How Did The Countries Of South America Get Their Names?

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SOURCES & FURTHER READING
South America: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_A...
Colombia: www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikis...
Venezuela: www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/st...
Guiana/Guyana: www.britannica.com/place/The-...
Suriname: www.britannica.com/topic/Surinen
Ecuador: travelartway.com/visit-ecuado...
Peru: antipode-peru.com/en-guide-wh...
Bolivia: nadeaubarlow.com/simon-boliva...
Brazil: theculturetrip.com/south-amer...
Uruguay: www.academiauruguay.com/monte...
Paraguay: theculturetrip.com/south-amer...
Argentina: theculturetrip.com/south-amer...
Chile: www.cascada.travel/blog/30-th...

[@NameExplain]

What part of South America are you watching from?

[@swamianandtesla2347]

Long&Skinny Country

[@jamiex.3960]

Land of many waters (English Edition) 🇬🇾

[@DaveSCameron]

Liverpool, Merseyside, England. 👍 ☘️🙏📚🇺🇸

[@DaveSCameron]

​@@jamiex.3960 Of course yes. 👋

[@vitumalatesta]

São Paulo, Brazil 🇧🇷 Good job, bro! I like you channel.

[@markushalfmad]

One funny coincidence is that the word 'peru' in Portuguese means 'turkey', and the word 'turkey' in English is also the name of a country. So, we have two different countries whose names in different languages are the names of a same animal. 🤣

[@codycorwin51]

Peru (country) is really beautiful, for me best place in South America.

[@nelsonteixeira116]

É verdade mas foi o país Turquia ou Turkey que deu nome à ave e não o contrário. Quando a América foi colonizada havia muitos "perus" no continente, sendo que dada a semelhança com uma ave nativa da Turquia, os colonos chamaram a ave de Turkey. Os turcos ( Turkic tribes), eram apenas uma tribo que depois se tornou num império. Já a palavra espanhola mais comum para a ave peru é Pavo, mas também se usa guajolote e gallipavo. No caso português o nome tem relação directa com a existência da ave no território chamado Peru

[@marcospark2803]

Well, there are thousands of languages so I'm sure there are hundreds of these coincidences. Even more with cities names.

[@leoc326]

and it's even funnier that that bird isn't native to either of those countries

[@lucasangonesi8485]

in turkish the name of the animal is Hindi, related to the country India

[@KKawackk]

Fun fact: Argentina is rich in almost every precious metal EXCEPT silver.

[@argusy3866]

Makes sense, the spanish raided all of it.

[@MusicShortsGlobal]

@@argusy3866 no, you.

[@Miblive]

@@argusy3866 The Portuguese did the same to Brazil.

[@ydbarret22]

@@argusy3866 silver was on bolivia and peru lands, and through the rio de la plata the spaniards got it, it was never taken from argentina lands only exported

[@ydbarret22]

im not apologizing for the spaniards tho the methods by wich they extracted the metal were particulary cruel; they used mercurium and lead wich fried the indians nervous systems within 2 years rendering them living corpses, and not to speak of the mines

[@EdgarTheOgre]

Dude from Chile here. There are several theories about the meaning and origin of the word "chile" but the one that is most accepted is, indeed, "where the land ends" or "the end of the land." But it is not because of the coast, but because the Inca named it like that because that is where their empire ended mainly for two reasons: a. they had no real interest on expanding more to the south and b. the dense forests and freedom-loving natives from those regions were just a nightmare. Imagine the emperor saying "everything that touches the sun is ours... except chile, never go there"

[@churrasco3297]

Incas and Spaniards could never dominate the mapuche people

[@EdgarTheOgre]

@@churrasco3297 true, but there are several reasons for that like geography, distance, and the mountains of rivers. A war is only won when it is turned into a profitable business.

[@davidmiranda4745]

Statkraft, a norwegian energy company is pushing mapuches away from holy territory right now. So disgusting

[@AK4Uwolfen]

Chile was too unstable for Spain, I the biggest colony in Chile would get destroyed from earthquakes. Spain was able to get through the Amazon so I don’t think the forests have to do with it.

[@EdgarTheOgre]

@@AK4Uwolfen is not about size or wilderness, it's about geography. Campaigns against the Chilean natives meant you were always attacking from the north and thus would give the mapuche all the time to retreat and reorganize. And as they pushed into the south, they were more and more disconnected from Peru.

[@topsrankingslatam9673]

*_Peru has the most mysterious name of all! because there is no true information of its origin_* everything is based on assumptions! Some say that it is called Peru because in Italy there is a city called "Perugia" and the Spaniards who arrived in Peru passed through *_PERUGIA_* and they liked the name, they saw similarities, others say that in Spain there was the saying *_"vale un peru"_* which means "abundance" and in the lands of present-day Peru there was a lot of gold and abundance of food like potatoes!

[@BocVel]

It's also written by one the few Inca historians "Inca Garcilaso de la Vega" that when the conquerors arrived, they asked a local for the name of the land, he responded "If you ask me my name, I say Berú and if you ask me where I was, I say in the river 'Pelú'"

[@franciscopauletvelez6670]

the history of Peru is AMAZING

[@austinrobinson.w8349]

Peru is really fascinating!

[@skyhigh6089]

The expression "vale un Peru" came after the discovery of the country, because of the silver and gold mines it had. Not the other way around.

[@danadnauseam]

The Amerindian family is disputed by linguists, but Guarani is a Tupian language. The Tupian family is believed to have been traditionally present in the Guianas, so is probably traceable to a TUpian language in that area. The Guy/Guay cognate is probably derived, in turn, from proto-Tupian, but I don't know the status of reconstruction..

