European Gamer Poll

[Bulak]

Here another Flying Dutchman

I would like to add to The It's Man's post about the states in the States, that we translate north and south (in North/South Carolina, Dakota) into noord and zuid. We also translate New Mexico into Nieuw Mexico. Further, West Virginia remains West Virginia, since the Dutch word for west is... west! (Whatever happened to East Virginia anyway?! It would have been Oost Virginia in Dutch)

Here are the names of the Dutch provinces: Drente, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland. Our capital is Amsterdam (guess these names must bring back memories of maps in fantasy-settings to non-Dutch).
By the way, Zuid-Brabant is a province of Belgium.

I myself come from Barneveld, which is in Gelderland. Our fair town is well known (in the Netherlands) for chickens and eggs (lol). There are two Poultry museums in the world, and one of them is in Barneveld, the other one is somewhere in the USA. Still, I'm not very proud of it (chicken, bleh!).

 

[The It's Man]

Here another Flying Dutchman

I would like to add to The It's Man's post about the states in the States, that we translate north and south (in North/South Carolina, Dakota) into noord and zuid. We also translate New Mexico into Nieuw Mexico. Further, West Virginia remains West Virginia, since the Dutch word for west is... west! (Whatever happened to East Virginia anyway?! It would have been Oost Virginia in Dutch)
(...)

Hmm, you could be right about that one. Strange though that we don't call New York Nieuw York. Proofs that the Dutch language isn't known for its logic . I stick mostly to the English names myself, as it otherwise becomes strange when pronouncing the names (for instance North Carolina, doesn't sound "right" when we use Noord-Carolina and pronounce Carolina the English way.)

 

[NiTessine]

Finland has five provinces. We used to have more, but a few years ago they were combined into these five "great provinces".

They are creatively named Etelä-Suomen lääni (South-Finland's Province), Länsi-Suomen lääni (West-Finland's Province), Itä-Suomen lääni (East-Finland's Province), Oulun lääni (Oulu's Province), Lapin lääni (Lapland), and Ahvenanmaa. I have no idea for an English translation of that last one, though the literal translation would be something like "the Land of the Bass". It's that island off the southwestern coast of Finland. It's an autonomous region, with its own language (Swedish, the traitors... ), and stamps, and so on.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Good stuff.
I hope more is coming!

I can tell you why there is no East Virginia in America.
Virginia was one of the 13 original states of the United States of America.
When the breakup of the United States began in 1860, with the succession of the state of South Carolina, the people of Virginia were very divided on the matter. Some wanted to join the new country in the south, known as the Confederacy. Others wanted to remain in the old United States in the north, now known as the Union.
Finally, Virginia voted to succeed from the United States and join the Confederacy. However, many of the counties (the next governmental level down from the state level, in our country) in the western and northern parts of the state refused to go along, and defied the state government in the city of Richmond.
At some point, either during the subsequent Civil War of 1861 to 1865, or soon after the war ended, Congress made these counties into a new state, and this new state was West Virginia.

It is worth noting that West Virginia and Virginia, today, have very different cultures and even their climates are very different.
West Virginia is mostly mountainous (low mountains, not high mountains), with hot summers and cold winters (very extremely heavy snows are common there.)
Virginia covers the eastern mountains, the foothills, and the coastal plain. Warm chinooks flow down into Virginia from the mountains. Summers are long and hot (highs around 33 Celsius, lows around 22 Celsius), and winters are cool, with a mixture of rain and snow.

Although both states are close to what we Americans sometimes call the Megapolis (the Washington to Boston corridor of 100 million people), and indeed Virginia borders our national capital city, both Virginia and West Virginia are primarily rural.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

bump

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

One last bump on this thread.

 

[Winterthorn]

Speaking as a Dutch-Canadian...

Edena, I think this thread's really cool... Especially to see all those country names in other languages. I also had fun practising what little Dutch I know to pronounce names as my Dutch brothers and sisters do...

