Why are so many countries called Guinea? (Short Animated Documentary)

Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and Papua New Guinea are all called Guinea to some degree. But what led to this happening? Why are there four modern nations called Guinea? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.
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[@GuildsmanPirate]

“Germany’s team came second in World War I” the humor of this channel is my absolute favorite

[@timmccarthy872]

I kinda wish third place was a tsar full of bullet holes

[@Steeyuv]

@@timmccarthy872 and with that cheesed-off expression.

[@sharkronical]

@@timmccarthy872 fourth place: Belgium, beaten up with bandages while holding that small chunk of Germany they took Or the other way around ig

[@theparadigm8149]

@@timmccarthy872 r/woooosh to me, but _technically_ , Russia was on the winning team. Yeah, Russia itself was horrible during the war, but it was an Allied power.

[@mikedl1105]

So many great lines over the years, but that one is among the best

[@Scubavangelist]

"... but cultural sensitivity is not the cornerstone of imperialism..." Very diplomatically put!

[@jamesrosewell9081]

@Louiebruh1 Aren't you supposed to put this on a jackscepticeye video?

[@Walker-ow7vj]

Louiebruh1 bruh he’s atheist so why would he care about this comment lmao

[@clark5317]

@@Walker-ow7vj That's probably the point of the comment. He's atheist, so you shouldn't watch him, or some stupidity like that. I don't understand why some religious people use threats like "you will die terribly" to coerce you into believing their religion. Like, I don't want to believe in a religion where the deity is such a nice guy he will laugh at you being tortured gruesomely

[@NicolaW72]

Yes-

[@ewetoob1924]

That's what we call "virtue signalling".

[@xavierguinea5490]

As someone who has Guinea as their last name, this was very informative.

[@baldinib1055]

have some kids and form your own country Xavierguinea

[@garycollier6950]

Why are Italians called guineas ?

[@daymal2717]

@@garycollier6950 Tony Soprano wouldn't appreciate that if he heard you say it

[@kf9346]

They left you out!!

[@coyotelong4349]

And the mentor of the X-Men for a first name

[@Missmethinksalot1]

Your dry humor sold it for me. The ironic expressions of the natives in your animation was just the cherry on top. Instant sub.

[@nowhereman6019]

Imagine if they used Ethiopia instead. We would have Equatorial Ethiopia, Papua New Ethiopia, and so on while actual Ethiopia would probably just call itself Abyssinia.

[@I_worship_AxxL]

I wish a horrible year to all the people who have talked bad to me online. Sorry for using your comment to talk about this, dear Nowhere Man.

[@DT2007]

@@I_worship_AxxL lol

[@BHuang92]

@@I_worship_AxxL I am very sorry for you! May those haters burn for their transgressions!

[@coyotelong4349]

Don’t forget Ethiopia-Bissau 😂

[@Daisy_3011]

@@I_worship_AxxL Eye for an eye and the world goes blind. Make love not war❤️

[@discountwolverine1658]

“They’re the same people.” This channel is comedy gold.

[@timmccarthy872]

That is one becoming-ass mauve cardigan the Spaniard is wearing

[@anaverageyoutubeuser]

Is that a meme reference?

[@quincyadams48]

@@anaverageyoutubeuser Yeah

[@NagelFox]

@@anaverageyoutubeuser yeah from The Office US but it's "they're the same picture"

[@CatnamedMittens]

It's not an original or interesting joke

[@alancawfield6549]

Fun Fact: Equitorial Guinea's capital city Malabo is not on the mainland but on the island to north west of the mainland.Which is really quite odd.

[@brinko33]

And the capital is actually closer to Cameroon than to equatorial Guinea. Having Cameroonian origins myself you can see the capital from Limbe's (Victoria) coast in Cameroon.

[@genarogatjens7721]

I am from Equatorial Guinea 🇬🇶..Nice job🤗Keep it up🙌🏾

[@frehaile6298]

Ok, but question ? How many populations Eq Guinea ? I am from Eritrea 🇪🇷👈🏼

[@titan9259]

@@frehaile62981.7 million

[@allthingsholy1602]

I’ve now heard Guinea so many times in just this video that the word Guinea has lost all meaning to me.

[@gregorymaus6289]

Be honest: How much meaning did it have to you before watching the video? (Question not valid if you live in one of these countries or use Guineas as a currency.)

