TOI World Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Mar 31, 2026, 18:00 IST
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Russia, Uzbekistan and countries named after famous figures
World maps include names that reflect tales of discovery, devotion to others, and dramatic battles during struggles for independence. These maps also include many countries named after geographic locations, but in addition, there is a unique group of countries named for historical persons, legendary leaders, or saints, including countries named for revolutionaries from South America to royal family trees found in Southeast Asia.
The names of countries depicted on world maps will remain as lasting reminders of how those people influenced all mankind throughout history. In this story, we look at the interesting origins of 10 separate sovereign countries, and we also highlight the explorers, kings, icons, and others who gave them their names and shaped the cultures, communities, and geography of each of those countries.
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Colombia: Named after Christopher Columbus
This nation, located in South America, was named in memory of an Italian explorer named Christopher Columbus. Francisco de Miranda was a revolutionary who coined the name for this new nation in honour of the navigator who opened the Americas to Europeans.
PC: Wikipedia
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Bolivia: Named after Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar is called ‘The Liberator,’ and he led the fight for freedom from Spanish colonisation in South America. The Republic of Bolivia was created in 1825 as an act of respect for Bolívar’s contributions during the revolutionary period in South America.
PC: Wikipedia
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Dominican Republic: Named after Saint Dominic
The name of this country (which is also the capital) came from Santo Domingo, which is named after Saint Dominic de Guzmán, a Spanish Catholic priest who began the Dominican Order in the 13th century.
PC: Wikipedia
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Philippines: Named after King Philip II
In 1542, Ruy López de Villalobos, a Spanish explorer, named these Islands ‘Las Islas Filipinas’ after Phillip II, the Prince of Asturias, who would later become King of Spain.
PC: Wikipedia
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Israel: Named after Jacob (Israel)
The name comes from the name of the Biblical Patriarch Jacob, who was given the name of Israel (which translates to mean ‘one who wrestles with God’), and has been used to represent the historical and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people, founded in 1948.
PC: Wikipedia
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Liechtenstein: Named after the Liechtenstein Family
One of the unique features of this micro-state is its name. This is the only nation in the world that bears the name of the dynasty that acquired its territory. Prince Johann Adam Andreas von Liechtenstein bought the land in the early 1700s so he could sit in the Holy Roman Empire as a member of the Imperial Diet.
PC: Wikipedia
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Russia: Named after Prince Rurik (Rus’ People)
The name of this country is derived from a group of Rus people, who were traditionally believed to have been led by Prince Rurik, a Varangian of Scandinavian origin. It was Prince Rurik who founded the Rurik dynasty and established the first unified state of East Slavic peoples in the 9th century.
PC: Wikipedia
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Saint Lucia: Named after Saint Lucy
Saint Lucia is the only nation on Earth that is named after a woman (specifically a saint). In honour of Saint Lucy of Syracuse, French sailors shipwrecked on Saint Lucia on December 13 and named it after her feast day.
PC: Wikipedia
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Solomon Islands: Named after King Solomon
In 1568, the Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña named the group of islands after King Solomon, as he mistook them for the location of the legendary gold mine (Ophir) from the Old Testament.
PC: Wikipedia
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Uzbekistan: Named after Uzbeg Khan
The name of this country is derived from Uzbeg Khan, who was the longest-reigning sultan of the Golden Horde and was a key figure in the Islamization of the region and the formation of an ethnic identity for the Uzbek people during the 14th century.
PC: Wikipedia
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