# Country - Nickname, Colloquial Name



## Messquito

In Taiwan, the politically correct version of China is 中國; however, you might also hear people calling it 大陸 or 內地.
大陸 means "continent", it pulls out a contrast that Taiwan is an island, and China is big on the continent. Some people might consider it politically incorrect because there is no "國(nation)" in this name.
內地 means "inland", which is, compared to 大陸, far less acceptable because when we call it "inland," it suggests that Taiwan is a part of China.
As a result, 中國 is what appears in Taiwan's textbooks when referring to China; 大陸 would be avoided, let alone 內地, unless it's a quote.

My question is, do you have special names for some other countries or maybe your own (like Uncle Same for the USA)?


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## apmoy70

For Greece we use *«Η Ψωροκώσταινα»* [i p͡soɾoˈkostena] (fem.) --> _the poor-kostena_ (i.e. the poor wife of Kostas), a 19th c. derogatory name of the country.
It was probably taken after a certain *«ψωροκώσταινα»*, a woman who lived in the first capital of the newly-established Modern Greek state in 1830's, Nafplion, who used to be rich, but in her late years lived as a beggar in the streets of the city; with the present Greek financial crisis, this name has been revived (unfortunately).
The name is a compound; MoGr combinatory form *«ψωρο-»* [p͡soɾo-] of the Classical fem. noun *«ψώρᾱ» p͡sṓrā* --> _scabies, acariasis_ < with _ω_-vocalism from the Classical inf. v. *«ψῆν» psên* (found only in infinitive form) --> _to rub, scratch_ (with obscure etymology) + the masculine first name *«Κώστας»* [ˈkostas] (familiar form of *«Κωνσταντίνος»* [konstanˈdinos] = Constantine) + ByzGr and MoGr productive feminine suffix *«-αινα»* [-ena] used to form the feminine form of masculine nouns, or andronyms..
Note that in colloquial MoGr the first part in compounds *«ψωρο-»* describes a dirt poor, flat broken person and not someone who is infected by scabies, a contagious infestation of the skin caused by a mite.


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## ilocas2

some Czech nicknames for Slovakia, mostly pejorative

*Slovač* - from _Slovensko_ (normal word for Slovakia)
*Horní Uhry* - Upper Hungary
*Felvidék* - Hungarian word that means Upland
*Čobolsko, Čobolákov, Čobolistán, Čobolie* - from _čobol, čobolák_ (pejorative name for a Slovak)


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## franknagy

Some colloquial shortened names in Hungarian:
Csehszlovákia -> Cseszkó.
Görögország -> Görög = Greece.
Németország -> Német = Germany.


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## NickJunior

Hmmm. Well officially, Cambodia is the Anglicized name for Cambodia the country.  However, the official name in the native Khmer language the country is called Kampuchea.  The people or the inhabitants only refer to the country as "Srok Khmer" or the territory of the Khmer or Khmer-speaking people.


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## Sabretooth

Sometimes we in the United States amiably refer to Canada as "America's Hat."


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## ilocas2

In Czech Canada is *země javorového listu* - land of maple leaf

edit: I found also some occurences of *země javorového sirupu* - land of maple syrup


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## 810senior

大陸(pronounced tairiku) also makes sense in Japanese, which indicates the China and even a specific part of the continent where the China belongs.


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## kloie

How about for America the land of the free?


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## ilocas2

United States - *světový četník* - world gendarme


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## suma

Egyptians euphemistically and proudly refer to their country as "Mother of the World" in Arabic it's *Umm adDunyaa*
a refrerence to Egypt's ancient past.

New York City is well known as "the Big Apple" less favourably as the Rotten Apple.


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## 810senior

kloie said:


> How about for America the land of the free?


Sometimes we call it 米帝_beitei _meaning *America, the Emperor*. (it's not a well-known word even as slang)


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## ilocas2

Too many posts from my side in this thread, but I just want to say that a nickname for Egypt is *dar Nilu* - gift of Nile


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## suma

ilocas2 said:


> Too many posts from my side in this thread, but I just want to say that a nickname for Egypt is *dar Nilu* - gift of Nile


 interesting, is _*dar*_ a Czech word meaning gift?
in Arabic it dar means house so House of the Nile.
But that expression is also common in Egypt, _*hibatu-Neel*_=Gift of the Nile


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## AmaryllisBunny

Although not a country, Florida is known is America's penis (similar to how Canada is America's hat). The U.S. is also called MURICA.


