally the first emperor of unified China.
United States of America: Named after Amerigo Vespucci
The name America doesn’t need an introduction, and rightly so. This global power gets its name from an Italian explorer named Amerigo Vespucci, who was responsible for the discovery of the new world or the Americas.
Colombia: Named after Christopher Columbus
Colombia, a South American sovereign state is not only famous for its ethnic and linguistic diversity but because of its name being inspired by another famous Italian explorer named Christopher Columbus, who is often held responsible for influencing Europeans with the colonial mentality.
Bolivia: Named after Simon Bolivar
Bolivia, a former colony of Spain is a landlocked South American country that gets its name from Simon Bolivar, a Venezuelan pollical leader and military officer who was influential in the independence of several South American countries.
Dominican Republic: Named after Saint Dominic
This island country of Hispaniola has been the home to one of the most ancient surviving tribes called Taino, from almost as early as 7th century. It gets its name from an ancient Castilian priest called Saint Dominic, who was also a patron saint of astronomers.
Philippines: Named after Phillip II
This Southeast Asian country is in reality an archipelago comprising of over 7600 islands and is named after the king of Spain, Phillip II. In fact, long before Philippines became a sovereign country, it was under the colonization of Spain.