Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time the Republic of Congo and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital. Confusion with the previous look at the cities of the Democratic Republic of Congo is understandable, the two are separated by the river common to both names, said river also all that divides the two capital cities - albeit a very wide river.
Brazzaville was founded on September 10th 1880 by the explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, who clearly gave his name to the place. There had been a Bateke village named Nkuna here previously but the French Empire wanted this site as a statement to defy the Belgian-occupied Leopoldville across the river., today known as Kinshasa.
Pointe-Noire is also clearly French and means 'black point'. However the name already existed, named by Portuguese navigators who used the headland of black rocks as a maritime marker and knew it as Ponta Negra.
Dolisie was founded to function as a link between the ocean and the railway, indeed initially this had been little more than a station, albeit an important one. It is named after a lieutenant of Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, one Albert Dolisie.
Nkayi was the original name of the settlement which became Jacob in 1887, this the French engineer who surveyed the route for the Congo-Ocean Railway. It changed back to its native name in 1975. This may well share an origin with the district of Nkayi in Matebeleland, in which case this could mean 'where are you going'. However a question for a place name would be most unusual, possibly unique, and thus perhaps this is a misinterpretation and should be 'where you are going'.
Pool is a department named after the Pool Malebo, at 14 miles across a very wide stretch of the Congo. It had previously been known as the Stanley Pool after explorer Henry Morton Stanley.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 31 January 2016
Sunday, 24 January 2016
Democratic Republic of Congo Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time the Democratic Republic of Congo and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
Kinshasha took its present name from a small village named Kinchassa once found near the site of a city with a present-day population of over eight million, the original name thought to have come from 'the salt market'. The name changed in 1966 when Joseph-Desire Mobutu began 'Africanizing' names from colonial rule. Previously it had been known as Leopoldville in honour of King Leopold II of Belgium, although the settlement began as a trading post founded by Henry Morton Stanley, a name most often associated with finding the missionary and explorer Dr David Livingstone.
Lubumbashi is another with a comparatively recent name change, it formerly known as Elisabethville and named after Queen Elisabeth, consort of the Belgian King Albert I. Its modern name comes from the nearby Lubumbashi river, a name never understood and hardly surprising when considering the indigenous tribes of the Democratic Republic of Congo may officially be said to speak the Bantu languages, although this is a language group with at least 75 distinct languages and a minimum of 250 distinct dialects and sub-groups.
Mbuji-Mayi is the modern name and means 'goat water' and indeed there are a large number of goats in an area well watered by the Sankuru river. Formerly the place was known as Bakwanga, the name of the clan living in the area when first developed as a mining community, nothing further is known on this name.
Bukavu is a part of the ancient Bushi kingdom, the latter speaking of 'the nobility of Shi', while the modern name replaced the French name of Costermansville and comes from the Bashi bu nkafu or 'the farm of cows'.
Kananga had been known as Luluaburg as it lies on the Lulua river. The modern name is from the Tshiluba word kanangayi or 'a place for peace or love' and continues to be a meeting place for chieftains to settle disputes and agree treaties.
Kisangani had been known as Stanleyville, again a reminder of Henry Morton Stanley, with the modern version a Swahili transaltion of the local boyoma or 'city on the island'.
Matadi is from the local Kikongo language and means 'stone'. This refers to the steep inclines everyone needs to negotiate when travelling to or from Matadi, leading to a delightful local saying which maintains anyone living in Matadi has to be fully conversant with the verbs meaning 'to go up', 'to come down' and 'to sweat'.
Mbandaka was known as Equateurville when founded by Henry Morton Stanley in 1883, as it was thought to lie on the equator. The present name comes from a prominent local leader.
Baraka comes from a Swahili word and means 'lucky'. This seems an unusual idea for a place with no paved roads, no running water, no electricity, and was the centre for the cross-border Maoist insurgency for more than two decades.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Kinshasha took its present name from a small village named Kinchassa once found near the site of a city with a present-day population of over eight million, the original name thought to have come from 'the salt market'. The name changed in 1966 when Joseph-Desire Mobutu began 'Africanizing' names from colonial rule. Previously it had been known as Leopoldville in honour of King Leopold II of Belgium, although the settlement began as a trading post founded by Henry Morton Stanley, a name most often associated with finding the missionary and explorer Dr David Livingstone.
Lubumbashi is another with a comparatively recent name change, it formerly known as Elisabethville and named after Queen Elisabeth, consort of the Belgian King Albert I. Its modern name comes from the nearby Lubumbashi river, a name never understood and hardly surprising when considering the indigenous tribes of the Democratic Republic of Congo may officially be said to speak the Bantu languages, although this is a language group with at least 75 distinct languages and a minimum of 250 distinct dialects and sub-groups.