[@DanS044]

Just wait for Guinea Pigs

[@Longshanks1690]

@@DanS044 I’m so… *STARTLED!!!*

[@Daisy_3011]

I think I just heard it more in this video than in my entire life 😂

[@davidcovington901]

@Louiebruh1 Try a D2a blocker.

[@dna0303]

“As you know, Germany’s team came second in World War One” Always finding new ways to creatively state the facts

[@NicolaW72]

Yes, Germanies team came second in World War One.

[@jefffinkbonner9551]

Germany took home silver in back-to-back world wars!

[@chmeee9562]

Second place is still first place for losers.

[@jmitc91516]

What a good thing it didn't go to penalties.

[@alanc497]

“As you know, Germany’s team came second in World War One” Oh no, better luck next time :)

[@fubbalo_]

2:20 that's a *golden* reference

[@steveaumann6335]

I’ve always wondered that, thanks for sharing your information.👏👏👍

[@evilmountain7147]

Can't believe you didn't answer the real, very important question: Why are guinea pigs called guinea pigs?

[@mathyeuxsommet3119]

In French it's "pig of the indies"

[@MouseTai1]

Because no one actually knows the answer to this question, since they're not from any of the Guineas and are not pigs.

[@WraithSeer-uv6tv]

It is still relatively unknown but I found this quote The Oxford English Dictionary mentions three theories about the origin of this inappropriate name: (1) The animal was perhaps “thought to resemble the young of the Guinea Hog (Potamochoerus),” which is a river pig found in Guinea. (2) Back when the phrase “guinea pig” was first recorded, the word “Guinea” was often used to denote some unspecified or unknown faraway land. (3) The “guinea” here may represent a confusion with Guiana, a region of northeastern South America. This explanation “seems unlikely,” the OED says. And here’s another suggestion, from the Chambers Dictionary of Etymology: (4) The little feller was named for the people who brought it to England, “the ‘Guinea-men’ who sailed on ships plying between England, Guinea, and South America, to which the animal is native.” (The ships themselves, usually slavers, were also called “Guinea-men” or “Guineamen.”)

[@andrzejkowalski6836]

In Polish it's funnier: świnka morska = little sea pig. 1/3 of truth.

[@andres_see]

In Andean South America (where they come from) they are called _cuyes._

[@cpd7172]

Imagine purchasing a plane ticket to the wrong Guinea

[@nightcafeable]

Something similar happened to a Spanish couple that purchased a plain ticket during the 2014 World Cup. They wanted to go to Salvador da Bahia, in Brazil, but they went to El Salvador, in Chile.

[@teddybearroosevelt1847]

Imagine trying to post a funny comment to an actually funny video

[@lilymarinovic1644]

@@nightcafeable they may also have ended up in the country El Salvador, so lots of potential for mistakes there!

[@landerhendrickx3522]

Hahaha nightmare fuel

[@dzk33]

I actually know somebody who flew to Morocco, thinking he was going to Monaco.

[@SamX2004]

That was an incredible explanation!!

[@rocou945]

that's the kind of questions that wake me up in panic and keep me up at night lol. thank you for this nice little video!

[@mrterp04]

Another great video! Three suggestions for the new year: 1.) Why does Monaco exist? 2.) Why does France still rule French Guyana? 3.) How did Portugal hold onto Goa and Macau for so long?

[@mkgvlc4]

4) Why does France still rule Corsica? and why did Napoleon change his surname

[@FutureMan420Blazer]

@Louiebruh1 The fuck bro

[@ljungkve]

2 has been done by someone dont remember who but basically: its a region poor in resources and habitability for people. So when suriname broke from netherlands and guyana from britain the french guyanese went: -Hey our neighbours declared independence -Yeah, doesnt seem like it improved things though -No, our situation seems better than theirs -And we are fairly autonomous as it is -Wanna revolt? -Nah -Me neither Very simplified but something like that

[@shevandaalfaridzi4167]

@@ljungkve 2 has been done by Countryballs Explained channel in a video called What are the Guianas Countries?

[@sail4549]

@@ljungkve Countryballs Explained made a videos exactly like that - what are the Guianas?

[@lordr1c325]

I like that you made a distinction between the Guineas and the Guyanas. As a native Guyanese, I appreciate it

[@quidam_surprise]

I don't even know how people manage to mix them up in the first place. 😕 Also, it's 'Gu*i*anas'...

