The Collection. Etymology of African countries' names. By hovering over the names, you will see the actual country's name and other possible etymologies.
Why this map? This map was inspired by this etymological map of the USA. It does not claim to be exact; etymology is not an accurate science. 18th and 19th century armchair historians, geographers and linguists wrote countless books to explain the etymology of place names. Their idea was to explain the origin of Africans by tracing African languages back to a certain part of the world. The most famous example was the Hamitic hypothesis - if a toponym could be linked with Ham, son of Noah, it meant that an ethnic group in particular came from Egypt or the Middle East.
Information Globale | CARTES. Maps. Afternoon Map. MAPS: Comparing Countries On Inequality. Page d'accueil - historia-geographia.jimbo. [herodote.org] 40 maps that explain the world. Maps can be a remarkably powerful tool for understanding the world and how it works, but they show only what you ask them to.
So when we saw a post sweeping the Web titled "40 maps they didn't teach you in school," one of which happens to be a WorldViews original, I thought we might be able to contribute our own collection. Some of these are pretty nerdy, but I think they're no less fascinating and easily understandable. Le Monde diplomatique. ARTE - Le dessous des cartes.