Mbuji-Mayi is the modern name and means 'goat water' and indeed there are a large number of goats in an area well watered by the Sankuru river. Formerly the place was known as Bakwanga, the name of the clan living in the area when first developed as a mining community, nothing further is known on this name.
Bukavu is a part of the ancient Bushi kingdom, the latter speaking of 'the nobility of Shi', while the modern name replaced the French name of Costermansville and comes from the Bashi bu nkafu or 'the farm of cows'.
Kananga had been known as Luluaburg as it lies on the Lulua river. The modern name is from the Tshiluba word kanangayi or 'a place for peace or love' and continues to be a meeting place for chieftains to settle disputes and agree treaties.
Kisangani had been known as Stanleyville, again a reminder of Henry Morton Stanley, with the modern version a Swahili transaltion of the local boyoma or 'city on the island'.
Matadi is from the local Kikongo language and means 'stone'. This refers to the steep inclines everyone needs to negotiate when travelling to or from Matadi, leading to a delightful local saying which maintains anyone living in Matadi has to be fully conversant with the verbs meaning 'to go up', 'to come down' and 'to sweat'.
Mbandaka was known as Equateurville when founded by Henry Morton Stanley in 1883, as it was thought to lie on the equator. The present name comes from a prominent local leader.
Baraka comes from a Swahili word and means 'lucky'. This seems an unusual idea for a place with no paved roads, no running water, no electricity, and was the centre for the cross-border Maoist insurgency for more than two decades.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 17 January 2016
Comoros Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time the Comoros and a look at some of its place names and starting with the capital.
Moroni is, in the local Comorian tongue, ‘in the heart of the fire’ and refers to its location at the foot of the active volcano mount Karthala.
Mayotte is a French corruption of the original name of Maore or the Arabic Mawuti, this speaking of ‘the island of death’ – Comorian, French and Arabic remain the official languages.
Comoros is from the Arabic meaning ‘moon’.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Moroni is, in the local Comorian tongue, ‘in the heart of the fire’ and refers to its location at the foot of the active volcano mount Karthala.
Mayotte is a French corruption of the original name of Maore or the Arabic Mawuti, this speaking of ‘the island of death’ – Comorian, French and Arabic remain the official languages.
Comoros is from the Arabic meaning ‘moon’.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Saturday, 9 January 2016
Colombia Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Colombia and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
Bogota was originally known as Bacata which means 'planted fields' - fundamentally an indication this was the first agricultural site in the area.
Medellin is recorded under several names over the centuries. The earlies Aburra de los Yamesies means 'the valley of St Bartholomew', then 'St Lawrence of the Aburra', 'St Lawrence of the Ana', and finally before the modern name Villa de la Candelaria de Medellin. This is transferred from its namesake in Spain, formerly known as Metellinum and named after the Roman general Quintus Caecillus Metelius Pius who found that place in 75BC as a fort.
Cali is the shortened form of Santiago de Cali, where Santiago is the Spanish for 'St James' and Cali from the indigenous Calima people.
Barranquilla refers to the canyons existing here. When the Spanish came here the term barranca is found several times for coastal regions and thought to be a form of Aragon in Spain. As the Spanish settled here they named the estate Barranquilla de San Nicolas from the patron saint.
Cartagena is named after Cartegna is Spain but whether this place shares anything in common with 'New Carthage' and ultimately from the original Carthage named by the Phoenicians as 'the new city' is unlikely.
Cucuta was known as San Jose de Cucuta from 1793, San Jose being the Spanish for 'St Joseph' with cucuta meaning 'the house of goblins'.
Pasto is named after the indigenous people who were here when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 16th century.
Valledupar is the Spanish for 'Valley of the Upar', it self named after the leader of the indigenous Chimila tribe Upar.
Villavicencio is named after Antonio Villavicencio, a celebrated patriot in the Colombian war of Independence.
Bello is a Spanish name meaning 'the beautiful one'.
Buenaventura is simply the Spanish for 'good fortune'.
Popayan is named from the native dialect where po means 'two', pa 'straw' and yan 'village', understood as 'two villages with straw roofs'.
Itagui may have come from the name of the indigenous chieftain Bitagui, although this is disputed.
Dosquebradas is a Spanish name meaning literally 'two creeks'.
Apartado means 'the river of plantains' in the language of the indigenous peoples.