[@sealandball3043]

Guyana, Suriname, French Guyana I'm guyanese

[@quincyadams48]

@@sealandball3043 Not to be a pain but it's spelled French Guiana

[@rahmathkakkotkallery854]

@@quincyadams48 he said he was a Guyanese, so I am pretty sure your being a pain

[@nubo3517]

Do people seriously mix up those?

[@darrenmirisa]

Interesting information..From Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬 , never asked much about the name

[@VictorPessoaDaSilva]

First time in the chanel, loved the video. Thanks KZbin algorithm for the recommendation, sometimes you get it right.

[@jacobmstudios1280]

Love the office reference 2:21

[@kyleanthonystevens7017]

I'd like a "Why does Afghanistan exist?" It's ethnically and linguistically split and has been sandwiched between many different empires. Seems like it should have been carved up by now.

[@sfs2040]

2 words: buffer state.

[@reappermen]

He somewhat touched on that in his 'Is afghanistan really the Graveyard of Empires' video. Or at least on facts like why no one in recent history was to sucessfulk at holding it after conquering it, and the fact the Brits wanted/used it as buffer against the Russians.

[@apalahartisebuahnama7684]

because Ahmad Shah Durrani, that's why it's exist.

[@michaeltamke8542]

It was ment to prevent the British and Russian empires touching each other. Which sounds like geographical dirty talk to me^^

[@harbl99]

@@michaeltamke8542 You want Afghan geographical dirty talk? * Wakhan Corrider slides into you mentions like it slides between Tadjik- and Pakistan to fondle China *

[@Wanielyo]

There’s an incredible documentary on the news independence struggle in Bougainville, well worth looking for.

[@benjamins7905]

This was incredible

[@gideonmele1556]

Spain: forever renowned for their naming originality

[@harbl99]

"We can't name _this_ after the Virgin Mary too. Not after the last six things." "Yeah, but that was a city, a river, a mountain, a port, and two islands. Completely different. How about we name this place after a saint then?" "... Fine. I get to pick though."

[@Tjalve70]

@@harbl99 Let's call the country El Salvador, and the city San Salvador. That isn't going to cause any confusion whatsoever.

[@jaimepujol5507]

Yeah, yeah, complain, but Puebla de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles del Río Porciúncula is way cooler than L.A.

[@susanmcmasterson956]

@@jaimepujol5507 LOL touché

[@javierm7087]

The same can be said for any other colonial power such as Great Britain (New England, Nova Scotia, New South Wales...), France (New Orleans, New France...) Netherlands (New Zealand, New Amsterdam...), etc.

[@sirsyolo]

"Another term for this area" best line in any History Matters video

[@YuiFunami]

ye

[@aaronsakulich4889]

Am I right in thinking that the term is probably something... that he didn't want to say? Does anyone know what the term was?

[@EliStettner]

Yeah like ummm… is it just the n word?

[@aaronsakulich4889]

@@EliStettner That's exactly what I thought... "Uh, there was another term for this area" was followed immediately by me mumbling "oh NO I bet it's bad"

[@o76923]

My guess is that it has something to do with two of the countries in the shaded region including Niger and Nigeria.

[@thztan7492]

Thx for knowledge

[@alcd6333]

Wonderful explanation on this facet of historical geography.

[@kristinnkristinsson1369]

For those curious, the name of the mystery third area of Africa between Guinea and the Sahara was "Negroland". But I wouldn't accuse colonialism in particular for cultural insensitivity, referencing the inhabitants' skin color seemed to be the name of the game, with many other place names in the continent being derived the same way (ex: Sudan from Berber, Ethiopia from Greek).

[@prathamsaxena9503]

I liked the way he omitted that word to avoid any comments

[@josephrothbauer9651]

Negroland is the best name I’ve ever heard😂

[@aym.s5827]

Sudan came from Arabic. Ghana came from Berber which shares the same origin as the word Guinea. The word “Ignawen” was used to describe the peoples living south.