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## SuperXW

810senior said:


> Sometimes we call it 米帝_beitei _meaning *America, the Emperor*. (it's not a well-known word even as slang)



What? Even Japanese use that?
美帝 is the used in China (the Mainland). It is short for 美帝国主义: America, the imperialism. (帝 is not for 皇帝 but for 帝国主义.)
It was a term used in the cold-war era. Before China opened-up in 1980’s, USA was considered an enemy of the country.
Although America has never been imperialist, the name is used because Mao’s government blamed it for acting like an empire seeking for expansion.
Today, the term was used only for humors, often to show jealous.
E.g. “Every family in ‘America, the imperialism’ has a car. How can we match it!”


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## SuperXW

Messquito said:


> In Taiwan, the politically correct version of China is 中國; however, you might also hear people calling it 大陸 or 內地.
> 大陸 means "continent", it pulls out a contrast that Taiwan is an island, and China is big on the continent. Some people might consider it politically incorrect because there is no "國(nation)" in this name.
> 內地 means "inland", which is, compared to 大陸, far less acceptable because when we call it "inland," it suggests that Taiwan is a part of China.
> As a result, 中國 is what appears in Taiwan's textbooks when referring to China; 大陸 would be avoided, let alone 內地, unless it's a quote.


大陆 and 内地 are political sensitive terms. I wouldn’t say they are simply colloquial nick names. I believe you know the complexity. (Actually, I think most informal names for countries would be sensitive, disgracing or politically incorrect.)
A funny fact I’ve just learnt is that, even some people living in Shenzhen (the city connects to Hong Kong) would now refer other regions in China as 内地(inland). How’s that!


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## 810senior

@SuperXW, I should have amended that before having posted it. You're right. It should be _imperialism _not _emperor_ in Japanese as well, since it is an abbreviation for アメリカ帝国主義(trans. American-imperialism).
As far as I know, this term is rarely used in reality, including nothing but online, and also used as one of black jokes like in Chinese.


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## apmoy70

ilocas2 said:


> Too many posts from my side in this thread, but I just want to say that a nickname for Egypt is *dar Nilu* - gift of Nile


+


suma said:


> interesting, is _*dar*_ a Czech word meaning gift?
> in Arabic it dar means house so House of the Nile.
> But that expression is also common in Egypt, _*hibatu-Neel*_=Gift of the Nile


Hecataeus of Miletus in his periplus "Travels around the Earth" (6th c. BCE) was the first who called Egypt "the gift of the Nile", and Herodotus made it popular:
*«Αἴγυπτος δῶρόν ἐστι του Νείλου»* --> _Egypt is the gift of the Nile_ (Hecataeus)
*«Αἴγυπτος ἐς τὴν ῞Ελληνες ναυτίλλονται ἐστὶ Αἰγυπτίοισι ἐπίκτητός τε γῆ καὶ δῶρον τοῦ ποταμοῦ»* --> _Egypt, the country which the Greeks reach boarded on ships, is a land acquired by the Egyptians and a gift of the river_ (Herodotus).


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## Encolpius

it's called antonomasia

Japán - a felkelő nap országa [the country of the rising sun]
Finnország - az ezer tó országa [the country of the thousand lakes]


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## ger4

German: die grüne Insel ('the green island' = 'the emerald island', Ireland), das Land der Fjorde ('the land of the fiords' = Norway), der Stiefel ('the boot' = Italy), das Land der tausend Seen ('the land of the thousand lakes' = Finland).

Edit: the United States is sometimes called _das Land der unbegrenzten Möglichkeiten _('the land of unlimited opportunity / opportunities'). _Weltpolizist_ ('world policeman') also exists in German.


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## M Mira

Actually, the ones for China and Japan are merely translations of their endonym, not elaborate artistic expressions.
中(國/国) zhōngguó is literally "central realm" in Chinese, while 日本 nihon/nippon is sinicized version of 日の本 hi-no-moto, "sun's base/origin", or more stylishly "whence sun rises".