[@SweetHana2468]

As far as I understand from classes, the Tupi are generally called Tupi-Guaraní, and explored the continent from the Amazonas to the south years before Europeans looked for different routes to India, so their relation may be because Guarani language is a later form of Tupi-Guaraní language. But I may be wrong.

[@modmaker7617]

02:03 | Colombia 🇨🇴 03:24 | Venezuela 🇻🇪 04:03 | Guyana 🇬🇾, Suriname 🇸🇷 & French Guiana 🇬🇫 05:08 | Ecuador 🇪🇨 05:47 | Peru 🇵🇪 06:21 | Bolivia 🇧🇴 07:21 | Brazil 🇧🇷 08:23 | Paraguay 🇵🇾 & Uruguay 🇺🇾 10:24 | Argentina 🇦🇷 11:05 | Chile 🇨🇱

[@lesterstone8595]

gracias, vato

[@flygirlfly]

Thanks❤

[@LoconStratos]

Thank you, he takes way too long to get into the actual video.

[@georgevavoulis4758]

Thank you for shortcut to list

[@msn14789]

fun fact: peru is also the word for turkey in portuguese, the name of the bird derives from the country similar to what happened in english

[@danrobrish3664]

It's worth noting that Bolivia isn't the only country named in honor of Simon Bolivar. The official name of Venezuela is "República Bolivariana de Venezuela," which means "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela."

[@adrianmartinez-lq5he]

Venezuelan here Chavez changed the name of the country during his second mandate Only because he likes it Chavez a total desaster for our country he even change it our flag our shield and almost changed our himm

[@ricardoarreaza2493]

Although that name was only created in the 2000's with the reforms in the constitution by Hugo Chávez, before It was República de Venezuela, and before then It was Estados Unidos de Venezuela

[@MachineHead783]

And that was because that POS Hugo Chavez change the name of our country

[@RandomNPC001]

Brazil is “República Federativa do Brasil” - “Federative Republic of Brazil”.

[@danielgomessilva8966]

Doesn't that speak more about politics in Venezuela? From what i know that name has maybe 20yrs

[@blab1265]

I love the fact that Uruguay and Paraguay kept their (true) native names... 💚

[@TagatosElma]

In the case of Paraguay, Guarani is even maintained as the official language, spoken (ironically) mostly by Euro-descendants and mestizos

[@josefilho9434]

Hi, The name Brazil comes from a very abundant tree in our territory, when the Portuguese arrived here. When boiled, it releases a kind of red liquid used to produce red dye used to give high quality red color to expensive clothes. In Portuguese the word for "Ember" is "Brasa". One of the words for "Wood" is "Pau". So putting these two words together, "Pau + Brasa" / "Wood + Ember", you get "Pau Brasa", which lately was converted into "Pau Brasil", or just "Brazil", ok? Please let me know if you need any additional information from our country. Best regards, José.

[@Xtragams]

Falo merda. O nome Brasil vem da ilha. pt.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brasil_(ilha_m%C3%ADtica)

[@FlashQuatsch]

oh that made the name Pica Pau make sense for me now, thank you

[@GustavoValdiviesso]

Just one more comment over Jose's: Brasil (pronounced Brazil) is the collective of the noun "brasa", or amber. Think about all the embers that remain after a bonfire burns through most of the wood, or the bright embers in a hot wood stove. That is a "brasil". That is the red color being alluded by the name Pau Brasil (amber-red wood).

[@viniciuslopesmodena]

More for that, because, as the wood was name Pau Brazil, the wood workes were called "Brazilians", as it was the base of our initial trade with Portugal and as new job and opportunity for new life in the new continent, many Portuguese left to be "Brazilians"

[@fmac6441]

​@@viniciuslopesmodena In other languages ​​one does not notice the characteristic distinction of our gentilic, the fact that be called "brasileiro" and not "brasilianos". A reliable translation would be something like Brazilier

[@paolobenavides7446]

There is no origin of the name "PERU" he Spanish "conquered" the Inca Empire, founded the "Kingdom of Peru" the largest viceroyalty founded in the Americas! literally almost ALL of South America was called PERU for a long time, (1542 - 1717) The kingdom of Peru in its maximum splendor lasted 2 centuries and covered the current territories of Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, and other territories except Venezuela, when the kingdom of Peru was divided, other viceroyalties were born such as the current silver argentina and new granada current colombia! Present-day Peru is the only country that continued to preserve the name of the old viceroyalty that once covered almost all of South America.

[@samanthavigilhernandez627]

agreeee! I, m from PERU!

[@nataliegutierrezvargas681]

I'm from Colombia and in South America we say "everyone was once Peruvian" hahaha

[@leonorchavarrimendoza9015]

Love from Peru! 💋🇵🇪

[@ericktellez7632]

Largest viceroyalty weren’t you, it was the combination of all of Central America, parts of Colombia, Caribbean, and southern north america and the Philippines, it was called New Spain.

[@Afther]

jajaj, no sabía ese dato, empezaré a usarlo. Todos alguna vez fuimos peruanos!