Maicao is another indigenous name, here the Wayunaiki mai-ka-u means 'the land of maize'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Bogota was originally known as Bacata which means 'planted fields' - fundamentally an indication this was the first agricultural site in the area.
Medellin is recorded under several names over the centuries. The earlies Aburra de los Yamesies means 'the valley of St Bartholomew', then 'St Lawrence of the Aburra', 'St Lawrence of the Ana', and finally before the modern name Villa de la Candelaria de Medellin. This is transferred from its namesake in Spain, formerly known as Metellinum and named after the Roman general Quintus Caecillus Metelius Pius who found that place in 75BC as a fort.
Cali is the shortened form of Santiago de Cali, where Santiago is the Spanish for 'St James' and Cali from the indigenous Calima people.
Barranquilla refers to the canyons existing here. When the Spanish came here the term barranca is found several times for coastal regions and thought to be a form of Aragon in Spain. As the Spanish settled here they named the estate Barranquilla de San Nicolas from the patron saint.
Cartagena is named after Cartegna is Spain but whether this place shares anything in common with 'New Carthage' and ultimately from the original Carthage named by the Phoenicians as 'the new city' is unlikely.
Cucuta was known as San Jose de Cucuta from 1793, San Jose being the Spanish for 'St Joseph' with cucuta meaning 'the house of goblins'.
Pasto is named after the indigenous people who were here when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 16th century.
Valledupar is the Spanish for 'Valley of the Upar', it self named after the leader of the indigenous Chimila tribe Upar.
Villavicencio is named after Antonio Villavicencio, a celebrated patriot in the Colombian war of Independence.
Bello is a Spanish name meaning 'the beautiful one'.
Buenaventura is simply the Spanish for 'good fortune'.
Popayan is named from the native dialect where po means 'two', pa 'straw' and yan 'village', understood as 'two villages with straw roofs'.
Itagui may have come from the name of the indigenous chieftain Bitagui, although this is disputed.
Dosquebradas is a Spanish name meaning literally 'two creeks'.
Apartado means 'the river of plantains' in the language of the indigenous peoples.
Maicao is another indigenous name, here the Wayunaiki mai-ka-u means 'the land of maize'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 3 January 2016
Chile Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Chile and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
Santiago brings no surprises, it is simply the Spanish for 'St James'.
Puente Alto is of even simpler origins, this translates to 'high bridge'.
La Florida shares its Spanish origin with its internationally more famous namesake, the state of the USA, describing thiis place as 'the flowery'.
Vina del Mar is, once again, another straight translation and means 'the vineyard of the sea'. It is also known as La Ciudad Jardin or 'the garden city'.
Antofagasta is a name having several explanations offered, for the language of origin has never been agreed. Perhaps this is from the Canco words anto faya gasto understood as Pueblo del Salar Grande or 'town on the great salt lake'. Another suggests Quechua anta pakay or Escondrijo del Cobre, literally 'copper cache'; a third theory points to th Chango language translating to Spanish Puerta del Sol or 'sun gate'; while a fourth suggests this was named Antofagasta de la Sierra (the name of a volcanic feature) by Manuel Mariano Melgarejo who stayed here in 1870.
Valpariso was named when men from the expedition led by Diego de Almagro arrived in 1536. The Santiaguillo supply ship was under the command of Juan de Saavedra, who named it after his native village in Cuenca, Spain. There Valparaiso de Arriba describes itself as 'valley of paradise fields'.
Temuco has the most interesting of names. The local people are the Mapuche, their language giving us a meaning of 'temu water'. The temu is a tree used by them for medicinal purposes, one known to science as Blepharocalyx cruckshankii.
Penalolen is also from the local Mapudungun language and describes this as 'the fraternal meeting place'.
Pudahuel is a third place named by the Mapudungun language, this describing 'the place of pools' or alternatively 'place where seagulls gather'.
El Bosque is clearly Spanish, this meaning 'the forest'.
Nunoa is back to the Mapudungun tongue again, here meaning 'the place of yellow flowers'. Incidentally their language means 'earth speak', the people the Mapuche or 'earth people'.
Talcahuano is also from the Mapuche people, here the chief Talcahuenu gave his name to a place meaning 'thundering skies'.
Puerto Montt was named in the middle of the 19th century after President Manuel Montt. Prior to this it had been known as Melipulli, the Mapuchean name meaning 'four hills'.
Chillan is another local place name, one with the delightful meaning of 'where the sun is sitting'.
La Granja is Spanish for 'the farm', the only name known for this place as the earlier local name is unknown.