[@abdul-malikasad3785]

I scrolled until I found this post because I knew someone would answer my question. Thank you

[@neophyte1994]

Was indeed curious enough to go to the comments but expected something along those lines

[@wantokamerica4105]

Always love your videos let me correct a couple of details about my home, Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬. Actually, Papua was also a name given by Europeans. The Portuguese who first visited (but thankfully never colonised) the island had Malay sailors on board. While those Spanish explorers were fixated on the locals' black skins (= like africans' dark skins), the Malay sailors, who would have had straight hair, were fixated on the locals' frizzy and curly hair and used a slang word for frizzy haired people in their language, Papua.The Portuguese map makers just adopted it. And another correction-- the German colony was split at the equator between the Australians and Japanese at the end of WWI. The British already had the southeast quarter of New Guinea, calling it British Papua, but had given it to Australia in 1905. So after WWI the Australians had both (no longer German) New Guinea and (no longer British) Papua, but administered them separately. After WWII, they united them as "Papua & New Guinea". The "&" got dropped at Independence in 1975. Note: No one ever asked the people of this country if they wanted to be British or German or Australian, or even independent......

[@MrColuber]

"The Portuguese who first visited (but thankfully never colonised)" Vá vender chuchas.

[@funkysagancat3295]

@@MrColuber DEVOLVE O NOSSO OURO

[@MrColuber]

@@funkysagancat3295 Nem pensar.

[@kogoromori30]

So it was better to get colonized by genocide specialists Britain and Germany? LOL. Maybe you should get colonized again. At least you won't have the highest crime rate on earth then. Only the term Fourth World would fit your country since a Third World Country looks like paradise next to yours, lmao.

[@gamermapper]

It's really sad how Western New Guinea is still colonized

[@deanbo56]

Excellant! I always knew History mattered but I never knew WHY.

[@emolohtrab3468]

I knew this but your videos are always well made and fun.

[@Antraeon]

2:14 ... That is probably the most professional and polite way I have ever heard "They all look the same to me" explained.

[@jamesbissonette]

2:28 this is why i pay his patreon

[@ironbanana2253]

Um dud it's 2:48 Also I respec

[@GamerTA13]

It's James bissonette the legend is here!

[@TheMooGoesCow1]

Holy shit it’s him

[@haritsarangi5156]

History and Humour! Good work!

[@oliversherman2414]

I love your channel keep up the great stuff

[@michaelrizka]

"Because the name of Guinea was taken...." Well there's also Rome, Greek Rome, German Rome, Slavic Rome, and even Turkish Rome

[@Tjalve70]

As well as Romania, and the Rom people.

[@ViperhawkX]

Alexandria and Alexandria and Alexandria and Alexandria and-

[@Discosaturn]

...and "When in Rome".

[@coyotelong4349]

Don’t forget Rome, GA

[@Jrookus]

@Louiebruh1 didn’t ask

[@connorgolden4]

This is a question I never thought of but I’m glad is answered.

[@matthewtymczyszyn8948]

Sometimes History Matters will adopt a running theme e.g. “How did X get the nuclear bomb?” So one hell of a start to the new year.

[@omegaRST]

*chuckles* first time?

[@alexanderzaman2216]

Great video and loved the comedy once again!

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Guinea, Papua New Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Equatorial Guinea: all named Guinea History Matters: *This is getting out of hand, now there are four of them* I thought Guinea was James Bissonette's wife, and he named all of these countries in honor of her.

[@L_back]

Now THAT’S a theory! Except... where is that Guinea?

[@Nietabs]

ok

[@nobodybroda3826]

He's Guinea, he's guinea, He's Guinea! I'M GUINEA. Are there any more Guinea I should know about?!

[@journey-gm6sv]

Very american of you ahaha, where's your cuban education ?

[@ananttiwari1337]

how did i find you again

[@kombinat0r]

“Another term for this area…” that was a slick line

[@djordjestojadinovic3020]

Almost no one got that lol

[@saahiliyer11]

What was the term?

[@migukmoonpark4312]

@@saahiliyer11 I think it was "Niger," with a single "g"

[@saahiliyer11]

@@migukmoonpark4312 I googled it. It’s worse.

[@michielgoemans6018]

@@saahiliyer11 what is it?

[@LiamDennehy]

These topics feel so random, but always so well produced. Nice!

[@cfctvaus]

very informative.

[@spitflamez]

Thanks for the dose of history!!!

[@aldotorres1983]

Next on Biology Matters: "Why are guinea pigs called that, even though they're not pigs nor are they from a country with the name guinea?"

[@mionellessi3086]

In my language, they are pretty much called sea pigs. They cant even swim.

[@I_worship_AxxL]

@@mionellessi3086 I can confirm this, I throw them into water for my entertainment.

[@Kenshi876]

@@I_worship_AxxL Do you also name them Spice?

[@gk2370]

and it's not even their own idea, it's humans who named them

[@drnolegs797]

@@gk2370 ...Wanna give me an animal that named itself?

