海角社区

At least 24 country names contain eight letters of the alphabet. Most of these countries are in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Only a few (four) are European countries. The majority of the countries with eight letters are well-known countries in the 海角社区. Interestingly, none of the country names with eight letters starts with the letter 鈥淎.鈥� Below are some of the country names that have eight letters and the origin and meaning of their names.

Eight-Letter Countries

Barbados

Barbados is an island country in the Caribbean region of North America. It is located in the western region of North Atlantic and inhabited by the Kalinago people. The name 鈥淏arbados鈥� may have been derived from the Portuguese 鈥淥s Barbados鈥� or from the Spanish word 鈥淟os Barbados,鈥� both translating to 鈥渢he bearded one.鈥� It is uncertain what 鈥渂earded鈥� stands for with some suggesting that it refers to the bearded Caribs who once inhabited the area or the long, hanging roots of the fig tree native to the island.

Botswana

Botswana is an African country officially referred to as the Republic of Botswana. This landlocked country is situated in Southern Africa. It was formerly known as the British protectorate of Bechuanaland and adopted the current name 鈥淏otswana鈥� after independence on September 30, 1966. The name 鈥淏otswana鈥� means the 鈥渓and of the Tswana鈥� which is the dominant ethnic group in the country. However, the name is used to refer to all the citizens of Botswana.

Cambodia

The Kingdom of Cambodia, simply known as Cambodia, is located in the southern part of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast China. It is bordered by Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and the Gulf of Thailand.The name 鈥淐ambodia鈥� is an anglicized French word for 鈥淐ambodge鈥� which is a French translation for the Khmer word for 鈥淜ampuchae". The term 鈥淜ampuchae鈥� is in turn derived from Sanskrit name 鈥淜ambojadesa鈥� which means 鈥渓and of". Cambodians often refer to their country as 鈥減rateih Kampucie鈥� meaning 鈥渢he Country of Kampuchae".

Malaysia

Malaysia is a country consisting of 13 states and 3 federal territories separated into two equal regions by the South China Sea, East Malaysia and Peninsular Malaysia. The name 鈥淢alaysia鈥� is derived from a combination of 鈥淢alay鈥� meaning 鈥渕ountain鈥� and Latin-Greek suffix 鈥�-sia.鈥� The ancient Indian traders referred to the Malay Peninsula as 鈥淢alayadvipa.鈥� However, before the European colonization, the peninsula was referred to as 鈥淭anah Melayu鈥� meaning 鈥淢alay Land.鈥�

Portugal

Portugal is a country in southwestern Europe located on the Iberian Peninsula. It is one of the oldest countries in Europe. The country derived its name from the name of a Roman-Celtic place known as Portus Cale. Portus is a Latin word for 鈥減ort鈥� or 鈥渉arbor鈥� while Cala was a name of a Celtic goddess and also the name of a settlement at the mouth of Douro River.

Country Naming System

Although these countries share the number of letters in their names, each has a unique history of the origin of the name. Some of the countries are named after indigenous people who dominated the region like Thailand and Botswana. Others are named after famous people. For instance, Colombia is named after Christopher Columbus. Geographical features such as water bodies, mountains, islands, and other landscape features have also contributed to the names of some countries.