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## franknagy

M Mira said:


> Actually, the ones for China and Japan are merely translations of their endonym, not elaborate artistic expressions.
> 中(國/国) zhōngguó is literally "central realm" in Chinese, while 日本 nihon/nippon is sinicized version of 日の本 hi-no-moto, "sun's base/origin", or more stylishly "whence sun rises".


China in Hungarian = Mennyei Birodalom = Heavly Empire.
Italy (land or penninsula) = az olasz csizma = The Italian boots.
The relative places of some Italian town are determined like at the heel, at the cap of the boots".
France = The Hexagon.


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## KalAlbè

Australia = The land down under


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## franknagy

KalAlbè said:


> Australia = The land down under


If I know well, the globes where the South Pole is on the top are used in Australia.
Similarly, the central meridian of the maps published in the USA is 90° Western longitude.


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## Lugubert

Two entries above quote Finland as "the country of 10.000 lakes". So do we in Sweden: "De tiotusen sjöarnas land", despite Sweden's officially having some 100.000 lakes.


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## franknagy

Lugubert said:


> Two entries above quote Finland as "the country of 10.000 lakes". So do we in Sweden: "De tiotusen sjöarnas land", despite Sweden's officially having some 100.000 lakes.


How do you count the lakes in Sweden and Finland? I mean two or more lakes connected with straits, and temporary lakes dried in certain seasons or united in case of high water level?


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## mataripis

I have new name for U.S.A.! It is Tibay Amerika.( United or strong America).Taiwan is Atwalay( and it is separated).


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## ilocas2

Tibet has nickname *střecha světa* - roof of the world


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## Karton Realista

ilocas2 said:


> I just want to say that a nickname for Egypt is *dar Nilu* - gift of Nile


Exactly the same as in Polish. 

In Poland we sometimes call China (regular word Chiny) Państwo Środka - the country of the center, which is a joke of and a calque from the Chinese name.


ilocas2 said:


> *Čobolsko, Čobolákov, Čobolistán, Čobolie* - from _čobol, čobolák_ (pejorative name for a Slovak)


That's really interesting, since Poles who want to insult their own countrymen just call them cebulaki . 

Sometimes Poland is called Klechistan, the name comes from Turkish name for Poland (Lechistan, I don't know how it is spelled in Turkish) and the word klecha, which is a pejorative for priest. It's implied that Poland is way too religious and especially way too Catholic. 

We call Japan *Kraj kwitnącej Kwitnącej Wiśni - *the country of blossoming cherry. 

Sometimes somebody talks about Italy as *but* (shoe, boot) or *kozak* (look at the picture 






) 


Holger2014 said:


> das Land der tausend Seen ('the land of the thousand lakes' = Finland).


*Kraina tysiąca jezior *(almost the same literal meaning) is a name for something different to Poles, it's describing Warmia and Mazury, regions of Poland:


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## Rani_Author

In Indonesian:

- Malaysia: Negeri Jiran: Neighbouring Country. (Even though, Indonesia's neighbouring country isn't just Malaysia)
- Singapore: Macan Asia: Asian Lion. (To respect the development of the economy of Singapore)
- Thailand: Negeri Gajah Putih: Country of White Elephant. (Because, Thailand is the only one of state in South Eastern Asia that was never colonized by other countries). => Recently, some indonesians love to call Thailand with "Surga Asia: the Asian Paradise" to express how beautiful the freedom in Thailand is!
- Japan: Negeri Matahari Terbit: Country of the Rising Sun. (Or "Negeri Sakura: Sakura Flower Country". Recently, the teenagers love to call Japan with "Negeri JPop: Country of Japanese Pop". Because, they are so addicted to JPop)
- South Korea: Negeri KPop: Country of Korean Pop. (This term is also used recently by teenagers and housewifes. Because they are also so addicted to KPop)
- North Korea: Negeri Nuklir: Country of Nuclear.
- China: Negeri Tirai Bambu: Bamboo Curtain Country. (Because, China was so closed in foreign policy. But, indonesians still use this term until now)
- East Timor: Negeri Bekas Propinsi ke-27: Country of ex-27th Province.
- Australia: Negeri Kangguru: Country of Kangaroo.
- India: Negeri Sungai Gangga: Country of Ganges River. (Or "Negeri Para Dewa: Country of Gods")
- Egypt: Negeri Sungai Nil: Country of Nile River.
- France: Negeri Mode: Country of Fashion. (In the lyrics of songs, poems, or other literature works, it's also called "Negeri Parfum: Country of Perfume")
- Germany: Negeri Tembok Berlin: Country of Berlin Wall. (Although, this wall doesn't exist anymore. Sometimes Indonesians also call Germany with "Negeri Bekas Nazi: Country of ex-Nazi")
- Russia: Negeri Bekas Komunis: Country of ex-Communist. (Although, the Communist was USSR. But, it's indonesian term)

- Of course, indonesians also call "Uncle Sam's Country" for USA. "Negeri Paman Sam".

