April 14, 2026
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The name Cameroon was originally given by the Portuguese to the Wouri River. They called the river Rio dos Camarões, which means “river of shrimps” or “shrimp river” because there were many Cameroon ghost shrimp in the river. The country’s name in Portuguese is still Camarões.
The country is named after the Cap-Vert peninsula on the coast of Senegal. The name Cap-Vert comes from the Portuguese name Cabo Verde, which means “green cape.” Portuguese explorers used this name in 1444, several years before they discovered the islands. In the past, the name was changed to English as Cape Verde.
Modern Burundi is named after the Kingdom of Burundi (Urundi), which existed before colonial times and was formed by the 16th century. The capital city during colonial times, Usumbura, was officially changed to Bujumbura when the country became independent in 1962.
The name Bulgaria comes from the Bulgars, a group of people from Turkic origins who created the First Bulgarian Empire. The meaning of their name is not fully known, but it may be linked to an early Turkic word, bulģha, which means “to mix,” “shake,” or “stir.” A related word, bulgak, could mean “to rebel” or “to cause disorder.” This might explain why the Bulgars were sometimes called “disturbers.” Other groups in Inner Asia with similar-sounding names, like the Buluoji, were also described as “mixed race” and “troublemakers” during the 4th century AD.