[@jlr108]

This is something I've wondered about for many years while not wondering quite enough to be bothered to research the answer. So, thank you, History Matters, for answering it

[@Xeem_Pad]

I'm still wondering about Zealand. It's in Denmark, Netherlands and New Zealand

[@spikespoke5446]

That’s what this channel is solely for I believe

[@JH-tc9lt]

@@Xeem_Pad That's not too difficult.... Zeeland is an area in the Netherlands. It means "Sea Land" in Dutch. Zealand/Sealand is an area in Denmark, in Danish it's spelled "Sjælland " and means, you guessed it, "Sea Land." New Zealand is a country in the pacific ocean, it was discovered and mapped by a Dutch explorer called Abel Tasman. He named it Nieuw-Zeeland, which is Dutch for "New Sea Land." Denmark and the Netherlands calling two different areas roughly the same thing is just coincidence, since the languages are related.

[@Redddragon]

@@JH-tc9lt AHA! So that's why it's part of the Sea in 90% of maps!

[@scintillam_dei]

Do you wonder why most people say the British Empire was the biggest, COUNTING ONLY LAND AND NOT MOST OF EARTH TO DETERMINE WHO RULED MOST OF EARTH WHICH IS RATHER RETARDED!? Stay tuned for my video "Why the British Empire wasn't the biggest."

[@christ_inspire_daily]

I like how this video is direct, straight to the point and explanatory. No beating around the bush or some other BS

[@newtonowaga6433]

This is nice! I've enjoyed it greatly...

[@martonk]

It's the small things that make these videos so great. "Another term for this area" XD

[@TheUltimateBadass]

I didn't get that part, what was it called? Guessing something to do with the Niger river, but... probably worse

[@RandomHistoric]

Lmao youtube automatically removed my comment explaining why that area was called Niger due to racism 😂

[@martonk]

@@RandomHistoric WTF did it really

[@RandomHistoric]

@@martonk I got a notification saying that I was using language that goes against youtube's policies and I don't see the comment anymore so yeah, apparently now an entire historical region is banned because Americans get offended by that word.

[@ilovemuslimfood666]

I’m guessing it has something to do with the Latin word for “black”.

[@cebonvieuxjack]

2:20 that shot is just priceless. I can't stress enough how this channel has some of the best humour on youtube. it's amazing.

[@georgeamesfort3408]

Truly glorious

[@anderji]

Im not getting the reference and it's bugging me quite a lot... please explain U.U

[@psychokinrazalon]

@@anderji It’s a meme template.

[@danielhavrilla4380]

@@anderji It's from The Office

[@WilliamAndrea]

@@anderji It's a meme from The Office. "They're the same picture."

[@knowledgeciaran]

I learned the countries recently and loved the Guinea's, I do the countries continent by continent and now I understand about the name Guinea.

[@kf9346]

So good! My favourite so far.

[@matthewdavid6134]

The “they’re the same people is hilarious” also happy new year I can’t wait for a bunch more!!

[@B3RyL]

The Spaniard squinting hard at the two "Guineans" had me in stitches but the "they're the same people!" immediately after that almost killed me :D I love this channel so much!

[@TomorrowWeLive]

Well, it's not an unreasonable conclusion. If you put your average subsaharan African and Papuan next to each other, I'd like to see if you could identify which was which.

[@matthewdavid6134]

@@TomorrowWeLive I mean by looks maybe, but by culture, language, history, and geography nope. Though I can see why a bunch of pre modern europeans were too ignorant to know the difference. Also take your gross facist symbol out of here, you're sneaky by using the British facist symbol, my grandfather bled in the war against the facist and I'm not gonna stand idle while you prance around pretending to be one

[@Mechabang]

I think the more important question is why haven't they made the Guinea Pig their national animal?

[@miguelpadeiro762]

It comes from South America and many languages call it the "Indian Piglet"

[@arcticlaw9198]

Because guinea-pigs are from South America which raises even more questions

[@Theorimlig]

I've heard they're named that because you could buy them for a guinea (an olde timey currency) and they have large litters of quick-maturing young, like pigs! But the guinea part is apparently a misconception, they were probably named that because they were brought to Europe via Africa, or because people made the Guinea/Guyana mistake. It may also be that people used the word "Guinea" about any faraway or exotic place.

