A fascinating new atlas, featuring cities that are renamed to reflect their etymological origins
Etymologists and wordsmiths will take particular interest in a new set of maps going on sale in time for Christmas.
The traditional names for the world's cities, countries, rivers and mountains have been altered on an atlas to reflect their origins and literal meaning.
The logic behind each place name is explained on the back of the maps. Cameroon comes from the Portuguese word camaroes, meaning shrimps or prawns – an allusion to the abundance of these crustaceans in the Sanaga River.
"The maps are not definitive works on the etymological roots of geographical names but more of a stimulus, and a very amusing one at that, to make us think about why places are called as they are,"
Copies of the Atlas of True Names can be ordered for £4.99 each from the website www.outstandingmd.co.uk/truenames/index.shtml
[via: http://www.telegraph.co.uk]
*As a side note I see that the Philippines is called "Islands Of The Horse Friends"
