There are geographical names that we use in everyday life in a different sense. There are many such words that have entered our language from maps and geography textbooks. Let's consider the most interesting of them.
From the name of the city of Basra in Iraq comes the name of alabaster, which is a valuable building material. Translated from Arabic, the word "al-basra" means "soft" and is associated with the peculiarities of the local soil. The word "kaolin" is associated with the Kaoliang area in China, where white clay was first mined for the purpose of making porcelain. The word "faience" is associated with the name of the city of Faenza in Italy. The rock is intended as a facing material in the construction process and during the construction of monuments. The breed has the name labradorite from the name of the peninsula of the same name in North America.
If we turn to the periodic table of chemical elements of D.I. Mendeleev, you can see a large number of names that are attested to certain parts of the world, for example, americium, europium, and individual countries, gallium ( ancient name France), ruthenium, translated from Latin meaning Russia, francium, polonium, meaning Poland. In honor of Paris, such an element is named as lutetium (from Latin "lutetia"), and in honor of the Greek city of Magnesia, such an element as magnesium is named. Chemical elements such as californium and scandium speak of the geographic name of the same name.
The names of the four chemical elements - ytterbium, yttrium, erbium and terbium - come from the small town of Ytterby, which is located on the Swedish island of Ruslagen. In 1787, an unusual heavy mineral was found in the vicinity of this city, containing these rare earth elements. The town of Ytterby became famous thanks to this miracle of nature.
An example of a chemical named for a city is Veronal (from the Italian city of Verona); cologne which means "water from Cologne". In 1972, the cologne was first made in Cologne. Cologne today is the largest industrial center in Germany, where various kinds of machine tools, cars, television and radio equipment are produced. However, all over the world Cologne is known for its "water from Cologne".
The name of the valuable topaz stone comes from the island of the same name in the Red Sea.
And what about the name of the fabrics? Not everyone knows that the name of the tulle fabric comes from the French city where it was first made. In the state of northwestern India, the name of a thin woolen fabric was born - cashmere, from the name of the state of Kashmir. Madepolam fabric is also of Indian origin. It got its name from the small town of the same name.
A city in Scotland - Cheviot, the name of the ridge in the Pennine Mountains of Great Britain duplicates the coverkot. Jersey fabric owes its name to the English island of Jersey from the group of the Norman islands near France. The city of the same name in the United States is the birthplace of Boston wool fabric. The name waltz-boston came from here. Translated from French, the name of the crepe de Chine silk fabric means “Chinese crepe”. Crepe-Moroccan in translation means "Moroccan crepe". In the 60-60s. in the Italian city of Bologna, raincoats made of synthetic material, which received the same name, first appeared. The breed name for indoor dogs has the same origin. In the old spelling, the capital of Turkey sounds like Angora, hence the origin of Angora cats.
The word trousers came from the name of the city of Bruges in a slightly modified pronunciation. In this city, a special fabric "bruggish" was produced for sewing trousers. The city of Bruges itself comes from the ancient Norse language of the Normans and is translated as a bridge ("brigia").
The origin of the word jeans also has a connection with geography. The appearance of the first jeans dates back to the 50s. last century, and San Francisco (USA) is their homeland. Jeans in those days were made only for laborers. The material was tarpaulin. The country-supplier of fabrics for sewing was the Italian city of Genoa. The name was misinterpreted by the Americans, so the end result was the word jeans.
From the name of the city of Fez, which is located in Morocco, the name of the male fez hat was formed, made of red felt in the form of a truncated cone with a tassel, until recently common in the countries of North America and the Middle East. From the Austrian province of Tyrol comes the name of the hat with a feather - Tyrol.
Geographic sound is also inherent in a large number of foods. In the city of Mayon on the island of Menorca, part of the group of the Spanish Balearic Islands, the first widely known mayonnaise was made for the first time.
From the French city of Plombier, the name of the ice cream variety was formed - ice cream. From the river Torto, flowing on the island of Sicily, the name was formed - cake.
Of the same name French city Roquefort cheese owes its name. The names of such cheeses as Dutch, Poshekhonsky, Uglich, Kostroma, Swiss have a similar origin. And also sausages: Hamburg, Odessa, Krakow, Lviv, Moscow, Odessa, Minsk, etc.
From Greece comes buckwheat, from Persia - peach. Orange means "Chinese apple".
