Are you a geography buff? Interested in world languages? If so, then this incredible infographic listing the literal translation of every country’s name might be of interest to you.



The literal meaning of “The United States,” is pretty obvious, but it might be more surprising to see that Canada comes from the Huron-Iroquois word for “The Village,” or that Mexico translates to “In The Navel of the Moon.”





Other literal names serve as pretty solid advertisements for their respective countries. Who wouldn’t want to visit “The Land Beside the Silvery River” (Argentina) or “I Go To The Beach” (Nauru)?



Many of these translations are delightfully straight-forward, like Germany’s “Land of the People,” or Mali, which translates to “Hippopotamus”—likely the first thing tourists excitedly shout when they see one in the country.







Some of the stranger sounding names include Papua New Guinea, which translates to “Frizzy Haired Men,” and Kazakhstan, which translates to “Place Where One Stands.”



The map, created by Credit Card Compare, is a fascinating view of how each culture sees its own country. You can see a high-resolution version here.



H/T: Culture Trip.