- Italy is too special one in Indonesians' eyes. That's why Indonesians make a lot of terms for Italy:
* Negeri Azzuri: Country of Azure Colour.
* Negeri Pizza: Country of Pizza.
* Negeri Spageti: Country of Spaghetti.
* Negeri Opera: Country of Opera.
* Negeri Gondola: Country of Gondola.
* Negeri Sepakbola: Country of Football. (Although, the good football teams and players aren't just in Italy and from Italy)
* Negeri Menara Pisa: Country of Pisa Tower.
* Negeri Sepatu: Country of Shoes. (It's usually used in the lyrics of songs, poems, or other literature works)

- Nederlands: Negeri Tuan Meneer: Mr. Meneer's country. (That call appeared because too much time Nederlands had colonized Indonesia. That "Mr. Meneer" is just like "My Great Lord", but in the pejorative connotation. Just like, "Yeah, we are Indonesians, just your slaves") 

Although, some of them are simple popular names, but indonesians love to call any countries above with the nicknames. More popular than the original names of those countries. Too much popular, until the majority of them also appeared in any geography and history books for schools.

Example: if any Indonesian says, "I want to go to Mr. Meneer's country." That means, s/he wants to go to Nederlands.


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## ilocas2

Karton Realista said:


> That's really interesting, since Poles who want to insult their own countrymen just call them cebulaki .



It comes from Slovak čo bolo (čo - what, bolo - was), so in Czech it would be cobyláci (co - what, bylo - was) and in Polish cobyłaki/cobyłacy (co - what, było - was).


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## Rani_Author

Karton Realista said:


> Sometimes somebody talks about Italy as *but* (shoe, boot) or *kozak* (look at the picture
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> )



Indonesians have another reason to call Italy with "Negeri Sepatu: Country of Shoes". We all here believe that Italian shoes are so gorgeous.  They are the same gorgeous as French perfumes.

There's any beautiful popular indonesian song for it:
Parfummu dari Paris, sepatumu dari Itali, semua serba luar negeri (Your perfume from Paris, shoes from Italy, all of them are from abroad)
Manalah bisa mengikuti caramu yang serba hura-hura (How could I follow your life sytle that is so glamourous?)


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## Karton Realista

ilocas2 said:


> It comes from Slovak čo bolo (čo - what, bolo - was), so in Czech it would be cobyláci (co - what, bylo - was) and in Polish cobyłaki/cobyłacy (co - what, było - was).


Oh, then it's two completely different words. 
Polish one comes from cebula - onion.


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## ilocas2

Uganda - *perla Afriky* (pearl of Africa)

Cuba - *perla Antil* (pearl of Antilles)


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## Messquito

I just thought of another word for China in Taiwan.
It's 對岸(the opposite shore (across the strait)), which sounds neutral to me, because it's only referring to the relative geographical locations of Taiwan and China. On the other hand, if we are referring to both countries, we say （海峽）兩岸(two shores(of the strait)).
_I am wondering if people in England would call France or Europe in a similar way?_


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## Awwal12

I can hardly think of anything but poetic terms ("the country of the rising sun", "the misty Albion" and similar things) in Russian. Some terms regarding neighbouring countries are clearly pejorative and, after all, pretty occasional (like bul'bostan for Belarus, from Bel. bul'ba "potato" and -stan). As it comes to Belarus, both the older name Belorussiya and the newer Belarus' remain official, so it's pretty much off-topic as well. The same refers to the older terms for Turmenistan (Туркмения, Turkmeniya) and especially Kyrgyzstan (Киргизия, Kirgiziya). 

For Russia, the old name Русь (Rus', [rusʲ]) may be used, usually in a high/poetic context. The old broken dialectal Расея (Raseya, [rɐ'sʲejə]; - cf. standard Rossiya, [rɐ'sʲijə]), on the other hand, is usually pejorative.