[@lp-xl9ld]

"You go Uruguay and I'll go mine." --Groucho Marx, 1930

[@notallthatskilled]

wut

[@RodrrdoR]

​@@notallthatskilled Its a game of word because "You go Uruguay" sound similar to "You go your way'

[@eliasemanueloliveiradasilv8020]

The meaning behind Brazil's name is "vermelho como brasa" that in english is " red like ember"

[@nahuelma97]

Uruguay is largely accepted locally to mean river of the tainted birds. With our country's full name being República Oriental del Uruguay (Oriental Republic of the Uruguay), meaning republic east of the Uruguay river, I always found it funny that our country's name tells you how you can find it on a map 😂😂

[@1vawt]

Painted* 👍

[@nahuelma97]

@@1vawt paint as a verb means to make a painting, like an artist making something that would go in a museum or an art gallery. What we call "pintado" in Spanish would be "tainted", since "tainted" means stained and the intended meaning in the original phrase is that the colors in the birds look like paint stains

[@1vawt]

@@nahuelma97 interesting... however in English the word taint has a negative connotation, as in contaminated, polluted etc... I don't think the original meaning would have this negative connotation

[@nicolarossi9903]

@@nahuelma97 En ese caso seria "spotted birds" donde los colores parecen manchitas o "spots". "Stain" tiene connotaciones negativas como te dijeron mas abajo

[@lolito195]

I was gonna say the same thing!! Very interesting how we don't really have an actual name, but just a geographical location

[@codycorwin51]

Peru is my favorite place in South America, if you really want to "know" South America you have to travel to Peru.

[@OkaTask]

Hey! Great video, loved it. Just a a small detail that caught my attention. When you're talking about the origin of the name for Argentina, the silver was not coming from the Rio de la Plata, actually it was coming from the Potosí mountain in Bolivia, but the "Silver River" was the route that the spanish used to get the mineral to the Atlantic Ocean, and so, Europe.

[@allanfrd]

Makes a lot of sense, because Potosi was considered one of the most important cities in America due to the mining of silver in that mountain.

[@JuanDuarte-gx1oe]

I should mention that the word Paraguay in Guarani using the Guarani pronunciation of the last letter ¨y¨ means the capital Asuncion, it seems like this region was called like that way before the spanish named as such. People here also speculate that the origin of the word Paraguay is the fusion of 3 Guarani words: Para: shinny, glowy Gua: From y: water so bassically meaning ¨from the shinny waters¨, or ¨waters from the glowing brightness¨.

[@oscaralegre3683]

Buena explicación kape

[@steven12426]

Ha upei Juan

[@PeRuPi]

Oita Juan

[@andresbritez9]

Bien ahí Juan!

[@xavierbernal4245]

Nice explanation kp

[@kittyprydekissme]

The Brazil nut tree is a tree named after a country named after a different tree.

[@jaimetabilo2005]

Chile comes from the quechua word "Chire", which means Cold. Chile is way colder than Perú and Bolivia.

[@alejandroschnettler1794]

It's still a theory.

[@MegaBronsky1]

No

[@citrusblast4372]

k bro

[@cruzdesangre2850]

And many routes to Chile went through the Andes Mountains in order to go around the Atacama desert, right? So it would seem way colder if you compare the Andes to Peru

[@olekatoska1901]

​@@cruzdesangre2850 true, that makes sense, although Chile also has a far lower average yearly temperature than the rest of South America, most probably thanks to it's mostly mountainous terrain too

[@brotherjay4614]

You should look into the cities names too because they also have interesting names. For example, a legend in Ecuador the largest port city named Guayaquil is named after a native chief and his wife. His name Guayas and her name was Quil

[@argusy3866]

Argentina may be translated as made from silver, like "cristalina" is something mad or with properties of crystal. Argentinian meaning those who are made from silver sounds badass.

[@NathanHamilton95]

My favorite country in South America is PERU

[@jeanlundi2141]

Mine too. I hope I visit it one day. And the Incans were my favourite of the ancient south american civilizations.

[@NathanHamilton95]

@@jeanlundi2141 yass! it's an amazing country.. the food is extraordinary.

[@JacobBennettNY]

In my opinion, the most striking is "PERU" I was investigating and there is no exact origin! It is very interesting because Peru is the country with the most history in South America!

[@shirleyloo3676]

It is indeed. "Peru" or "viru" are not quechua, the Inkas common language. A peruvian academic tried to locate the origin , Raul Porras Barrenechea but the results are not conclusive.

[@tylerj.allison8162]

Peru is my favorite country in South America.

[@kennethray8296]

really Peru is fascinating!

[@Ale-qj3dp]

Con mas historia según ellos. Porque no conocen o no aceptan la existencia de otras culturas son muy ignorantes

[@Ale-qj3dp]

El Quechua es Idioma Boliviano, los Inkas difundieron e implantaron el Quechua en Perú. Qollasuyo es un palabra Quechua y gran parte del Qollasuyo actualmente está en Bolivia Potosí, mitad Cochabamba y mitad de Chuquisaca. Em Bolivia ele Quechua es la cultura más grande

[@diegomartinez7180]

I don't know why, but English-influenced countries are the only ones (as far as I know) that recognize this continent, America, as two. In fact, where I live, we are all taught at school that America is the second largest continent in the world just behind Asia, but that would not be true for North America or South America independently as Africa would be larger. We are also taught that the continent is composed by FOUR subcontinents: North America, South America, Central America and the Antilles. Your example of the country of Trinidad and Tobago is regarded, then, as part of the Antilles, even though it is a mere 13K (8 miles) from Venezuela on its closest proximity. Perhaps the reason for that naming in English is that the whole continent is called America, so the country, USA, would actually not have a name. The name "Colombia" is used like that in English and Spanish, "Columbia" is a whole different word (amongst others, it is the name of the district where the capital city of the USA is located). Other languages modify the name to match their pronunciations, for example "Colombie" in French or "Kolumbien" in German, but you should use Colombia in English too. Similarly in English the country Ecuador is called like that, not "Equator" or something of the sort. Much like Great Colombia gave birth to today's Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Panamá, Bolivia exists because a larger country divided, in this case in two. During the Spanish rule, the land called Peru included Bolivia, and in fact Bolivia was probably the most important land for the whole Spanish kingdom. When Simon Bolivar divided it in two, to create Bolivia, Peruvians were really offended. Bolivia was actually one of the richest regions: The mountain called "Potosi" was very likely the largest silver mine in the world at the time, and its proximity to Peru made it a very good way to rule it, but the routes to Europe from Peru were very sketchy. Spaniards found another way by transporting silver through the river Paraná, then to the "Río de la Plata" (river of silver), and then to Buenos Aires, where it could be transported much easier to mainland Spain. It is very likely that Argentina is called like that not because of its own silver mines but because of the silver trade in Buenos Aires that came from the Potosi Mountain in Bolivia. Finally, Paraguay, there is an easier explanation: the name for the river Paraná is older, so, if the river is called Paraná, and the suffix "guay" means river, then the country's name can come from Paranaguay and then Paraguay. Fun fact, one of the largest falls in the world are the Iguazú falls, where the Iguazú river flows into the Paraná river. It is also where three countries have borders: Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