In the names of brands of refrigerators, mineral waters, motorcycles, TVs, cars, there are also a large number of geographical names. For example, the Landau horse carriage got its name from the Bavarian city of Landau. It was there that it was first made.
To this day, the name Landau has come down to the name of the bodies of a convertible car. The closed body of a high-class passenger car got its name from the historical province of France Limousin.
Geographically, there will also be interesting name US dollar. The name of this monetary unit is not of American origin and is not at all associated with the English language. In the small German town of Joachimstal (present-day Czech Republic), they minted a large silver coin called Joachimstaler. Later the name was shortened to the word "thaler", which later became "dollar" in English pronunciation. The village of Dollar is located in the UK.
For the most part, place names have a meaning corresponding to them.
But there are a large number of those that appeared on the geographical map by chance and were the result of errors and misunderstandings.
In fact, there are a huge number of such unusual and funny names throughout Russia. Who comes up with them, I wonder?
I bring to your attention some of them.
In the city of Myshkin, everything is really saturated with a mouse spirit. Not in the sense of smell, no. The mouse is everywhere present as a symbol. Firstly, the city itself has quite a mouse scale: 6 thousand people live in it. Secondly, there is a wonderful Mouse Museum here. And thirdly, the city, like a mouse, hid from the present and quietly exists somewhere between Uglich and Rybinsk. There is a city called Koshki, it is located in the Samara region.
A village with an exotic name Polovinka (located in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, 30 km from UrAy).
I suggest you visit the village of Chuvaki in the Perm region. Far away, of course, but what a name.
Somewhere in the water basin of the Lukhovitsky region, a river with the breathtaking name Voblya flows. And the old ambassadorial road from the time of Boris Godunov passed along the banks of the Potudan and Ublya rivers. The names have survived to this day.
Quite recently, residents of the village of Lokhovo, Cheremkhovsky District, Irkutsk Region, decided to change the name of their settlement. The villagers even arranged a competition for a new geographical name. But in vain! Actually, “goof” is the name of a shrub with strong-smelling flowers and edible berries, and the term “goof” is used by ichthyologists for salmon in the period after spawning. In the explanatory dictionary of Vladimir Dal there is a word close to the current jargon, but only the feminine gender - in the old days a stupid woman was called "sucker".
Do not snooze. The name of this place near the town of Artemovskiy Sverdlovsk region, they say, appeared after 1914, when a railway line was extended there. There were no buildings, and therefore the train slowed down a little there. Future passengers had to jump on the train literally on the move, following the driver's shouts: "DO NOT Yawn!"
There is a Gazeta settlement in the Sverdlovsk Region. Where the name came from - no one remembers.
The village of Rassol got its name not from the famous drink, but from the Rassolka river. The river was named in connection with the steel industry that existed here in the old days.
Village Kosyakovka, Sterlitamak district of Bashkiria.
Bolshaya Pyssa is a settlement in the Komi-Udora region. Of course, there is also Malaya Pyssa nearby. And you shouldn't have refused to live here! It is here that the unique holiday “chechchalan luns” is celebrated. On the Annunciation, they put chocks near the walls of houses, put boards on them and jump for a whole week. Children, youth and unmarried women participate in this action. They compete - who will jump higher and will not fall off the board. The higher you jump, the longer and happier your life will be.
There are settlements on the planet with such amazing names that it is difficult to believe in the fact of their existence. And to live in the city of the Swastika or in the city of the Kingdom of Satan can, perhaps, only love with a good sense of humor. And it should be noted that these are not the strangest names in existence.
1. Swastika
The city of Swastika in Ontario, Canada is a rather strange place. In fact, this is not a haven for the Nazis at all - the city was founded almost 30 years before Adolf Hitler began using the swastika. The name of the city was chosen in honor of the ancient Indian sign of prosperity and fertility.
2. Kingdom of Satan
Funnily and strangely, there are cities and geographic locations on Earth named after hell. For example, two cities in the United States (in the states of Vermont and Massachusetts) are called the Kingdom of Satan.
3. Peniston
The town of Peniston, in Yorkshire, England, probably derives its name from older forms of Welsh and English. Originally the name meant "Hilltop Village". Today all and sundry giggle at him.
