Who named the countries in the Middle East?

Alfred Thayer Mahan
Background. The origin of the term “Middle East” is considered to be in the British India Office during the 1850s. It was popularized by Alfred Thayer Mahan, an American naval strategist who was referring to the region between Arabia and India in 1902.

How did nations get their names?

There’s a fascinating trend in country names – countries are almost always named after one of four things: a directional description of the country, a feature of the land, a tribe name or an important person, usually male.

Which is the only country named after Jesus?

El Salvador
El Salvador has the singular distinction of being named after Jesus Christ himself, having been officially christened “Provincia De Nuestro Señor Jesus Cristo, El Salvador Del Mundo” – or “Province of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World” – in 1524 by conquistador Pedro de Alvarado.

How did Canada get its name?

The name “Canada” likely comes from the Huron-Iroquois word “kanata,” meaning “village” or “settlement.” In 1535, two Aboriginal youths told French explorer Jacques Cartier about the route to kanata; they were actually referring to the village of Stadacona, the site of the present-day City of Québec.

Where did Colombia get its name?

Colombia/Christopher Columbus: Colombia is named after Columbus, but not in the way that you might think. The name Colombia dates back to Francisco de Miranda, a revolutionary who sought to overthrow Spanish colonial rule in late-18th and early 19th century Latin America.

Who named all the countries in the world?

In 1507 German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller suggested these lands—at the time, referring just to South America—be named “from the discoverer Amerigo…as if it were the American land, or America.” Columbus appears to have left his mark on the most countries of any one person, eight countries total.