Things I Find Fascinating: Alternative Names For 15 Countries Of The World

I don't know how interesting you will find this post to be. I think it's rather fascinating, but I could see how not everyone would think so. Anyway, here it is...

Many of the world's countries have alternative names. In other words, the names that we (in the Western Hemisphere, in particular) use to identify these countries are not actually the same country names used by the people who live there. Many of the official or traditional country names used by residents and native citizens sound or look similar to the names we are familiar with, but some are completely different. It's those completely different ones that I'd like to focus on here.

1) ALBANIA is more commonly known as Shqipëria.

2)  ARMENIA is known by its citizens as Hayastan.

3)  People from CROATIA would argue that they are actually from Hrvatska.

4)  EGYPT commonly refers to itself as the nation of Meṣr.

5)  GERMANY is better known by its native people as Deutschland.

6)  If you're actually from GREECE, you will probably tell people you are from Hellas.

7)  Many people from INDIA will tell you that their country is actually called Bhārat.

8)  You know all those "MADE IN JAPAN" labels you see on products? Well, they should actually read "Made in Nippon."

9)  People from LITHUANIA know the truth: they are proud to say that they are from Lietuva.

10)  The tiny country of MONTENEGRO is more commonly referred to by its inhabitants as Crna Gora.

11)  NORWAY says "No way! We are called Norge!"

12)  Folks from SWEDEN really wish you would call their country by its proper name: Sverige.

13)  The nation of POLAND is better know by the local yokels as Polska.

14)  If you took much Spanish in school, you may already know this one. But SPAIN is actually known to Spaniards as España.

15)  If you hail from SWITZERLAND and speak German, you would likely tell folks, "Ich bin aus der Schweiz." If you happen to be a French-speaking Swiss citizen, you'd probably say something like, "Je suis de la Suisse." If you're an Italian-speaking Swiss, you'd proudly declare, "Io sono dalla Svizzera." It must be really confusing to live in Switzerland...