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## DaylightDelight

In Japanese, 列島 /rettō/ (archipelago) can mean Japan itself in the right context.
Japan is nothing more than a series of islands in the larger picture, you know.


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## Dib

Bengali-speakers from West Bengal (India) often refer to Bangladesh as "opar-baŋla", i.e. "that/other side of Bengal" where the Bengal part can be dropped when the context is clear. The reverse usage exists among people from Bangladesh as well.


There are, however, also other less friendly terms.


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## SuperXW

Messquito said:


> In Taiwan, the politically correct version of China is 中國; however, you might also hear people calling it 大陸 or 內地.
> 大陸 means "continent", it pulls out a contrast that Taiwan is an island, and China is big on the continent. Some people might consider it politically incorrect because there is no "國(nation)" in this name.
> 內地 means "inland", which is, compared to 大陸, far less acceptable because when we call it "inland," it suggests that Taiwan is a part of China.
> As a result, 中國 is what appears in Taiwan's textbooks when referring to China; 大陸 would be avoided, let alone 內地, unless it's a quote.
> My question is, do you have special names for some other countries or maybe your own (like Uncle Same for the USA)?





Messquito said:


> I just thought of another word for China in Taiwan.
> It's 對岸(the opposite shore (across the strait)), which sounds neutral to me, because it's only referring to the relative geographical locations of Taiwan and China. On the other hand, if we are referring to both countries, we say （海峽）兩岸(two shores(of the strait)).
> _I am wondering if people in England would call France or Europe in a similar way?_


As I've said in post#17, I still think your examples should be called "synonyms/alternatives" instead of "nicknames". They exist mainly because of the current political issues, unlike "Uncle Sam" or “Formosa”. The title and questions of this thread is misleading.

Your examples (大陸 "the continent", 內地 "inner land", 對岸 "the opposite shore" etc.) are merely shortened geographical locations of Mainland China to Taiwan. Referring it 中國 "China" will irradiate P.R.C people and confuse some foreigners, so it is not "politically correct" in global stage. To avoid conflicts, words like 大陸 "the continent", 內地"inner land", 對岸"the opposite shore" got spread.
They were promoted by Taiwan government deliberately. According to this Wikipedia page:
……稱呼上，盡可能消去提及台灣，而以中華民國代替。加入兩岸分治的內容，強調中華民國主權及於包含中國大陸的中國全境，否認兩岸為分立國家，強調一個中國立場。避免提及中華人民共和國之國號，也避免稱呼對岸為中國，改以中國大陸、大陸等名稱稱呼之。

So if anything to be associated with your examples, I doubt it would be like "how British and Northern Irish call each other's regions"...Well, maybe not. But definitely not "if people in England would call France or Europe in a similar way", not nicknames like "Uncle Sam".

We do have real nicknames for Taiwan, such as 寶島 (the precious island), or Formosa in English.


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## bibax

Recently coined sobriquets (European languages generally):

*Germanistan* , also known as *Merkelland*, *Muttiland
Frankistan
Britannistan
Londonistan*

Example (from a Hungarian news web site):

Török "polgárháború" Germanisztánban: erdoganisták zaklatják a gülenistákat.

_Turkish "civil war" in Germanistan: the Erdoğanists bother the Gülenists._


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## Chrzaszcz Saproksyliczny

I've begun to use _Polaczkowo_ for either Poland or any place with a large Polish diaspora. It sounds a bit like a name of a village derived from a derogatory term for Poles.

Also, in the area I'm from, people still use _Reich _or it's equivallent, _Rzesza_ for Germany! This works especially for areas which used to have a mixed German- and Polish-speaking population, but there's also an obvious historical reference (Poles used to go and serve as manual labour in Germany during the Nazi times, and it was called _Jechać do rajsiu_ / _jechać do Rzeszy_).

My friends use Hiszpa for Spain (short for _Hiszpania_), and decline it e.g. _Jedziemy do Hiszpy_, _Byłem w Hiszpie_.


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## franknagy

Chrzaszcz Saproksyliczny said:


> Hiszpa for Spain (


In low-level Hungarian the "-land" suffix is often deleted from the country names:
Olaszország -> Olasz (Olaszba megyünk)
Spanyolország -> Spanyol (Spanyolba megyünk) (we go to Spain).