[@xhorxheetxeberria-td1hu]

Exactly. One America not Americas. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@amnottabs]

I think the Para from Paraguay doesn't refer to the river Paraná itelf but to the region where the waters comes from, north-east of the country in the Amazonian region that feeds both Paraná and Paraguay rivers; something like "water stream that comes from Paraná"

[@lucasmed2351]

The problem with your theory for the name Paraguay is that the word Paraná means river in Tupi. Saying that Paraguay is the combination of Parana+guay is akin to say River River, which doesn't make sense.

[@miguelcoelho3877]

@@xhorxheetxeberria-td1hu That is just not true! From an academic (and geological) perspective, North America and South America are two separate continents, given that they sit on two separate tectonic plates that have moved independently from each other over millions of years. North America separated from Eurasia whereas South America separated from Africa. (This, to say nothing of the geo-political differences between the two continents!)

[@angeltorres9232]

@@miguelcoelho3877 what you said its not entirely true either, continents are divided by politcal and historical views, if we divide them by tectonic plates, then the arabian peninsula would be its own continent, even india would be a continent

[@TagatosElma]

The most widespread theory about the origin of the name of Paraguay is _"Water from the crown of feathers",_ from _"paraguã"_ (crown of feathers) and _"y"_ (water). The particle _"y"_ in Paraguay is present in the toponymy of other places related to water. This can be seen in different names of bodies of water such as the Queguay river ("Keguay", dream river), the Capivary stream ("Kapivary", capybara stream) or the Yguazú falls ( "Y guasu", big waters).

[@felipelopes9563]

Fun fact: The indigenous name of Brasil before the portugueses was Pindorama.

[@pseudomino3]

Different Native American nation had different native names for the land. “Pindorama” was not a universally used name. And there was no concept of Brazil as a contry/land back then. And “Pindorama” was a name used by Peruvian and Pampean Native American. Both people lived on the Spanish side of the Treaty of Tordesillas line.

[@felipelopes9563]

@@pseudomino3 I know bro, anyone knows that Brazil didn't exist in 1500 and that we have many different tribes with different languages. Furthermore, Pindorama isn't about the country itself, nor the actual land demarcation. Just don't be that annoying person please, this is just a stupid fact that no one really cares about. I could explain that things in the commentary I know but, like I said, no one cares and also I'm not a native English speaker, so I am not great with words. Oh, and about the Peruvian people, I have never heard this and I was taught in school that some tribes used the name Pindorama.

[@pseudomino3]

@@felipelopes9563 The thing is that that whole "Pindorama was the Native name of the country" is taken seriously by some people, but it's wrong. It's not "just a stupid fact" because it's not a fact at all. There was no Brazil back then, and there was no name for Brazil back then. I've heard people using the word "Pindorama" as the name of the country seriously, but it's wrong.

[@felipelopes9563]

@@pseudomino3 yeah, bro, it's called Anachronism, It's like I call Italy SPQR. It's wrong and no one should do that. Anyway, I don't want to start more discussion, so call it as you wish, but, yes, no one cares, it's a very tiny portion of people that know this name, more specifically, I mean a large part of the Brazilian working class, not the academic people. Finally, I will not answer any new response, so have a good night.

[@yohanapereira1629]

Pindorama sounds like a snack.

[@viviflam]

I'm surprised you didn't mention that the only other country named after the Equator doesn't actually have any area touching the Equator

[@kittyprydekissme]

I've always thought it was cool that both countries named after the Equator speak Spanish and produce oil.

[@MilaUaliM]

I think that in the part of Ecuador he forgot to mention that the name as such comes from the Latin "Aequator" which means the one that equals, you know, Equator

[@MilaUaliM]

@@kittyprydekissme thats cool

[@ikarusxv]

Ah Equatorial Guinea. But that's because during some time, the Spanish colony that today is Equatorial Guinea, had control of part of the current Gabon, south of the Equator.

[@llpBR]

"Brasa" in portuguese is when you have a burning log without the flames. Brasil is a collection of brasa. So, the names comes from red and amber, of course, but has a closer connection to fire. Unfortunatelly our flag doesn't have that burning red

[@NoiGS]

Holy, now that's interesting

[@jovencasagrande2405]

Ou muda a bandeira ou muda o nome do país, os dois juntos não dá

[@llpBR]

@@jovencasagrande2405 Sei q é uma brincadeira sua, mas dava sim. A bandeira da China e a dos EUA têm igualmente o vermelho nelas. Se faz parte do nome do nosso país, achava, de verdade, muito legal o vermelho do fogo ou a real cor do pau Brasil. É uma cor linda!