I answered your poll as Dutch born, which is true, but I have lived 37 of my 40 years in Canada, in Quebec to be precise. As a consequence I've learned much from my francophone peers...

As a point of interest, Edena, in Quebec and many parts of Canada we call English speakers "Anglophones", French speakers "Francophones", and everyone else "Allophones". Funny, eh? (It has a lot to do with Canadian history--long story--well, short by European standards! LOL)

Oh and, another tangent of interest, we don't use the term "Eskimo" up here anymore. It turns out--I don't remember precisely why--that that word is most insulting to the Innu who hail from Canada's north... The Innu, or Innuit, have relatives all over the north--you'll find Innu in Greenland (Denmark's turf), Siberia, the northern tip of Europe, and Alaska of course!

The more one asks questions about people in RL, the interesting the info, right?

One last point... Canada doesn't have many nicknames for provinces that I know of--but we do have some for people. I think Newfoundland gets the brunt of it . Newfoundland is often refered to as "the Rock", and people from there as "newfies". Aside from all the jokes, Newfoundlanders turn out to be Canada's best ambassadors to the world facing east... A tough hardy bunch, with their own dialect of English/Gaelic, they are amazing hosts to all visitors to the Rock!

Gee, I certainly wandered about in tangents!

Anyways, cool thread!

-W.

 

[Eristophenes]

Poland has 16 provinces. They are called województwo. The name has it's origins in early medieval ages when each province had it's own warriors (sing. woj). Someone who led them was called wojewoda (someone akin to chieftain, a war leader - exact translation would be like warrior-leader). From wojewoda the województwo evolved. I hope you understood...

The names of each region is usually connected with it's geographic features. So we have for example:

województwo zachodniopomorskie - zachodnio- means western and pomorskie - at the seaside

województwo podkarpackie - pod- means exactly "under" and karpackie means Carpatian

Polish isn't the easiest language to learn...

Etc.

Regards

 

[zouron]

Winterthorn I think the greenlandic people would be very surprised if you called them Innu hehehethe would prefere Innuit (or inuk if a single person) or kalaalaq (think that is the right spell? don't have my dictionary to look it up right here) ;-)

 

[blaster219]

GB Counties

Listing of the 86 Great British counties and major towns within.