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## Doraemon-

We have thousands in Spanish: gabachos or franchutes (French), gringos or yanquis (USA), gallegos (Spaniards in Argentina), ticos (Costa Rica), polacos (Catalans), chilangos (Mexicans from the capital), guiris (North Europeans in Spain), sudacas and panchitos (South Americans in Spain), monos (Equatorians in Peru), calorros (gipsies), llanitos (Gibraltar), godos (peninsular Spaniards in the Canary Islands), churros (spanish speakers in Valencia), charnegos (spanish speakers in Catalonia), moros (arabs and/or muslims) and more than you could ever report on a list.
That's only the despective names well-known by anyone. There are also accepted and respectful nicknames (lusos for the Portuguese, teutones for the Germans, galos for the French...), and the original nicknames that appear all the time.


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## Dymn

Doraemon- said:


> We have thousands in Spanish: gabachos or franchutes (French), gringos or yanquis (USA), gallegos (Spaniards in Argentina), ticos (Costa Rica), polacos (Catalans), chilangos (Mexicans from the capital), guiris (North Europeans in Spain), sudacas and panchitos (South Americans in Spain), monos (Equatorians in Peru), calorros (gipsies), llanitos (Gibraltar), godos (peninsular Spaniards in the Canary Islands), churros (spanish speakers in Valencia), charnegos (spanish speakers in Catalonia), moros (arabs and/or muslims) and more than you could ever report on a list.


Good compilation, but I think this would suit better in a thread I once opened


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## ularkusut

Rani_Author said:


> In Indonesian:
> 
> - Malaysia: Negeri Jiran: Neighbouring Country. (Even though, Indonesia's neighbouring country isn't just Malaysia)
> - Singapore: Macan Asia: Asian Lion. (To respect the development of the economy of Singapore)
> - Thailand: Negeri Gajah Putih: Country of White Elephant. (Because, Thailand is the only one of state in South Eastern Asia that was never colonized by other countries). => Recently, some indonesians love to call Thailand with "Surga Asia: the Asian Paradise" to express how beautiful the freedom in Thailand is!
> - Japan: Negeri Matahari Terbit: Country of the Rising Sun. (Or "Negeri Sakura: Sakura Flower Country". Recently, the teenagers love to call Japan with "Negeri JPop: Country of Japanese Pop". Because, they are so addicted to JPop)
> - South Korea: Negeri KPop: Country of Korean Pop. (This term is also used recently by teenagers and housewifes. Because they are also so addicted to KPop)
> - North Korea: Negeri Nuklir: Country of Nuclear.
> - China: Negeri Tirai Bambu: Bamboo Curtain Country. (Because, China was so closed in foreign policy. But, indonesians still use this term until now)
> - East Timor: Negeri Bekas Propinsi ke-27: Country of ex-27th Province.
> - Australia: Negeri Kangguru: Country of Kangaroo.
> - India: Negeri Sungai Gangga: Country of Ganges River. (Or "Negeri Para Dewa: Country of Gods")
> - Egypt: Negeri Sungai Nil: Country of Nile River.
> - France: Negeri Mode: Country of Fashion. (In the lyrics of songs, poems, or other literature works, it's also called "Negeri Parfum: Country of Perfume")
> - Germany: Negeri Tembok Berlin: Country of Berlin Wall. (Although, this wall doesn't exist anymore. Sometimes Indonesians also call Germany with "Negeri Bekas Nazi: Country of ex-Nazi")
> - Russia: Negeri Bekas Komunis: Country of ex-Communist. (Although, the Communist was USSR. But, it's indonesian term)
> 
> - Of course, indonesians also call "Uncle Sam's Country" for USA. "Negeri Paman Sam".
> 
> - Italy is too special one in Indonesians' eyes. That's why Indonesians make a lot of terms for Italy:
> * Negeri Azzuri: Country of Azure Colour.
> * Negeri Pizza: Country of Pizza.
> * Negeri Spageti: Country of Spaghetti.
> * Negeri Opera: Country of Opera.
> * Negeri Gondola: Country of Gondola.
> * Negeri Sepakbola: Country of Football. (Although, the good football teams and players aren't just in Italy and from Italy)
> * Negeri Menara Pisa: Country of Pisa Tower.
> * Negeri Sepatu: Country of Shoes. (It's usually used in the lyrics of songs, poems, or other literature works)
> 
> - Nederlands: Negeri Tuan Meneer: Mr. Meneer's country. (That call appeared because too much time Nederlands had colonized Indonesia. That "Mr. Meneer" is just like "My Great Lord", but in the pejorative connotation. Just like, "Yeah, we are Indonesians, just your slaves")
> 
> Although, some of them are simple popular names, but indonesians love to call any countries above with the nicknames. More popular than the original names of those countries. Too much popular, until the majority of them also appeared in any geography and history books for schools.
> 
> Example: if any Indonesian says, "I want to go to Mr. Meneer's country." That means, s/he wants to go to Nederlands.