[@nigeh5326]

A favourite food in some areas of S America,

[@coyotelong4349]

Are Guinea pigs even from Guinea? It’s bad enough that they’re already not even pigs

[@nanaansahbadwenba6288]

Informative

[@900one]

thank for that explanation

[@Robert399]

This is the only channel where the patron names are funny enough not to skip.

[@davidvidmar3736]

Love the Slovenia:Slovakia mention at 0:11

[@glenngilbert7389]

That's a question I've always wondered about - thanks

[@dakidd7770]

Guinée-bissau 🇬🇼 minha terra ❤️

[@fernandodcbk938]

Massa

[@junaid2606]

I like your sense of humour. It makes me want to keep coming back for more videos. Also, the love of history. Please keep making more such videos.

[@gaetano_kojj]

0:38 I wondered why you said "another term" instead of just telling us what the term was. Then I googled it. Yeah, now I know why you didn't say it.

[@AwesomeIan135]

What was it?

[@nmpls]

@@AwesomeIan135 "KZbin, please demonetize this video" Land

[@RootoFrance]

@@AwesomeIan135 I haven't Googled it, but I assume the name is associated etymologically with nearby countries such as Niger and Nigeria.

[@nineix9438]

@@RootoFrance bingo

[@gfhit7520]

lol, I noticed it too and I suspected it was some forbidden word (and indeed). Fun fact: the Arab and the Persians called the same area Sudan and Zangistan respectively, which has exactly the same etymology of that European word

[@nekwaZ]

Thank you for this

[@tclanjtopsom4846]

A fast learning experience, well done

[@readingking1421]

"They're the same people" wow, Your channel is a treasure!

[@AndrywMarques]

Great video. I already saw some explanations in other videos but you showed the most clearly and concise explanation of all

[@mrrealistyes1819]

Thanks alot

[@thealvaco]

Makes sense. Thanks!

[@ryanmcsharry9405]

1:09 It's not like France was always super original in naming things *looks at the 17 kings named Louis*.

[@GamerTA13]

Your pfp makes it a 100 times better.

[@speedypichu6833]

0:38 Good thing to avoid that

[@amjadsaleem1270]

Always wanted to know that thanks

[@lindelwampilwenhledlamini6348]

You're my new favorite channel. I accept.

[@jamesbissonette8002]

New year and a great new video!

[@augustobarbosab.773]

The legend James Bissonette. Never thought I would see you in the comments section lol

[@jamesbissonette8002]

@@augustobarbosab.773 I drop by with a word of praise once in a while…or to see the absurd comments about me lol

[@MasterBomer]

how are you so rich

[@jamesbissonette8002]

@@MasterBomer doing what I can to maintain my $33/month pledge to this channel

[@deiansalazar140]

@@jamesbissonette8002 Do the comments about you get boring?

[@do-ol2540]

Happy new year!! I can’t wait to see what’s going to be covered this year!

[@Rocky-rh3rz]

A no frills explanation. Thanks 👍🏼

[@m.w.kaplan447]

excellent thank you

[@mplo23]

I like how the map is zoomed out, showing how small the territories that the Europeans were fighting over were.

[@RockSolitude]

That's because they weren't fighting over territories, and as is the case of the many small colonial holdings the Europeans had, the land or territory itself wasn't the point. It was about the ports and trade. The land or "territory" mattered if there was valuable resources there which they wanted to get their hands on, which usually were the larger colonial holdings (Papua New Guinea isn't small btw). Coming into more recent history (last 100-200 years) it started becoming more about resources and military, and sometimes sheer pettiness. History.

[@karlik4861]

i thought he zoomed out, so its easier to tell where we are

[@WildBluntHickok]

Worth mentioning that most maps are distorted, making areas far away from the equator look artificially big (Europeans compensating for something). Those "small areas" are bigger than you think because the entire continent is much bigger than maps make you think it is. Mind you if you've been looking at a GLOBE instead of a map it probably was accurate. It's how they deal with the conversion from a curved earth to a flat map that lets them distort the data.

[@WildBluntHickok]

@Read SIEGE Huh that's a good point. Btw I'm in Canada so I'm also in an area that looks bigger on a map than it really is. It's just the idea to do that to maps pre-dates Canada's existence so my country doesn't "share the blame" for the idea.

[@rdaysky]

Not _that_ small, close to the areas of the following European countries: Papua New Guinea ≈ Sweden Guinea ≈ UK Guinea-Bissau ≈ Netherlands Equatorial Guinea ≈ Belgium

[@duchevet]

"Another term for *these* lands" Smooth way to avoid unpleasant words!