[@giopreda]

As a Paraguayan, I must add that in modern Guaraní “guay” doesn’t mean anything, “river” is written “rysyry” and “water” is simply written as “y”. This is actually an incredibly common misconception, specially between foreigners who are eager to lean about our country, because the language family Guaraní is a part of is called “tupi-guarani”, but the language simply called Guaraní has relatively recent origins as it evolved from tribal languages through mestizos’ way of speaking during colonial times. In fact, in Guaraní the name for our language is “Avañe’ẽ”, meaning “the people’s language”. This confusion between language denominations is a fairly common one, as most tupi-guaraní languages spoken in our region generally have this word in their name, but if anyone wanted further information on the language our country is named after, here you have it!

[@cesarestigarribia3987]

Dude on video said whatever he found on Google. Sadly.

[@TagatosElma]

Río es _"ysyry",_ no _rysyry._ Lo más probable es que la partícula _"y"_ en Paraguay signifique AGUA, partícula que se usa en guaraní para la toponimia de lugares relacionados al agua. Esto se pude ver en distintos nombres de cuerpos de agua como el río Queguay (río de sueño), el arroyo Kapivary (arroyo del capibara) o las cataratas del Yguazú (cataratas de aguas grandes). La teoría más difundida sobre el origen del nombre de Paraguay es que significa _"Agua de la corona de plumas",_ de _"Paraguã"_ (corona de plumas) e _"y"_ (agua).

[@bennythetiger6052]

For Brazil, that derives from the "red like ember" wood, something that might help connect the idea would be "blaze" or "blazing", although those may or may not convey the same exact color shade hahah

[@franciscoguinledebarros4429]

I think the most direct translation would be "emberly", so "emberly wood" os something like that Also, gotta love the anti-communist chant in Brazil of "our flag will never be red", while Brasil is literally a word for red

[@bil2102]

you're absolutely right. the cognate english term for portuguese *_brasa_* is *_blaze_* .

[@JR-mj8ph]

Awesome content. I didn't know how much I didn't know!!

[@agustinfigueroa3239]

This was great! It's really unexpected when south America shows up in my KZbin because there's very little content about it from other parts of the world, which I believe is a criminal underrating because there's so many fascinating stories and each culture is beautiful, with a good assimilated mix of Spanish (and other European settlers) and native traditions in it. I love living here, it's got it's fair share of troubles but it is also one of the most peaceful parts in the world, without any major wars since the late 19th-early 20th century, and there is a sense of brotherhood in most south Americans as we share this beautiful land and made it our own. Love from Chile 🇨🇱

[@LluviadeOrugas]

Columbia is a popular brand, and an university in the US. Colombia is a country in South America. Confusing the two is beyond ignorant, and no, Colombia should never be spelled or pronounced like Columbia! 🤨

[@michaelverbakel7632]

I have heard that Colombians get quite pissed off at foreigners when a lot of them spell their countries name with a u instead of o.

[@LluviadeOrugas]

@@michaelverbakel7632 , I don’t know since I’m from Spain and never met a Colombian. What made me get pissed off is when the man in the video said something to the effect of both Colombia and Columbia could be interchangeable terms which of course they can not. Just because a certain part of the world doesn’t want to bother in learning the proper term, doesn’t mean the rest of us should bow down to their ignorance. Sorry for the rant! 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@vitumalatesta]

In addition to this explanation of the name Brasil being derived from the word "brasa" (meaning "amber" in Portuguese), for the fire-colored wood, historians also theorize a more ancient origin: There was a legend that circulated in the extreme west of Europe (Ireland and Portugal), written by an Irish monk named São Brandão, saying that there was a mystical heavenly land beyond the unknown waters of the Atlantic. In the ancient Celtic language, the term "Hybrasil" is mentioned as being "blessed land", deriving from the term "bress", which means "bless". So when Europeans arrived in America, they found their blessed promised land, their "Hybrazil".

[@phelps6205]

Minor correction, "brasa" means "ember", not "amber". "Amber" is that thing with the mosquitoes in Jurassic Park.

[@vitumalatesta]

@@phelps6205 you're right hahaha thank you for the correction.

[@brazilianculturechannel4870]

I think Brazil has the best sounding name in South America.

[@1789Henrique]

This Hybrazil theory is bonkers. Occam razor, please: the easiest theory is the brazilwood one, and the one with more sources supporting it. The Hybrazil one is just a way to make the Brazil name more interesting, mystic and of ancient origin.

[@RafitoOoO]

​@@1789Henrique the myth about Hybrazil is real though, you can even find some ancient maps from Celts that paint it, even if the actual name comes from Brasa/Ember.

[@CM-nm8di]

The Inca empire was called Tawantinsuyo or Tahuantinsuyo but the Spaniards ask to this tribe lead that they found around the south pacific coast of what is today Colombia or the coast of what is today Ecuador, what is the name of this kingdom in the south, the lead though that the Spaniards were asking for his name and he said Viru or Piru, later the Spaniards changed for Peru, they didn't change the name of this new kingdom despite that the Incas told them the name of their empire. One more thing, the Incas didn't use flags but they used an emblem as the Roman empire, the emblem has snakes, the "crown" of the Inca and little rainbows coming from the mouth of the snakes, anyways, if you see this rainbow flag in Cusco, it never was part of the Inca empire, it was an invention in the 20s for a local radio en Cusco a flag for the city of Cusco but the truth is that Cusco has a different flag created for the Spaniards, as I said the Incas never used flags.

[@gamf5996]

Fun fact ecuador wasn’t named ecuador just because the equator goes throught it but because the french geodesic mission went to ecuador to do the measurements for the line since quito it’s capital was the only big city that went along it most other places where jungle like the congo or the amazon or very far away. So after the mission the name stuck.

