You are here: Trivia Quizzes - Etymology of Place Names
Quiz
- Which territory was given a name by Eric the Red in 982 to attract settlers?
- Spanish Conquistadors gave which island country a name which means 'shallow sea' in Spanish?
- Which country in Central America is named after Jesus?
- Which Asian port means "fragrant harbour" in its native language?
- Which country gets its name from a line of latitude?
- Which islands gets its name from the Latin word for dog? It was given by the first Europeans to arrive there.
- 'Stan' as in Afghanistan and Pakistan is a Persian suffix meaning what?
- Which country gets its name from the Latin for "unknown southern land"?
- What word which forms part of the name of a country in Oceania means "land of the people with the frizzy hair" in Malay?
- Which european island's name means "sheep islands" in its native language?
- Which Asian country's name means "land of the free"?
- Two kingdoms became a country in 1932 and was named after its royal family. Name the country?
- Which european country's name is thought to mean "land of young cattle"?
- Which country is the only one to be named after a chemical element?
- Which country is known as the "Land Of The Long White Cloud" by its native population?
- Which country's name is derived from a native language and means "little settlement"?
- Which island nation is the only country in the world named after a real woman?
- Which country's name translates to "rich coast", the name it was given by Spanish settlers in the early 16th century?
- Which country is named after a tree?
- Which european country gets its name a fertility goddess and means "the fertile place"?
Answers
- Greenland
- Bahamas ("Baja Mar" means "Low (Shallow) Sea" in Spanish)
- El Salvador ("the saviour" in Spanish)
- Hong Kong
- Ecuador (from "the equator")
- Canary Islands (after "canaria")
- Land
- Australia
- Papua (Papua New Guinea)
- Faroe Islands
- Thailand
- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (named after its Royal Family – the al-Sauds)
- Italy
- Argentina (derived from the Latin "argentum" for silver)
- New Zealand
- Canada
- Saint Lucia
- Costa Rica
- Brazil (named after the brazilwood tree)
- Eire, Ireland