Orsono, or correctly New Orsono, was founded in March 1558 by Governor Hurtado de Mendoza and named in honour of his grandfather, Count of Osorno.
Punta Arenas is the Spanish for 'sandy point', known officially as such since the middle of the 19th century.
Estacion Central is another Spanish name, it means 'central station' which also gives an indication of how recently it was founded.
Quilpue has several theories as to its origins. Some suggest this means 'place where there are pigeons' from cullpo hue; other sources give this as 'place of the stone lancet' as the native Mapuche people were experts in producing these stone implements used in medical procedures. In truth both pigeons and the stone tools have been found in great numbers in this area.
Calama comes from another local language, this time the Kunza language where ckara ama means 'town in the middle of the water'. Until the middle of the last century marshlands and the river Loa did almost encircle this site.
Quilicura is another Mapuche name, here kla kura describing 'the three stones', which are actually three hills.
Pedro Aguirre Cerda is named after former the president who ran the country for almost three years from 1938 until his death from tuberculosis in November 1941.
Macul comes from the native Quechua tongue and means 'to stretch out right hand', presumably meant as a welcome or similar gesture of friendship.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Santiago brings no surprises, it is simply the Spanish for 'St James'.
Puente Alto is of even simpler origins, this translates to 'high bridge'.
La Florida shares its Spanish origin with its internationally more famous namesake, the state of the USA, describing thiis place as 'the flowery'.
Vina del Mar is, once again, another straight translation and means 'the vineyard of the sea'. It is also known as La Ciudad Jardin or 'the garden city'.
Antofagasta is a name having several explanations offered, for the language of origin has never been agreed. Perhaps this is from the Canco words anto faya gasto understood as Pueblo del Salar Grande or 'town on the great salt lake'. Another suggests Quechua anta pakay or Escondrijo del Cobre, literally 'copper cache'; a third theory points to th Chango language translating to Spanish Puerta del Sol or 'sun gate'; while a fourth suggests this was named Antofagasta de la Sierra (the name of a volcanic feature) by Manuel Mariano Melgarejo who stayed here in 1870.
Valpariso was named when men from the expedition led by Diego de Almagro arrived in 1536. The Santiaguillo supply ship was under the command of Juan de Saavedra, who named it after his native village in Cuenca, Spain. There Valparaiso de Arriba describes itself as 'valley of paradise fields'.
Temuco has the most interesting of names. The local people are the Mapuche, their language giving us a meaning of 'temu water'. The temu is a tree used by them for medicinal purposes, one known to science as Blepharocalyx cruckshankii.
Penalolen is also from the local Mapudungun language and describes this as 'the fraternal meeting place'.
Pudahuel is a third place named by the Mapudungun language, this describing 'the place of pools' or alternatively 'place where seagulls gather'.
El Bosque is clearly Spanish, this meaning 'the forest'.
Nunoa is back to the Mapudungun tongue again, here meaning 'the place of yellow flowers'. Incidentally their language means 'earth speak', the people the Mapuche or 'earth people'.
Talcahuano is also from the Mapuche people, here the chief Talcahuenu gave his name to a place meaning 'thundering skies'.
Puerto Montt was named in the middle of the 19th century after President Manuel Montt. Prior to this it had been known as Melipulli, the Mapuchean name meaning 'four hills'.
Chillan is another local place name, one with the delightful meaning of 'where the sun is sitting'.
La Granja is Spanish for 'the farm', the only name known for this place as the earlier local name is unknown.
Orsono, or correctly New Orsono, was founded in March 1558 by Governor Hurtado de Mendoza and named in honour of his grandfather, Count of Osorno.
Punta Arenas is the Spanish for 'sandy point', known officially as such since the middle of the 19th century.
Estacion Central is another Spanish name, it means 'central station' which also gives an indication of how recently it was founded.
Quilpue has several theories as to its origins. Some suggest this means 'place where there are pigeons' from cullpo hue; other sources give this as 'place of the stone lancet' as the native Mapuche people were experts in producing these stone implements used in medical procedures. In truth both pigeons and the stone tools have been found in great numbers in this area.
Calama comes from another local language, this time the Kunza language where ckara ama means 'town in the middle of the water'. Until the middle of the last century marshlands and the river Loa did almost encircle this site.
Quilicura is another Mapuche name, here kla kura describing 'the three stones', which are actually three hills.
Pedro Aguirre Cerda is named after former the president who ran the country for almost three years from 1938 until his death from tuberculosis in November 1941.
Macul comes from the native Quechua tongue and means 'to stretch out right hand', presumably meant as a welcome or similar gesture of friendship.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
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