Different names for entire regions or countries

The name "India" was never used by Indians themselves.It was used by the foreigners first.The Persians called the river Sindhu(Indus) as Hindu.The land of that river was called "Hind", and the people as "Hindus." In Arabic it became Al Hind.The Muslims when they arrived in India called it Hindustan.The Greek and The Romans called the land as India.

The name used by the Indians was Bharatvarsh.The terms Jambudweep and Aryavart were also used.But the former term sometimes denote a larger area and the latter term denotes North India. The name Bharat is used in the constitution.
 
Asia Minor - Ionia (after the greeks who lived on the Aegean coast, to separate it from OTL Greece in a TL where Asia Minor is never lost to the Greeks. Fun Fact: in Turkish, Greece is called Yunanistan : ionian-istan), Rum, Orient (if the term remained localized)

Bulgaria - anywhere the bulgars settle
Magyaria - see above

Alexandria, Caesaria, Constantinople : anywhere in the Known World where the titular leaders like

New York, New Zeeland, New Amsterdam, New [insert city name] - anywhere outside the Known World

Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Wellington, Georgia, Louisiana, Victoria - Anywhere in the New World

@ Karkris - again, in Turkish we call spice 'Baharat', after the place where the Spice Road ends i guess. oh and turkey in Turkish is 'hindi'. Go figure..
 
Also, Texas could have been "Caddo" if the Spanish hadn't mistaken "tejas" which means friends or allies for the natives themselves.
 
As mentioned earlier, India and/or South Asia as a whole could easily be known as Bharat. The modern state of India could also be known as Hindustan, while one of the names considered for Pakistan early on was Islamistan. The Maldives could be better known as either Dibajat (the Arab/Persian name) or Dhihevi (the native name) - "Maldives" is the anglicisation of a Dutch corruption of the Sanskrit name Mahal Dhiven (Good Islands).

Cheers,
Ganesha
 
Top