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Have you heard of a Hellas country? Here's a guessing game for you!

Image: Nick Seagrave

Ever looked at a map, saw a country name, and thought, "Wait, that’s not what we call it?" Well, you’re not alone! Many countries go by entirely different names in their native language, and some of them might even surprise you. So, we’ve come up with a game: You’ll find six countries’ original names and some clues for you to guess which country it is. In the second part of the article, we’ll provide the answer and the origins of the names. Are you up for the challenge?

Image: Sora Sagano

ni‧hon

Its name means "origin of the sun," which is why it’s often called the Land of the Rising Sun. This island nation is famous for sushi, cherry blossoms, and bullet trains that are more punctual than your morning coffee.

It’s home to one of the world’s most unique alphabets and a culture that blends centuries-old traditions with futuristic tech. Oh, and it’s also where you’ll find sumo wrestling, anime, and some of the most polite people on the planet. Have you guessed it already?

Image: Henrique Craveiro

eir‧e

This green and rainy island is home to breathtaking cliffs, lively music, and a legendary love for storytelling. In some areas, you’ll find more sheep than people, and it is the birthplace of both Guinness beer and some of the best poets in history.

The locals have their own native language, even though English is widely spoken. In their tongue, the country’s name is short and sweet: Éire. Does it ring any bells?

Image: Johnny Africa

hel‧las

We’ll say a few words and you’ll guess it: democracy, philosophy, and some seriously delicious food. If we say we all love a good gyro, are we giving it away?

Its ancient ruins attract millions of tourists every year, and its mythology has inspired stories for thousands of years. The Olympics? Yeah, they started here too. But while we use one name, the locals call it Hellas. Got a guess?

Image: Kankan

deutsch‧land

This country is famous for bratwurst, beer, and fairy tale castles that look straight out of a storybook. It’s got an impressive history of poets and philosophers, and its car industry is one of the best in the world. But here’s the twist: Its native name sounds nothing like what we call it in English. Locals refer to it as Deutschland. Can you figure out where this is?

Image: Tapio Haaja

suo‧mi

This land is famous for its saunas, the Northern Lights, and people who are perfectly happy not talking for hours. It has thousands of lakes, more reindeer than people in some areas, and is home to one of the happiest populations on Earth.

The language spoken here is one of the trickiest in the world to learn, and its native name doesn’t sound anything like what we call it in English. Any idea which frosty but friendly country this is?

Image: Spencer Davis

hr‧vat‧ska

This small but stunning country sits along the Adriatic Sea, it has crystal-clear waters and impressive coastal towns. It’s home to medieval cities, Game of Thrones filming locations, and some of the world’s best seafood. But if you ask a local where you are, they won’t say the name you know. Instead, they’ll say Hrvatska. Any idea where this is?

Image: Colton Jones

If you guessed Japan, give yourself a high-five! In Japanese, the country is called Nihon or Nippon, which roughly translates to "origin of the sun." This makes perfect sense when you realize that Japan is east of China, where the sun rises first!

Image: Lindy Murphy

That’s right, it’s Ireland! Did you guess it right? The name Éire comes from Old Irish and is linked to the goddess Ériu, a mythical figure associated with the land’s beauty and power.

The English name "Ireland" naturally evolved from this. Most people there speak English daily, but Irish (Gaeilge) is still an official language, and you’ll see signs written in both languages all over the country.

Image: Matt Artz

If you said Greece, you nailed it! The country’s real name is Hellas, and its people refer to themselves as Hellenes. One more fact? The modern official name is the Hellenic Republic!

So where did "Greece" come from? The Romans had a habit of renaming places, and they used the Latin word Graecia to describe the land.

Image: Yannic Kreß

This was an easy one, right? Yep, it’s Germany! The name Deutschland comes from an old Germanic word meaning "the people’s land." But here’s where things get wild, Germany and Deutschland are not the only names.

The French say Allemagne, the Spanish call it Alemania, and in Finnish, it’s Saksa. Why so many names? It all comes down to history, as different tribes and regions had their own words for the place. Fascinating, isn’t it?