1. Bedfordshire (Bedford, Luton, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Biggleswade, Sandy)
2. Berkshire (Reading, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Newbury, Windsor, Wokingham, Abingdon)
3. Buckinghamshire (Aylesbury, Milton Keynes, Slough, Buckingham, High Wycombe)
4. Cambridgeshire (Cambridge, Wisbech, Ely, March, Whittlesey, Chatteris, Linton)
5. Cheshire (Chester, Stockport, Birkenhead, Wallasey, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Crewe)
6. Cornwall (Bodmin, Truro, Camborne, Redruth, St. Austell, Falmouth, Penzance, Newquay)
7. Cumberland (Carlisle, Whitehaven, Workington, Penrith, Keswick, Brampton)
8. Derbyshire (Derby, Chesterfield, Ilkeston, Swadlincote, Buxton, Matlock, Ashbourne)
9. Devon (Exeter, Plymouth, Torquay, Paignton, Barnstaple, Tiverton, Newton Abbot, Tavistock)
10. Dorset (Dorchester, Poole, Weymouth, Sherborne, Wimborne Minster, Shaftesbury)
11. Durham (Durham, Sunderland, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington, Hartlepool, Gateshead, Washington)
12. Essex (Chelmsford, Basildon, Romford, Southend, Colcheter, Harlow, Brentwood, West Ham)
13. Gloucestershire (Gloucester, Bristol, Cheltenham, Stroud, Cirencester, Tewkesbury)
14. Hampshire (Winchester, Southampton, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Basingstoke, Newport)
15. Herefordshire (Hereford, Ross-on-Wye, Leominster, Ledbury, Bromyard, Kington)
16. Hertfordshire (Hertford, Watford, St. Albans, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Hatfield)
17. Huntingdonshire (Huntingdon, St. Ives, St. Neots, Ramsey, Yaxley)
18. Kent (Maidstone, Canterbury, Bromley, Rochester, Margate, Folkestone, Dover, Greenwich)
19. Lancashire (Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Bolton, Warrington, Barrow-in-Furness)
20. Leicestershire (Leicester, Loughborough, Hinckley, Melton Mowbray, Coalville, Lutterworth)
21. Lincolnshire (Lincoln, Grimsby, Southorpe, Boston, Grantham, Stamford, Skegness, Louth)
22. Middlesex (City of London, Harrow, Enfield, Staines, Ealing, Potters Bar, Westminster )
23. Norfolk (Norwich, Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn, Dereham, Cromer, Hunstanton)
24. Northamptonshire (Northampton, Peterborough, Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough)
25. Northumberland (Alnwick, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Morpeth, Hexham, Berwick-upon-Tweed)
26. Nottinghamshire (Nottingham, Mansfield, Worksop, Newark, Retford, Southwell)
27. Oxfordshire (Oxford, Banbury, Witney, Bicester, Henley-on-Thames, Carterton, Thame)
28. Rutland (Oakham, Uppingham. Cottesmore)
29. Shropshire (Shrewsbury, Telford, Oswestry, Bridgnorth, Whitchurch, Market Drayton, Ludlow)
30. Somerset (Taunton, Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Yeovil, Bridgwater, Wells, Glastonbury)
31. Staffordshire (Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Cannock, Lichfield)
32. Suffolk (Ipswich, Bury St. Edmunds, Lowestoft, Felixstowe, Sudbury, Haverhill, Bungay)
33. Surrey (Guildford, Croydon, Woking, Sutton, Kingston-on-Thames, Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Brixton)
34. Sussex (Chichester, Brighton, Worthing, Crawley, Hastings, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Horsham)
35. Warwickshire (Warwick, Birmingham, Coventry, Nuneaton, Rugby, Solihull, Stratford-upon-Avon)
36. Westmorland (Appleby, Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Kirkby Lonsdale)
37. Wiltshire (Trowbridge, Salisbury, Swindon, Chippenham, Devizes, Marlborough, Warminster)
38. Worcestershire (Worcester, Dudley, Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Halesowen, Malvern, Evesham)
39. Yorkshire
North Riding (Northallerton, Middlesbrough, Scarborough, Whitby)
East Riding (Beverley, Hull, Bridlington, Driffield, Hornsea, Filey)
West Riding (Wakefield, Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Halifax, Harrogate)
York (within the Walls)

WALES (including Monmouthshire)
40. Anglesey/Sir Fon (Beaumaris, Holyhead, Llangefni, Amlwch, Menai Bridge)
41. Brecknockshire/Sir Frycheiniog (Brecon, Builth Wells, Hay-on-Wye, Talgarth, Llanwrtwd Wells)
42. Caernarfonshire/Sir Gaernarfon (Caernarfon, Bangor, Llandudno, Conwy, Pwllheli, Porthmadog)
43. Carmarthenshire/Sir Gaerfyrddin (Carmarthen, Llanelli, Ammanford, Llandovery, Kidwelly, St. Clears)
44. Cardiganshire/Ceredigion (Cardigan, Aberystwyth, Lampeter, New Quay, Tregaron)
45. Denbighshire/Sir Ddinbych (Denbigh, Wrexham, Ruthin, Abergele, Llangollen)
46. Flintshire/Sir Fflint (Mold, Flint, Rhyl, Prestatyn, Connah's Quay, Holywell, Buckley, St. Asaph)
47. Glamorgan/Morgannwg (Cardiff, Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil, Barry, Caerphilly, Bridgend, Neath, Pontypridd)
48. Merioneth/Meirionnydd (Dolgellau, Bala, Tywyn, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Barmouth, Harlech)
49. Monmouthshire/Sir Fynwy (Monmouth, Newport, Blackwood, Cwmbran, Abergavenny, Chepstow, Tredegar)
50. Montgomeryshire/Sir Drefaldwyn (Montgomery, Newtown, Welshpool, Machynlleth, Llanidloes)
51. Pembrokeshire/Sir Benfro (Pembroke, Milford Haven, Haverfordwest, Fishguard, Tenby, St. David's)
52. Radnorshire/Sir Faesyfed (Presteigne, Llandrindod Wells, Knighton, Rhayader, New Radnor)

