----------------------------Original message----------------------------
John Cain, Univ. of Melbourne, submitted the following question:
>    We have a reader who is interested in the origins of the names of
>    various countries of the world, Latin American countries in
>    particular.  I wonder if anyone could suggest some sort of reference
>    on this subject?
 
 
A very readable book on this subject is George R. Stewart's "Names on the
Globe," New York, Oxford Univ. Press, 1975.  The book has an excellent
discussion on the process of place-naming, and it includes a description
of the origin of the names for the nations of the world as well as their
chief cities and natural features.
 
John, if your library lacks this book, send me a message and I'll copy &
mail the chapter on Latin America.
 
Stewart wrote a companion book for the United States "Names on the Land:
A Historical Account of Placenaming in the United States," 3rd ed.,
Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1967.
 
Paul Stout
Map Librarian, Ball State University
[log in to unmask]