The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-03
NAMES OF COUNTRIES.
The Meaning of Some Which Are Most
Commonly Known.

Everybody knows the origin Of the
name America, but not so many are
aware that Europe means broadface in
Greek; that Asia is the land of the dawn
and that Africa comes from Phoenician
word meaning black man, and is liter.
ally 1.-THE land of the blacks, says a wri-
ter in the Philadelphia Times The Lat
in word Australis, southern, gives 6
name to Australia. The ancients knew
only the lands around the Mediterranean
and for this reason considered that sea
in the middle of the world" The
Adriatic is named from the city of Adria
the black town, which was so called be
cause it was built upon the black sol
brought down by the river Pc.
The origin of the name Canada is I'm.
known. Mexico comes from nexitl, the
Aztec war god. Honduras means deer
water; Costa Rica, rich coast, and Nicar.
aqua, sweet water. Venezuela, meaning
little Venice, was so named because some
of its people built their houses oyer the
water, as the Venetians did. When the
Spaniard asked the Indians of a part OF
Central America the name of their coun-
try, they answered: Junca tan?''
c'What do you say?'') and the country
was called Yucatan in consequence.
Brazil was SO named because the wood
of a certain tree of that country was
thought to resemble in color the GOALS in
q braZier. Eucador means equator; Al
gentina, silver; Chill, the land of snow
Dot h. a.x "a L.. e..L n
quay, the river of waters. Only men
from bleak northern ATTITUDES could have
named Greenland and Labrador, the last
meaning land that might be cultivated.
Britain is word of uncertain origin.
The name may come from the Celtic
britii, painted, applied to the inhabitants
because they painted their bodies or
from the Phoenician baratanic, the land
of tin, because the Phoenicians visited
Cornwall for tin. England is Angleland,
the Angles being one of the Teutonic
tribes that overran the island. Scotland
is the land of Scots, or wanderers. -
Ireland may derive it's name from Ir, a
Spanish chief, who invaded the country
early in the Christian era.
The German Franks, who settled
among the Celtic tribes of Gaul, gave
their name to France, themselves deri
wing it from franco, kind of spear with
which they were armed. Belgium takes
its name from Belgae, who possessed one
of the three parts of 'All Gaul'' in
Caesars time. The Suevi, another tribe
mentioned by Caesar, gave their name to
Sweden. Holland means marsh ground,
and nearly the same meaning is preserved
in the present name of the country-Neth-
erlands, the underlands, or lowlands.
Denmark IS plainly the march or terri
tory of the Danes
Austria is Oesterreich, the eastern en-
pire. Prussia is the land of the Borussi,
and Russia is the country of the Russ, a
Swedish tribe that overran a part of the
land and founded the empire at Nov
gorod.
The name Germany is of uncertain ORR
gin. By some it is supposed to be de-
rived from Dschermania, the name of a
region in central Asia. The Germani, a
tribe whose name means followers of
Buddah," lived in Persia in the days of
Herodotus. Switzerland gets it's name
from Schweiz, the name of the three can
tons that first asserted their independence
of Austria. Spain, Latin Hispania, comes
from the Phoenician SPAIN, rabbit, the
country in early times Astounding in
these animals. Portugal is derived by
some from Portus Gale, the ancient name
us Gallee, the gateway of Ganl. Italy
comes either from Italus, an early tribal
chief of the country, or from the Greek
italos, a young bullock. The Greeks
called their country Hellas, and them
selves Hellenes, but the Romans named
the land from the Graecii, q tribe of
Epirus.
Turkey means tributary people; Per
STA, the land of brightness; Arabia, the
district of the desert man; Hindustan,
fixed dwelling place; Siam, dark land,
from the color of the soil, and Ceylon,
lions. Japan is corruption of Zipangu,
the name of the country as given by Mar
co Polo, the Venetian traveller, who
visited it in the 18th century
The derivation of Egypt is unknown.
Morocco is the territory of the Moors, and
Barbary that of the Berbers Soudan
means the district of the blacks. THE
Desert of Sahara" is needless repeti-
tion, for Sahara means desert. Gibraltar
is s'the mountain of Tariff, !" who, with a
Saracen army, built a castle on the rock
in the eighth century. In South Africa,
Transvaal is the country beyond the Vaal
river, and Natal owes it's name to the
fact that it was discovered on Christmas,
the dies natalis Of Christ.
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