List Of Countries That Start With Letter B

B, the second letter in the English alphabet, is a popular candidate for starting a country name, worldwide. A grand total of 17 countries on Earth have a name that starts with ‘B’, from the Caribbean, to Europe, Africa, and beyond.

# Bahamas

The origins of the word “Bahamas” is disputed. Some say the country gets its name from the South American Arawakan Indigenous language group. Specifically, "Bahamas" is said to be a word that comes from the Lucayan Taíno people who lived on these islands before Europeans arrived. The word is said to mean “big upper middle land” in Taino.

Other sources say that "Bahamas" is a Spanish word that has morphed from "baja mar," meaning "shallow sea." Other words that come from the Taíno languages include barbecue, hammock, hurricane, canoe, and tobacco.

The Bahamas is a former British colony that gained its independence in 1973, and remains part of the Commonwealth. Its colonization is a particularly dark chapter in the history of European colonial rule: Christopher Columbus and his men first made landfall here, and within thirty years the Indigenous population had dwindled from a mix of disease and killings at the hands of the settlers. It was later populated by a group of Bermudans in 1666 in the name of the British empire. Bahamian culture has been profoundly shaped by the Europeans as well as by African traditions through the slave trade. Today, the Bahamas is dominated by the tourism sector.

# Bahrain

The word “Bahrain” is Arabic in origin, coming from the term Al-Bahrayn which means “two seas.” This likely refers to the fact that Bahrain is an island sitting in waters between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, surrounded to the north by the Persian Gulf, and the south by the Gulf of Bahrain.

# Bangladesh

Unlike some names on this list, the origin of Bangladesh's name is pretty straightforward. The suffix "Desh" derives from the Sanskrit word Desha, meaning "land." Bangla is the Bengali word for what we call Bengal in English. So, Bangladesh translates to "Land of Bengal."

# Barbados

This Caribbean country is said to get its name from the Portugues sea captain Pedro a Campus. Campus is said to have called the island “the bearded one” after the tall fig trees covering the country with long, hanging root systems, dangling like wispy beards.

# Belarus

A bit blunt but true, the name "Belarus" literally means "white Russia." Belarus comes from the term Belaya Rus which means "White Rus." While the term "White Rus" can be found as far back as Latin and Greek medieval literature, the term is met with distaste from some people in modern times. Belarus declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and being described as part of Russia is not always something Belarussians seek.

# Belgium

Belgium is a small country, yet one that is stubborn and mighty. The nation is named for the Belgae tribe, whose people lived in the northern part of the country, Gaul, during the 3rd century BCE. “Belg” in proto-Celtic means "to swell with anger," and some say the country’s name reflects the fact that the Belgae tribesmen and women living in Gaul were very hard for Julius Caesar to conquer. In fact, it took him a total of four years to do so, something the Belgae tribes later revolted against.

# Belize

There are two theories as to where Belize gets its name. The first states that it comes from the surname of Captain Peter Wallace. Wallace was a Scottish buccaneer who is credited with being the first European to discover what would later be named the Belize River. Wallace started a settlement in this area of Belize in 1638. So the story goes, he named the river and the region after himself, but the Spaniards who came later could not pronounce it properly and turned the “W” into a “V” or “B” sound. The name thus became “Ballace” which transformed into “Balise” or “Belize”.

# Benin

The country of Benin was originally called "Dahomey," named after an ancient kingdom in the country. In 1975 this was changed to Benin to better support the diversity of cultures within the nation. Benin gets its name from the Bight of Benin, a body of water that borders the country to the south, as part of the Atlantic Ocean. The name Benin comes from the 17th century and was the name of an African kingdom located along the Gulf of Guinea at that time.

# Bhutan

According to linguists, it is possible that Bhutan’s name comes from the Sanskrit word Bhu-Uttan, meaning "High Land." Others say that it comes from Bhots-ant, of the same origin, meaning "end of Tibet." Many people living in Bhutan do not call the country by this name, however, and rather refer to it as "Druk Yul" which enchantingly means "Land of the Thunder Dragon."

# Bolivia

Bolivia traces its name back to Simón Bolívar, a Venezuelan soldier and statesman who led revolutions in South America in the early 1800s. These wars led to the liberation of several South American countries from Spanish rule. Congressional leaders in the country named it Bolivia after Bolivar in 1825.

# Bosnia and Herzegovina

While the exact meaning of the word "Bosnia" remains somewhat unknown, many scholars say it could denote "running water." The Bosna river is therefore thought to be the origin of the country’s name. Linguists describe how the Indo-European root word Bos means "running water," as does the Illyrian word Bosona. Others theorize that Bosnia comes from the Latin word Bosina, which means "boundary."

# Botswana

Botswana is named for its people. Those who inhabit the country are largely of Tswana origin, and collectively this group is referred to as "Batswana." The Tswana people can trace their recorded history in the area back to the 1300s and are considered to be descendants of King Mogale of South Africa.

# Brazil

Rather uniquely, Brazil is said to be the only country on Earth named after a tree. During the 1500s, the Portuguese began harvesting what became known as Brazilwood from the area, which was then called Vera Cruz. The wood had a reddish color that was used to create a dye shipped and sold in Europe. The wood is called pau-brasil which means "ember-colored wood" in Portuguese. So much of the material was cut down and sold that the Portuguese began calling the country Brazil.

# Brunei

According to the local legends, Brunei gets its name from the first words uttered by the leader of a group of settlers arriving in the area in the early 1400s: "Baru nah!" which is loosely translated as "That's it!" He became the first sultan of Brunei. It was subsequently named "Barunai" which may have been influenced by the Sanskrit word for "seafarers," Varun.

# Bulgaria

One of the oldest states in Europe, it was founded in the 7th century by the Bulgars. They were a tribe with Turkic origins and became the namesake of this country.

Bulgaria was caught under Ottoman rule for centuries, but it regained its independent statehood in the 19th century. After World War II, it became an ally of the Soviet Union, which had profound impacts on the country's economy, customs, and ideologies. With the fall of the Soviets, Bulgaria then turned West towards the European Union and NATO.

# Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso means, loosely translated, "land of honest people." Interestingly, this name is pulled from two different languages spoken in the country. Burkina is from the Mossi language, spoken by the ethnic Mossi who make up half the population, and it means "upright," signifying integrity when used to talk about people. Faso is from Dioula, and literally means "father's house," but is also used to denote "fatherland." People from Burkina Faso are called Burkinabé.

# Burundi

In the lands today known as the country of Burundi, a kingdom once reigned. The Kingdom of Burundi existed in the 16th century, and today, the country bears its name. "Burundi" likely originally came from the Ha people who lived there, as their place of origin was called Buha.

Burundi became part of the German Protectorate of East Africa in 1890, but it was awarded to Belgium after World War I when Germany's colonies were divvied up as a price to pay for their loss in the war. Desire for independence grew following the Second World War, which they achieved in 1962.