[@antoniocastillo8797]

To add to this there was a dispute between the big cities to name the country under their respective names and Ecuador ended up winning as a neutral name the French were using and everyone liked it enough to keep it

[@Miblive]

8:12 Pau does not mean tree in Portuguese. Pau means wood. Árvore means tree. Also, besides Terra de Santa Cruz, Brazil was also called, Vera Cruz.

[@jeanlundi2141]

Yep, Vera being another word for "true" (as in the TRUE religion). The portuguese were high on religious fervor at that point. Much like the spanish.

[@domilontano]

I learned a bit of Guaraní while living in rural Paraguay; it's true that "gua" means "from/of", and "y" means "water", though they would usually be in the other order: ýgua, from water. So it's plausible, but more likely a folk etymology. I looked up "para", and in modern Guaraní it means "ocean", though I never heard that word while living there, as they are landlocked, so this seems unlikely as well.

[@dalerojo2.091]

But Guaranis (that originally called 'Ava' to themselves) were not living only in what today is Paraguay, but also in parts of present-day Argentina & Brazil, and while the Spanish already were exploring the area, they expanded even to Bolivia. Also, Guaranis explored the Uruguay river until the River Plate (that actually is not a river but the Parana estuary), living even in the riverside of what today is Uruguay. Therefore, they probably reached the ocean at some point.

[@domilontano]

@@dalerojo2.091 That is true. It's still an interesting mystery tho. There are plenty of places within Paraguay itself where no one really knows where the name came from. My little village was called Ka'itá... "Stone Monkey"? Language is fun. :)

[@domilontano]

@Hans Krieger Interesting! Paraguay has a whole Departamento (State) called Guairá, and a big waterfall of the same name along the Paraná River.

[@dalerojo2.091]

@@domilontano los famosos saltos del Guairá, que lamentablemente desaparecieron después de la construcción de la represa Itaipú. En cuanto a los nombres, puede ser que haya muchos sin origen guaraní, porque había muchos pueblos que dominaban distintas áreas de lo que hoy es Paraguay y que hablaban lenguas muy distintas al guaraní. ¿Sos paraguayo o solo viviste ahí? Yo soy argentino pero vivo en la frontera con Paraguay (en Posadas).

[@domilontano]

@@dalerojo2.091 Soy de los EEUU pero viví en Paraguay durante mi servicio con el Cuerpo de Paz.

[@Joakimfrank]

Can't stop focusing on the "eerrrhH" after every single sentence haha. Great video tho! :)

[@DonMusica]

Buen video hermano por explicar los orígenes de los nombres me ayudaron de mucho👌

[@tonyl4438]

Colombia has never been spelled Columbia, the name of Columbus is the Anglo version, both the Italian and Spanish are with an o, Colombo and Colon.

[@bachito1996]

I think he meant that Columbia exists, but it's not actually the country. But exits. Later he explained the italian origin.

[@miguelramirez6352]

Yeah, but then again if you are speaking in English you can spell "Columbia" with "u"because of linguistics and that is correct in English. Remember there is British Columbia, there's the Columbia University (in New York City) and so on, and they are not related to Colombia in South America at all!

[@elmaschimba963]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@miguelramirez6352 I got confused reading this, so if you’re referring to Colombia as a country in English Anglo Saxon version with the “u” it’s right? If that’s the case I strongly disagree, very because you did proved the correct names like Columbia university, Columbia pictures, British culumbia, etc. But those are meant for those places, when referring to my country it’s never with the “u” never even in English It’s only Colombia if you want to be respectfully. When someone spells it with a “U” I only think they’re talking about The University or a different place but never my country man I’m not sensitive but that’s one of the only misleading spellings that always sounds awfully wrong to me.

[@luissierra3194]

Yep Colombia is always with an O and only O ! don't get confused silly north american people, I know you call yourselfs 'Americans' as if you owned the whole continent but at least respect the name, thanks!

[@theconqueringram5295]

You know something, the origins of these names really are fascinating.

[@Canhistoryismylife]

Technically Venezuela’s name is the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, making Bolivar the only person with two countries named after him

[@LuccianoBartolini]

That "Bolivarian" was added in 1999 though.

[@MachineHead783]

The thing is, this video is about the history behind the name. The BROV is part of the legal name and is not relevant.

[@ramiropina83]

Actually the presence of big silver deposits in current Argentina ended up being a legend. The "conquistadores" couldn't find much.

[@amnottabs]

one thing about the "guay" suffix it's that in Guarani the "Y" (look up how to spell ɨ) it's not spelled like the "i" in Spanish so the word that refers to the country Paraguay (in Spanish/English) it's written "Paraguái" in Guarani while the word "Paraguay" in Guarani refers to the area near the Paraguay river where the Asuncion city it's located

[@RandomHandle120]

So that's where the word "argent" in French comes from. Had no idea it had a connection with the name of Argentina in a round-about sort of way 🤯

[@user-xu3bg7zh9c]

Its because French and Spanish are both latin languages

[@SteviaSweetenedFlan]

Yet we don't use the argentum root in Spanish opting instead for "plata" to refer to silver, which is cringe

[@argusy3866]

​@@SteviaSweetenedFlan Fun fact, in Argentina we call our money "plata", in a coloquial way, like bucks or quid.

[@cmjp2008]

6:05 that Chief Biru was not located in the Inca lands, but in the Bay of San Miguel, south of Panama. The main hypothesis is that the Chief Piru was ruling a terroritory and was fierce enough to not be conquered, so when Spaniards wanted to know where to go for gold, they often said "to the south of Biru"providing a proper name to the soon to be discovered lands of what is now Peru.

