1828: Countries Named for Smaller Regions Dec 17, 2019

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Many places are named for a smaller region, often administrative region, such as 'Holland' for 'the Netherlands', or less officially the "Bonn–", "Weimar–", and contemporary "Berlin Republic" for 'Germany'. This tradition is cultural, but not completely uncommon across the world, but this tradition in Europe it is often attributed to the Romans, who named other places for the capital region, including the name of the Roman Empire itself, centered in Rome of course. Support Word Facts at patreon.com/wordfacts

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