Image: Arttu Päivinen

Maybe you guessed Norway, but the second one is actually Finland! In Finnish, the country is called Suomi. The exact origin of the name is a bit of a mystery, but one thing is for sure, Finns just roll with it. They’re just too busy enjoying their saunas and sipping coffee (they drink more per person than any other country!) to argue about it.

Image: Daniel Trofimov

If you guessed Croatia, you got it! The origins of this name are connected to the native language, land, and people in the area. Hrvati was the way to call the locals, for example.

But why do we call it Croatia in English? That’s the work of the Latin-speaking Romans, who adapted the name to what we know today.

Flashy Latin names

Animals with celebrity status: 12 creatures named after famous people

Image: jay huang

Between 15,000 and 18,000 new species of plants and animals are discovered every year, and, as it happens, they all need a name. Most of those names are just descriptive, but every now and then, an inspired scientist decides to honor a famous individual by naming the newly discovered species after him or her. The reference is usually hidden within a Latin name, but it is there, as these 12 examples show.

Image: Ottr Dan

King Charles led many environmental causes during his life. And, when scientists discovered a stream tree frog in Ecuador’s rainforests, they named it Hyloscirtus princecharlesi, honoring his rainforest conservation efforts.

Image: Duncan Sanchez

The "Hips Don’t Lie" singer was honored by scientists who discovered a wasp in the Ecuadorian mountains and named it Aleiodes shakirae. This parasitic wasp laid its eggs inside caterpillars that twisted in a way that reminded them of the famous dance moves of the singer.

Image: Emily Bauman

A horsefly with a distinctive shiny body with a patch of golden hairs was named after the female pop star. The fly, named Plinthina beyonceae, reminded the researchers of her song ‘Bootylicious’, and because they thought it was the "all-time diva of flies".

Image: Noah Näf

Marking the 40th anniversary of the band’s founding, a researcher named not one but four species of damselflies after the members of Queen. The names? Heteragrion freddiemercuryi, H. brianmayi, H. rogertaylori, and H. johndeaconi.

Image: Peter F. Wolf

It seems as if naming creatures after musical artists is a thing among researchers. The Sericomyrmex radioheadi ant was named after the British musical group, in appreciation of the band’s environmental activism, especially in raising climate-change awareness.

Image: 베아 밀러

Not just a single species, but a whole taxonomic group was named after Pink Floyd. We are talking about the Pinkfloydia genus of orb-weaver spiders.

According to the scientists who came up with the name, they wanted to reflect the uniqueness of the spiders, which have very distinctive physical features.

Image: Gerald Schömbs

No one should be surprised, at this point, that a shark was named after the Jaws author. The ninja lanternshark, Etmopterus benchleyi, was named so after Peter Benchley, the famous author.

Image: Rosa Rafael

The name Taylor Swift is guaranteed to make headlines every time it appears. Even if it is the name of a millipede.

In 2022, a new millipede species, Nannaria swiftae, was named after the singer-songwriter by Dr Derek Hennen, a self-confessed fan of her music.

Image: Raimond Klavins

The last creature on this list to be named after a musical artist, the Baicalellia daftpunka, honors the French duo Daft Punk.

This flatworm is said to resemble the iconic look of the duo’s helmets, which they used to conceal their identities when playing live.

Image: Jonathan Kemper

It should come as no surprise that a famous environmental activist like Greta Thunberg, who has been active for a couple of years now, has had a few animal species named after her.

Among these, a whole genus of huntsman spiders, Thunberga, has been named after her.

Image: Sam Tsonis

Some of the celebrities who have been bestowed with this honor are the very same individuals who discovered the species. Such is the case of Steve Irwin and the Elseya irwini turtle, which was found by the late zookeeper, conservationist, and TV personality.

Image: KP Bandyopadhyay

The last entry on our list is a curious case. The Idris elba parasitic wasp was not named after the actor, even though it shares the same denomination.

It is fair to say that the famous actor’s name does sound exotic, and it would not at all be hard to believe of a species named after him, especially after all the examples we have just read about.