[@module79l28]

5:50 - Fun Fact: Peru means turkey in Portuguese. 😀

[@eugenioarpayoglou]

I don't speak Guaraní (accent on the final i), but I am uruguayan. The formal name of our country is "La Republica Oriental del Uruguay," which literally translates to "The Republic to the east of the Uruguay (river)." The name Uruguay means "River of the painted birds."

[@csimoes20]

I've heard from my teachers in Brazil that the country's name came indeed from the color of the Pau Brasil tree which is red as an ember, in Portuguese ember translates as 'brasa'.

[@VitorCadari]

As a brazilian, they teach in the school that the word "Brasil" comes the color of the ember (the burning coal color), because the reddish wood that portugueses loved to take to Europe to do red dye.

[@bodyplusrenaca5656]

Good video! Im from south america

[@katherineozbirn6426]

very cool!

[@itslikethesamebutdifferent8020]

Fun fact- South America is actually América, as it was given the name in 1507.

[@MachineHead783]

Fun fact no one gives a shit

[@andyespo13]

The international airport in Santa Cruz, Bolivia is Viru Viru (VVI).

[@manoelsabino2636]

Fun fact: Peru in portuguese means "Turkey". Yes, the bird. So, here in Brazil, when we talk about Peru, eu are talking about "turkey" the bird as well

[@billyr2904]

Guarani belongs to the Tupian language family, and is not called amerindian. I'm saying tupian, because tupian languages are spoken in the guianas.

[@JumelCouto]

In argentina the Rio de la plata also aquired that name because at the horizon you can clearly see a silver line which is an optical illusion.

[@pikyu-sama4534]

I love reading all the version of the origin of the name Peru. Personally, i was taught in primary school that the name came from a river that was called biru and when Spaniards came and asked for the name of the land, the person that was asked confused it for the river and told them. Eventually evolving to Perú. But, idk, bro. I was in primary school its a miracle i still remember that story.

[@yarsaff8674]

Paraguayian here the "Gua" in the name means "From" "y" means water, "para" it's a multifuncional particle in the language It would roughly translate to "Those who come from the water" Not bc we have a river that splits the country, but bc the original tribes came from Asia during the last ice age and as they came hopping island to island, the name stick

[@hinatwinz917]

Make the "Leave a super thanks" beginning feature this video (at timestamp 9:36) instead of what it currently is RIGHT NOW and use it from now on.

[@jairogonsales9104]

Just to add more detail about Brazil, Pau-Brasil is named this way because "ember" in portuguese is "brasa"

[@mircirs]

Great as always

[@caiofuccio5788]

Just adding: Brazil, or in portuguese Brasil, comes from the word "brasa" in portuguese, wich means ember. That's because the wood from Pau Brasil is so red, it resembles ember.

[@joseluispcr]

I am brazilians and have traveled to paraguai and saw the foz of iguazu in the brazilian city near of it (while they do have their side of watefalls), and the region have a hidric eletric generator that is one of the most important things in the contry. Trust me, iguaçu alone is worth calling that contry a name based on water. That is the most impressive waterfall system in the world I think. Realy the most beautifull thing I ever saw. It is amazing

[@enavoid]

Hello Name Explain! Do you happen to have a video that explains the relations between Peru's, Turkey's, India's and the animal turkey's names? If not, i'd love to see one! Basically, the animal is called Peru in Portuguese, but it's called Turkey in English, and called Hindi in Turkish... I'd love to see the history behind that

[@farhanputrariantono930]

6:13 The word "Biru 6:13 " Means "Blue" In Indonesian

[@franklinramirez9805]

There's a less known version of Venezuela's name (I'm Venezuelan). Is a native origin: In Maracaibo's coast was a indian community around a big flat stone called "Veneçiuela" (it pronounces V-nee-see-u-ela) that means " "agua grande" (Big water) in Indian language.

[@DaveSCameron]

I've said it before but you don't know how much I enjoy your channel and I feel like you have a similar passion for the etymology of literally everything, just like me! 😂, don't be disappearing or getting struck or something please! Best wishes 🙏

[@DaveSCameron]

I must say that for a 13 minute upload the six #ADVERTS are becoming a real issue for me, I know the channel doesn't control the frequency but does control whether or not they appear at all.

[@nelsonteixeira116]

About Brazil's name, it came from the Brasil three as the video say's, however "Pau Brasil" doesn't mean Brasil's Tree, as the Portuguese word for tree is " Árvore". Pau means stick, or wooden stick. So the most accurate translation is Brasil's stick.

[@RB-vw8zq]

As funny as it may seem, the equator does NOT go through Equatorial Guinea. All of the country is (a tiny bit) north of the equator.

[@beatrizpestana]

Pau does not mean tree. Pau means wood. The name of the tree is Pau-Brasil. Pau is also how we call a piece of wood, not the entire trunk. It's also a word for d*ck, lol.

[@fndalves]

Brasil actually means some thing like "red hot" or "fire like" or "ember like"... it refers to the color of hot metal or burning wood... the pau brasil tree's wood is so vividly red that looks like it is on fire..

[@KaoruGoyle]

As an Uruguayan the SNAIL part is so dumb, never heard of it. Uru means "Colored/colorful birds" , the name being "River of the colored birds". This is thaught to us in pre-school. Lol. It comes from the Guarani tribe dialect, that part is true.

[@the_linguist_ll]

It's much more likely to come from 'Uruá y' than from 'Uru gua y'

[@leumas382]

Bolivia and Perú used to be one country under the viceroy from Spain named "Alto Perú". During the independence lead by Simon Bolivar only part of Alto Perú got taken (the part that come to be "El Alto" from Bolivia and Perú been divided just renamed to just Perú.

