TRIBUTE TO THE DISCOVERER
Colombia means something like “Land of Columbus”, in an obvious homage to the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), who, as everyone knows, discovered the American continent in 1492.
EQUAL DIVISION
Ecuador was baptized with the same name as the imaginary line that crosses its territory and cuts our planet in half. The word derives from the Latin aequus, or «equal», in reference to the division of the Earth into two equal parts, the northern and southern hemispheres.
INCA POLEMIC
The origin of the name Peru is controversial, with two conflicting interpretations. The first states that it is a derivation of the name Birú, an important Inca chief. For the second, the same word also means “land of wealth and hope”.
LIBERATOR HERO
The general and statesman Simon Bolívar (1783-1830) became one of the main South American heroes when he fought for the independence of several countries in the region, including Bolivia itself, named after its liberator.
THE END OF EARTH
Even before colonization, Chile was already called that by the Aymara Indians, who inhabited the north of the country. In their language, the word chilli means “where the land ends”, a reference to the geographical position of the territory: the extreme west of the continent.
LITTLE VENICE
Venezuela owes its name to Americo Vespucci (1454-1512), an Italian explorer naturalized Spanish. When visiting the region, he found indigenous people who built their houses on stilts over the waters of Lake Maracaibo, in the northwest of the country. This made him call the place “Little Venice”: Venezuela.
HEAVY SILVER
Argentina impressed its discoverers with the large amount of mineral wealth found in its soil, mainly silver. Hence its name, inspired by argentum: silver, in Latin.
INDIGENOUS GOODBYE
Suriname took its name from the Surinen Indians, original inhabitants of the region. A sad memory, since, when the first explorers arrived there, the tribe had practically disappeared, expelled and decimated by other indigenous groups that started to occupy the area.
READ TOO:
– What were the main wars between countries in South America?
– Who are the liberators of America?
– Why did the lands of Spain in America become several countries?
– Who were the Incas, Mayans and Aztecs?
LAND OF THE WATERS
Guyana and its neighbor French Guiana – located between the Orinoco, Amazon and Negro rivers, in addition to being bathed by the Atlantic Ocean – were known by the natives as guyana, a term that, in their language, means “land of many waters”. French Guiana obviously takes this adjective because it is a possession of France.
EMBRACED TREE
This one is a piece of cake, huh? A product of great commercial importance in the 16th century, the brazilwood tree gave our country its name, where the Portuguese colonizers found forests abundant with this wood. “Brazil” means something like “on fire”, a reference to the strong reddish color of the trunk, used to make dye.
THE RIVER IS KING
Uruguay ended up earning the same name that the Tupi and Guarani Indians had given to the great river that crosses their territory. In their language, the word means “river of snails”.
AQUATIC CHAMPIONS
When Paraguay was discovered by the Spaniards, the region was inhabited by Indians called payaguaes. Excellent swimmers and skilful navigators, they lived on the banks of the river that gave their name to the tribe. The term can be translated as “tail of the sea”, “ornate river” or “river that gives rise to the sea” – but it also identifies a type of parrot.