[@anonb315]

Yeah it's crazy that they are afraid of saying it in this historical and educational video. I'm tempted to say it.... Voldemort

[@portfolio8848]

I genuinely don't know what it was called.

[@anonb315]

@@portfolio8848 Hint: There are countries like Nigeria or Niger named after the Niger River in the region.

[@TheTEN24]

This is incredible

[@rojaachar]

Finally a video answering my question I had in mind when I heard a lot of Guineas.

[@WayOutGaming]

I've actually wondered about this before. Glad to see History Matters exploring these weird historical notes.

[@awc6007]

“What was Vietnam like after the Vietnam War?” For a future video???

[@naturalnaiad]

Cool video.

[@JoaoPauloSoares61]

Nice video, straight to the point without being shallow. Congratulations!

[@mikecronis]

Luckily we have James Bissonnette, Kelley Money-maker, and Mr. Worf to thank here, but never forget the venerable Aaron the White.

[@tongsengpedas]

after saying their names a lot of time you would think History Matters would have made a video about them by now. but fun fact: no.

[@jamesbissonette8002]

@@tongsengpedas it might not be that interesting I feel…

[@macsenplays]

Don't forget Boogily Woogily.

[@boanil7948]

All your videos are amazing, but going by quantity and quality of jokes you mixed in, this one is definitely in the top league. Well done, sir. Thank you for making learning such fun! And concrats on 1 million subscribers. Well deserved.

[@scintillam_dei]

"Involuntary Fart" would be a hilarious youtube username.

[@soccerworldonwords2713]

Je valide. I am from Guinée (Guinea). Fun.. Lol

[@eric-wb7gj]

TY 🙏🙏

[@theer3bel]

Short, precise and to the point Missed a lot of this on KZbin lately

[@Soundwave119]

Happy New Years 🥳! Keep up the great work with the videos you post.

[@Mahbu]

Wait, wait, wait. "Another term for this area" is suspiciously vague.

[@quidam_surprise]

Demonetisation bot mostly likely.

[@confusedwhale]

It's comedy at it's finest.

[@NicoBabyman1]

The region nowadays called Sudan (not to be confused with the countries of Sudan and South Sudan), but back then it was called Nigritia or [N-word]land. (not the n-word that rhymes with Tigger but the older "more formal" n-word that ends with -gro)😔

[@whatsreal7506]

Love the humor...

[@Blanchy10]

Something I've wondered about but never investigated. Thank you.

[@franjopego1]

It's essentially just David Mitchell's captain character giving random names to places, but historically and all over the damn place.

[@SloveneAnon]

Well you're a brave young man, number 1, why don't you name it?

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

What made the British look at the Australian lands and say, “It reminds me of Wales…”?

[@djsebiyt]

it looks nothing like wales so it must be similar

[@Longshanks1690]

All the good names had been taken by then.

[@merlynjep]

Ask the guy with the hat.

[@davepratt9909]

A bunch of natives they couldn't understand?

[@gwishart]

@Luka Kelly James Cook actually named it "New Wales", because apparently the specific area of coast he sighted reminded him of similar cliffs in Wales. The "South" was added later, to make it clear that it was a southern colony. Similar to "South Sandwich Islands" and "South Georgia".

[@anonymouschicken20]

For so long I had this exact question, why so many Guineas! But wait a second, now I have another question, why so many Guyanas? Great videos by the way, answered many of my questions and raised questions I hadn't even thought of!

[@nirvanachile24]

Similar thing, actually. The whole region of the northeastern coast of South America was called Guyana. There were five Guyanas: Spanish, British, Dutch, French, and Portuguese (West to East). Today, Spanish Guyana is part of Venezuela, British Guyana is just Guyana, Dutch Guyana is Suriname, French Guiana is still the same thing, and Portuguese Guyana is part of Brazil.

[@alonsoACR]

@@nirvanachile24 To add to this, Portuguese Guiana is now called Amapá

[@charlesagoma4890]

Need more research on this topic,thanks for awesome video ❤️🙏

[@paramdrall]

This channel is doing an incredible job of Making History interesting for people who usually wouldn't care

[@AstroGoalHorns]

0:22 I see what you did there

[@GameOnMe]

Idk how accurate this is but it's informative

[@lenskihe]

I was actually wondering about this