[@Amadeu.Macedo]

Thanks for this interesting video. However, as a subscriber of dual nationality (Brazilian-American), I hope you will not object to a minor correction vis-a-vis the name of the Red Wood (which I believe is close to extinction), for its correct name is "Pau-Brasil." Cheers!

[@billyr2904]

French Guiana isn't an overseas territory, and is more like what Alaska and Hawaii are to the United States. With Alaska and Hawaii being 2 of the 50 states of the United States, and French Guiana is one of the 18 regions of France.

[@FoggyD]

It's an overseas département which I would say, if you insist on trying to make a comparison, gives it a slightly looser relationship with France than a US state has with the federal authorities. It is correct to say that "territoire d'outre-mer" is a separate status though, which French Guiana does not possess but the likes of New Caledonia do.

[@xhorxheetxeberria-td1hu]

😂😂😂😂

[@richovaap7482]

Francisco Miranda fought in the American revolution with Spain (Spain was Borbon then, as was France, and they messed with the British all along the Mississippi, which was French). "America" had some choices for its new name as free country, and one of them was "Columbia" (B. Franklin was the fan number one) but they finally chose the most descriptive USA (the long version). Miranda and others were witnesses at the sign of the new American constitution, and then he decided to take it for the name of a future country formed with all the Spaniard colonies, but took the name written with Spanish phonetics, "Colombia" instead of "Columbia".

[@braziliodecarvalhotasso3230]

Nice vídeo

[@besacciaesteban]

Funny note: there's almost no silver in argentina, most of it is in peru/bolivia.

[@hdub8093]

3:10 is wrong, Colombia is NEVER spelled with an "U" it's because in Spanish Christopher Columbus is called Cristóbal Colón or Cristoforo Colombo (in Italian)

[@Hillers62]

At 5:44 ...except that Equatorial Guinea is 110 km north of the equator...

[@shruggzdastr8-facedclown]

The southern tip of South America isn't occupied entirely by Chile but is shared with Argentina. That southern "tip" is actually an archipelago of islands split between those neighboring nations

[@rolfjacobson833]

thanks

[@elinakangas571]

In Finland South American country is spelled Kolumbia. Love for algorithms. ❤

[@candyzevallos8981]

4:02 how interesting, i know it as a 'despective' way to call the people who lived there, at least in spanish the 'zuela' may sound like another ofensive word xd i don't know if it the same in italian.

[@danielcattini8448]

Pau means wood, not tree. Tree is árvore in Portuguese.

[@module79l28]

Technically, "pau" means stick. Wood, as you probably know, means "madeira".

[@danielcattini8448]

@Module 79L in some instances in English when you say wood, a Brazilian would say pau and not madeira. Madeira is a more general term. It depends on context. Portuguese is a different language and that means you cannot use the direct translation of a word in some sentences as it would not make sense.

[@bil2102]

​@@module79l28 in mediaeval portuguese *_pau_* was used to refer either to a "pole" (pau) or to a "matter" (matéria, madeira). Nowadays to say *_pau_* refering to a "matter" is likely archaic, that's why you differ *_pau_* from *_madeira_* . However the best translation from mediaeval portuguese *_pau-brasil_* to modern english is indeed "brazil-wood", because it refers to a "matter" although *_wood_* , in english refers to either to a "matter" or to a "forest".

[@jeanlundi2141]

Like Daniel said and Bil clarified, we portuguese used "pau" as in wood. It's a common term for many forms of wood. But "madeira" is the more formal and current form of addressing the same stuff.

[@Malenia_BOM]

It’s so good to see someone that understands that South America is not everything that’s after Mexico 😂

[@marcopohl4875]

The argentina one gave me an idea: where did the elements get their names?

[@bengael5807]

CHILE is variant of CHIRIC (sounds chilic like rimac sounds limac) that means "cold" in quechua

[@nicolasramos2170]

About the tree pau-brasil, the word "pau" doesn't mean tree, It means wood.

[@tobe0320]

¡Gracias!

[@MayonnaiseVenusaur]

South America is beautiful. But if you want to see the wild parts, buy the guided tour. Things can happen there. If you like to wander and show yourself around, stick to Peru.

[@AAAA-cm1wj]

The ending "zuela" is added to word to forms diminutives, and adds derogatory value to the primitive word. For example, plazuela (a small or insignificant square between two streets), escritorzuela/o, (a low value writter), mujerzuela (a slut). In this case Venezuela was used to compare the settlement at the lake, which remind them of the more grandilocuent city of Venezia. Other examles are, ladronzuela, a petty thief, or portezuela a small door.

[@mastersorcerer555]

Always thought that the name 'Brazil' came from the irish story about 'Hy-Brasil'

[@tomboiv1653]

Rio de la Plata es por el brillo del sol sobre el rio hacia parecer que era un rio lleno de plata... No es que habia Plata en la zona. De ahi el nombre. SE PENSABA que habia mucha plata, pero no.

[@Ramondenner1991]

If you visit brazil in your trip, i recomend Ouro Preto in Minas Gerais, Recife in Pernambuco, Manaus in Amazonas, Bonito in Mato Grosso do Sul, Foz do Iguaçu in Paraná and Blumenau in Santa Catarina. Rio and São Paulo are also most see cities.

[@masterhuaso1033]

How many cheese can I eat at minas Gerais?

[@BadBoy-fq6yf]

It's correct that the equatorial line crosses many countries and oceans. It happens that the french scientific geodesic mission to measure a meridian arch did the measures, in the current lands of Ecuador. So there is an additional and significant unique fact, that justifies to take the name Ecuador for this very same country.

[@FM_1819]

3:10 That pause, lol you are just trying to piss us colombians off lmao. For God's sake don't spell it with a U in English