You Name It!

Question: Who came up with the name Australia?

Answer: Matthew Flinders, an explorer, suggested the name Australia. It is Latin for "Southern Land."

Question: What do the people of Georgia call their country?

Answer: The people of Georgia call themselves Kartveli and their country Sakartvelo. When Russia absorbed the country into its empire, it was given the name Georgia, after its patron saint, George.

Question: The people who live there call it Hellas. What do we call this country?

Answer: The Greek word for Greece is Hellas. The name comes from an ancient tribe, the Hellenes.

Question: England’s Black Country got its name because of:

Answer: The Black Country, near Birmingham, is so called because of its abundant coal deposits.

Question: What country is known as the Isle of Spice?

Answer: Called the Isle of Spice, Grenada is known for its spice industry.

Question: What is another name for Myanmar?

Answer: Burma is another name for Myanmar. Both are pronunciations, in different dialects, for the same word, referring to the nation lying to the east of India and Bangladesh.

Question: What is the Latin name for Switzerland?

Answer: Helvetia is the Latin name for Switzerland. This gives us the name Helvetica, a popular typeface invented in that country.

Question: In the Hungarian language, what is the nation of Hungary called?

Answer: In its main language, the nation of Hungary is called Magyarország, "the land of the Magyar people."

Question: The people who live there call it Bharat. What is this country called in English?

Answer: India is called Bharat in Hindi. The Indus River is the source of the country’s common name.