List of countries with directional names
This is a list of countries with directional names, which often, but not necessarily, implies a divided region. Such a name can also sometimes imply an irredentist claim.
Adjectives may qualify the country's location by cardinal directions (North, South, East, West), centrality ("Central"/"Inner"/"Proper" vs. "Outer"/"Greater"), elevation ("Upper"/"Superior" vs. "Lower"/"Nether"/"Inferior"), or position relative to a geographical point of reference ("Trans"/"Ulterior"/"Farther" vs. "Cis"/"Citerior"/"Hither")
Included in this list are independent states, recognized and unrecognized, but not sub-national entities or non-independent territories.
Current
Official
Implying a divided region:
- East Timor - (western part of Timor belongs to Indonesia)
- South Sudan - (gained independence from Sudan)
Implying a particular position within a larger region:
- Central African Republic
- South Africa
- (Oriental Republic of) Uruguay (its official long name implies the region east of the Uruguay River)
Colloquial
Common:
Rare:
- North Macedonia for Republic of Macedonia
- North Sudan for Sudan
- Southern Cyprus for government-controlled Cyprus
- Southern Ireland for Republic of Ireland
Etymological
- Australia (From Australis, in Latin, "South")
- Austria (From Öster, in Old High German, "East")
- China (Zhōngguó, in Mandarin, "Central State")
- Estonia (possibly)
- Japan (Nippon, in Japanese, "Origin of the Sun")
- Morocco (Al-Maghrib, in Arabic, "The West")
- Norway (Norðrveg(r), in Old English "Northern Way")
- Tonga (In Tongan, "South")
- Vietnam (In Vietnamese "Southern Việt")
- Yemen (Semitic root YMN meaning "South" and "Right")
Largely unrecognized states
- Nagorno-Karabakh[clarification needed]
- South Ossetia
- Transnistria[clarification needed]
- Northern Cyprus (official state name: Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus)
- Western Sahara
20th century
Former
Implying a divided region:
- East Pakistan - (eastern part of Bengal belong to Pakistan, proposed post 1970 Bangalistan)
Official
- Western Samoa (today Samoa)
- Republic of Upper Volta
- Emirate of Transjordan
- Yugoslavia
Colloquial
- East Germany
- West Germany
- North Vietnam
- South Vietnam
- Outer Mongolia (primarily for the state of Mongolia (1911–21) to distinguish it from Inner Mongolia)
- North Yemen
- South Yemen
Largely unrecognized states
- Centrocaspian Dictatorship
- Republic of Central Albania
- Republic of Central Lithuania
- Far Eastern Republic
- North Ingria
- Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus
- Provisional National Government of the Southwestern Caucasus
- Government of South Russia
- Russia Eastern Outskirts
- Transcaspian Government
- Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic
- North Caucasian Soviet Republic
- Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
- Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic
- Republic of South Maluku
- First East Turkestan Republic
- Second East Turkestan Republic
- Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia (1995–98)
- Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus
- Provisional Government of Western Thrace
- Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia
- Republic of the North Solomons
- North Caucasian Emirate
- East Hebei Autonomous Council
- West Ukrainian People's Republic
See also
This article "List of countries with directional names" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
