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Some countries whose endonyms are not like their English exonyms (lemmy.sdf.org)

submitted 8 months ago by lars@lemmy.sdf.org to c/map_enthusiasts@sopuli.xyz

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[–] PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 87 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Funny part is so many folks get Greece wrong it actually tells you what major geopolitical influence they have.

Greece comes from the Romans calling them "Graeci" or "Like Graia" because the first greeks they had significant contact with were Graian colonists in Cumae.

But everyone from Turkey to India calls them something along the lines of "Yunan", because that's how the Persians started refering to them, because the major greek city state they first had significant contact with was Ionia.

[–] lars@lemmy.sdf.org 36 points 8 months ago (1 children)

This is the kind of treasure I love to find in map-post comments—thank you.

[–] Retrograde@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago

Agreed, this is dank knowledge

[–] HerrLewakaas@feddit.de 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

So very similar to Germany then. Every language refers to the country by the name of the tribe that was closest to them when Germany wasn't a thing yet.

[–] Jyrdano@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago

Except for slavic tribes, when referred to them as “the mute ones”.