sorry to interupt, but i think indonesian never used the word "i want to go to country of opera" no they dont. they only use it as a nick name, but never use it when to mention any country. i live in indonesia for 27 years and i'm pretty sure i wasnt wrong


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## Schmizzkazz

In Germany we sometimes call our country "das Land der Dichter und Denker" =  the country of the poets and thinkers.


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## Demiurg

Schmizzkazz said:


> In Germany we sometimes call our country "das Land der Dichter und Denker" =  the country of the poets and thinkers.



Football (soccer) fans prefer "Schland" (short for _Deutschland_). It's easier to shout when you are drunk.


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## 涼宮

In Spanish the term _el país del sol naciente_ is used for Japan, it just means ''the land of the rising sun''. The US is sometimes referred to as _gringolandia _(gringo + land), it's not always pejorative, it can also just be informal/slangy. It's also called _el imperio _(the empire). Cuba can be called _la perla del Caribe_ (the pearl of the Caribbean). China can be _el coloso asiático _(the Asian colossus). Greece is _el país heleno. _Germans can be called _los teutónicos _(Teutons)_. _In Venezuela _gallego_ (Galician) can be used to refer to anyone from Spain, though, very few people call Spain _la madre patria _(mother country).


On the Internet I've read quite often the terms _Germoney_ and _Swedistan_. The latter being a criticism or mockery of the large amount of refugees, who are also called _rapefugees; _Swedistan implies, in the contexts that I've seen it, that the country is losing its culture in favor of Muslims and Islam.


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## Chrzaszcz Saproksyliczny

涼宮 said:


> On the Internet I've read quite often the terms _Germoney_ and _Swedistan_. The latter being a criticism or mockery of the large amount of refugees, who are also called _rapefugees; _Swedistan implies, in the contexts that I've seen it, that the country is losing its culture in favor of Muslims and Islam.



I think it has nothing to do with specific countries or nations. Just some of the Internet users are racist assholes, and they would randomly stick any word into any place name for their concept of a joke. It's like writing _Jewrope_ when you're antisemitic and you hate Europe at the same time.

BTW, the cartoonist Fanny Voucher once came up with a funny name for anything that lies between Poland and China as "Barszczland", because of the beet soup.


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## wildan1

franknagy said:


> France = The Hexagon


This is not used in English, but it is in French, along with some other common synonyms you will encounter, especially in the press, which does not like to repeat the same words in an article:

_L'Héxagone _(France)
_L'État hébreu_ (the Hebrew state -- Israel)
_l'Outre-Rhin_ (the other side of the Rhine--Germany)
_l'Outre-manche_ (the other side of the channel -- the U.K.)
_l'Outre-Atlantique_ (the other side of the Atlantic -- North America or specifically the US or Canada)
_L'Île verte _- (the green island -- Ireland)


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## Dymn

wildan1 said:


> _l'Outre-Rhin_ (the other side of the Rhine--Germany)
> 
> _l'Outre-manche_ (the other side of the channel -- the U.K.)
> 
> _l'Outre-Atlantique_ (the other side of the Atlantic -- North America or specifically the US or Canada)


How about _l'Outre-Pyrénées, _or _l'Outre-Alpes?
_
Sometimes we refer to Italy as the "transalpine" country.

Hungarians are _magiars _just like Greeks are _hellens _(see #49), and I guess other endonyms are used to avoid repetitions.

Latin archaic names are often used as well. _Lusos _and _gals _are well-known examples, but there's also _helvètics,_ _bètics _"Andalusians" or _dacis _"Romanians".


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