4. Nothing
The formerly inhabited (although very few people) settlement of Nothing in Arizona was completely abandoned in 2005. The sign at the entrance to the city reads: “Dedicated citizens of Nothing are full of hope and faith in the need for work. For many years these people believed in Nothing, hoping for Nothing and working for Nothing. "
5. North Pole
There are cities with the name of the North Pole in the states of Alaska and New York. The New York North Pole has a theme park with live reindeer and Santa Claus.
6. Nameless
Nameless is a small town in Colorado, which got its name when a highway was planned in this place with a turn to a still non-existent city. During the construction of the road, a temporary sign with the inscription "Nameless" was installed at the turn. As a result, the name stuck.
7. Moon
To the northwest of Pittsburgh there is a town named Luna, which is probably so named because it is located in a crescent-shaped bend in the river.
8. Mars
Tourists have recently been frequenting the city of Mars in Pennsylvania. Not only is a non-working former spaceship installed in the city, it can also be said that he visited the Martians (this is what the locals are called).
9. George Washington
George Washington is the only city in the United States to bear the full name of the Founding Father.
10. Ganja
The city with the most rastaman name can be found in Azerbaijan. Moreover, this is not even a village that was named for a joke, but the second largest city in the country.
11. Chinatown
Chinatowns or Chinatowns exist in large cities all over the world, but there is a whole city in Wisconsin that bears a similar name.
12. Batman
Everyone knows the famous comic book hero, but few people know that in Turkey, in the Batman province, on the banks of the Batman River (a tributary of the Tigris River) there is the city of Batman. The main local attractions are oil refineries and a large military air base.
13. Bastardtown
Bastardtown in County Wexford, despite its name, is a picturesque Irish seaside village.
14. Å
The locality with such a laconic name is a beautiful seaside village in the very north of Norway. Also, six other Norwegian towns, a Swedish and a Danish town have a similar name.
15. Accident
Interestingly, the town of Accident was built in the 1770s in the state of Western Maryland by accident. Two surveyors marked out the ground, randomly selecting the same oak as the anchor point. It was on that place that the city was founded.
Spring is approaching and there is a desire for change. So you want to change your usual environment and go somewhere on a journey. There are many unique ones in the world, interesting places that are worth seeing with your own eyes. We will present some of them - the most unusual, the most extraordinary.
1. The most high mountain In Canada
In Canada, the highest is Mount Logan with a height of 5959m. it belongs to the Southwest Yukon Territory, the Saint Elias Ridge system. The name of the mountain was given in honor of William Edmond Logan - Canadian geologist
2. The southernmost city in the world
Ushuaia (Argentina) is the southernmost city in the world. The population of this administrative center of the province of Tierra del Fuego is 45 thousand people.
3. The lowest point in Africa
At 155 meters below sea level, Lake Assal in Djibouti is located - the lowest point in Africa.
4. The largest lake on an island in a lake
The system of these lakes resembles a nesting doll - in Canada, on Lake Huron, Manitoulin Island is located, on Manitoulin Island there is Lake Manitouline. Manitou turns out to be the most big lake in a lake with an area of 104 square kilometers.
5. The richest city in the world
The richest and most beautiful city the world - Dubai. It is not at all difficult to buy cheap in Dubai, and therefore this city is the most visited city in the world. Interestingly, 80% of its population consists of foreigners.
6. The longest lake in the world
Lake Tanganyika is located on the border of Zambia, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is the longest in the world. It was discovered in 1858 by English explorers John Speke and Richard Burton. The lake is interesting not only for its length (673 km), but it is the second in the world in terms of depth (1470 m) and water volume.
And Tanganyika is also famous for its interesting and varied fauna, bright and unusual fish.
7. Most high waterfall in Africa
On the territory of South Africa, in the Drakensberg Mountains, there is the Tugela Falls. Here water falls from a height of 948 meters in five cascades. The largest cascade is 411 meters high.
8. The deepest depression on earth not filled with water
We have heard a lot about deep sea trenches, but there are also deepest faults on the surface of the Earth. The deepest of them was discovered in Antarctica in 1961. The deepest point of the Bentley depression is 2540 meters below sea level and is filled with ice.
9. The highest peak in the Scandinavian mountains
In the Scandinavian mountains high peak is Gallhopiggen. Arnesen, Flaatten and Sulheim climbed this 2,469-meter mountain in Norway for the first time in 1850.
10. The longest river in Eurasia
The deepest and longest river in Eurasia is the Yangtze. It carries its waters from its sources in Tibet to the East China Sea along the territory of China for 6300 km.