SCOTLAND
53. Aberdeenshire (Aberdeen, Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Inverurie, Huntley, Ellon, Turriff)
54. Angus/Forfarshire (Forfar, Dundee, Arbroath, Brechin, Montrose, Carnoustie, Kirriemuir)
55. Argyllshire (Inveraray, Oban, Dunoon, Campbeltown, Lochgilphead, Tobermory)
56. Ayrshire (Ayr, Kilmarnock, Irvine, Saltcoats, Kilwinning, Largs, Troon, Cumnock)
57. Banffshire (Banff, Buckie, Keith, Macduff, Portsoy, Dufftown)
58. Berwickshire (Greenlaw, Duns, Eyemouth, Lauder, Coldstream)
59. Buteshire (Rothesay, Millport, Brodick, Lochranza)
60. Cromartyshire (Cromarty, Ullapool)
61. Caithness (Wick, Thurso, Halkirk, Castletown)
62. Clackmannanshire (Clackmannan, Alloa, Tillicoultry, Tullibody)
63. Dumfriesshire (Dumfries, Annan, Lockerbie, Moffat, Sanquhar, Langholm, Gretna)
64. Dunbartonshire/Dumbartonshire (Dumbarton, Clydebank, Cumbernauld, Helensburgh, Alexandria, Kirkintilloch)
65. East Lothian/Haddingtonshire (Haddington, North Berwick, Dunbar, Tranent, East Linton)
66. Fife (Cupar, Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy, St. Andrews, Cowdenbeath, Burntisland)
67. Inverness-shire (Inverness, Fort William, Kingussie, Newtonmore, Portree)
68. Kincardineshire (Stonehaven, Banchory, Laurencekirk, Inverbervie)
69. Kinross-shire (Kinross, Milnathort)
70. Kirkcudbrightshire (Kircudbright, Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie, New Galloway)
71. Lanarkshire (Lanark, Glasgow, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Motherwell, Coatbridge, Carluke)
72. Midlothian/Edinburghshire (Edinburgh, Musselburgh, Penicuik, Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg)
73. Morayshire (Elgin, Forres, Rothes, Lossiemouth, Fochabers)
74. Nairnshire (Nairn, Auldearn, Cawdor, Ferness)
75. Orkney (Kirkwall, Sromness, Balfour)
76. Peeblesshire (Peebles, Innerleithen, West Linton)
77. Perthshire (Perth, Crieff, Pitlochry, Callander, Blairgowrie, Rattray, Coupar Angus, Kincardine)
78. Renfrewshire (Renfrew, Paisley, Greenock, Johnstone, Port Glasgow, Barrhead, Kilmalcolm)
79. Ross-shire (Dingwall, Stornaway, Tain, Alness, Invergorden)
80. Roxburghshire (Jedburgh, Hawick, Kelso, Melrose, Roxburgh)
81. Selkirkshire (Selkirk, Clovenfords, Galashiels)
82. Shetland (Lerwick, Scalloway, Baltasound)
83. Stirlingshire (Stirling, Falkirk, Grangemouth, Kilsyth, Bridge of Allan, Denny, Alva)
84. Sutherland (Dornoch, Helmsdale, Brora, Golspie, Lairg, Durness, Tongue)
85. West Lothian/Linlithgowshire (Linlithgow, Livingston, Bo'ness, Broxburn, Whitburn, Armadale, Bathgate)
86. Wigtownshire (Wigtown, Stranraer, Newton Stewart, Whithorn)