In the region of Netherlands, in Europe. In fact, this Danish island, dating back to the 1300s, does not have the «old» in front, but is called Zealand. Along with the Netherlands, they were the two largest maritime provinces of the Low Countries.
From there, around 1640, the colonizers of Oceania. When explorers landed on the new continent, they named the two largest islands as “New Holland” It is “Nieuw Zeeland” (in Dutch), in honor of the homeland. The name of New Zealand continues to this day, but in 1824 “New Holland” was renamed as Australia.
REALLY NEW
The name of the municipality of Nova Timboteua (PA) is not for nothing. During the first decades of the 1900s, the Pará citadel of Timboteua died out due to the railroad that was built nearby. Years later, a new settlement took shape in the same region and the inhabitants decided to remember the name of the ghost town.
DISTANT TRIBUTE
Other examples of “new” cities and the origin of their name.
COLONIZATION
The names of many places on the American continent are references to Old World cities, from where their colonists came.
City – Came from…
New York (USA) – Yorkshire (England)
New Orleans (USA) – Orléans (France)
Nova Friburgo (RJ, Brazil) – Freiburg (Switzerland)
Novo Hamburgo (RS, Brazil) – Hamburg (Germany)
RESEMBLANCE
Some Brazilian municipalities founded by migratory movements were named because they resembled other cities.
City – Came from…
Nova Maringá (MT) – Maringá (PR)
New Progress (PA) – Progress (RS)
New Horizon (SP) – Belo Horizonte (MG)
Curiosity: The Brazilian city of New York (MA) is a Portuguese version of the gringa.
SOURCES: Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Superior Electoral Court (TSE) and websites of municipal governments.
Read too:
– Why is New York called the Big Apple?
– 7 bizarre facts about Australia