11. The longest braid in the world
The longest braid in the world is located in Ukraine. The Arabat Spit, located on the Crimean Peninsula, 112 km long and 270 m to 8 km wide, separates from Sea of Azov Sivash Bay.
12. The smallest city in the world
For travelers, most often the place of rest, its characteristics and features, rather than the name, plays a key role. In this case, the principle “it is not the name that paints the locality, but the locality that paints the name” applies, and in this regard, we often fall in love with the names of those cities in which we were best. Beautiful names of cities are most often found in Europe, they are pleasant and melodic sound to our ears. But many Russian settlements also fall into this category, the names of which sound charmingly in our native language.
Romanesque museum towns
It is believed that the most beautiful names cities of the world are concentrated in the historical area in the Mediterranean. It is noteworthy that this region is located between two parts of the world - Europe and Asia, and all the settlements that have ever been here or are still there bear very beautiful names. Many cities of the former Roman Empire have survived to this day. Among them are Rome, Florence, Venice. Along with them, very beautiful names of the regions can be distinguished: Liguria, Tuscany, Sicily. A delight to hear, agree?
Italy's neighbor, Greece, also has beautiful names of cities that are located on its territory. This is Athens, Kallithea, Heraklion. It is noteworthy that, in addition to the most beautiful names, these settlements managed to preserve architectural monuments of stunning beauty on their territories. You can admire them forever, and gradually they will become synonymous with the names of cities.
Ancient East - sophistication and beauty
It is surprising that the beautiful names were much more sweet in the territories of the Middle East. Firstly, it is the center of the birth of the Akkadian civilization. Several centuries later, it was replaced by the majestic Nineveh. In the south of the same Mesopotamia, the king of all the powers of that time was located - Babylon with its famous, still not dug out of the golden sands, tower. On the territory of Egypt, two megalopolises with the most beautiful names can be distinguished - Memphis and Alexandria. In today's Turkey, which once bore the names of Anatolia and Cappadocia (also names very attractive to the ear), there was the legendary city of Troy, famous for its history with a wooden horse.
Well, Syria has such beautiful city names as Damascus, Alalah, Amarna and others. It is noteworthy that most of the above names have survived to this day. An exception can be considered Memphis, which changed its name to an equally beautiful one - Cairo.
Spain is a modern treasure of uniqueness
The country located in the southwest of the European continent is famous for having beautiful city names. We will not list them, but only go through the most famous ones, which are unique not only for their sound, but also for their architecture.
Perhaps it's worth starting a trip to Spain from Catalonia, where the metropolis of Barcelona is located. This name has been thundering all over the world for many centuries and appears now in the creative sphere of life, then in sports, then in tourism.
Below is Valencia, and even closer to the south are the regions. Among the cities of this country, one can distinguish a complex, but very beautiful name - La Manga del Mar Menor. It is important to note that Spanish colonization caused the spread of this culture to wider territories. So, beautiful names of cities that are pronounced and written in this language can be found in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and many other states.
Far and mysterious North
The names of Scandinavian settlements are also recognized as the most beautiful. It is important to note that the Romano-Germanic and Fino-Ugric peoples coexist on this peninsula, therefore the names of local geographical units are fundamentally different. Filled with austerity and grandeur - the city of Stockholm. Along with him are Östersund, Malmö, Skellefteå and Sundsvall. Finland is famous for the famous cities of Helsinki, Viitasaari, Tornio, Rovaniemi and Nilsia. The most important thing is that in many settlements of these cold countries, even in the smallest, the primitive traditions and culture of these peoples have been preserved, which gives them even more charm and charm.
Surprise of the new century - South Africa and its heritage
Who would have thought that in the vastness of the southernmost point of the African continent, a real urban jungle will grow, which will bear beautiful names. Among the cities that are more reminiscent of America in their panoramas, we single out Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and East London. These localities, unique in their kind, are obliged to the synthesis of local dialects and in English which appeared here after British colonization.
Russia and its uniqueness
For our compatriots, the most beautiful are the names of cities in Russia and mainly the native one, which in each of its letters is unique and individual.
St. Petersburg is an ancient and incredibly beautiful city.
Remote megacities also bear beautiful names: Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg, Astrakhan, Arkhangelsk, Kaliningrad. We can say with complete confidence that in Russia there are much more places, regions and cities with beautiful names, but it is simply impossible to list them in one article.