Top 10 Countries with the Weirdest Names
Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Somalia to the southeast, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea to the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. Across the Gulf of Aden lies Yemen. The country has a total area of... read more When I was six, I could not even pronounce it.
I'm coming for you, thick Djibouti.
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a country in the Transcaucasian region, situated at the crossroads of Southwest Asia and Southeastern Europe. It is a part of the Caucasus region, and is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia... read more I first heard about this country from the game Splinter Cell.
Learned about this country from Geography Now.
I wonder who came up with that name...
Niger, or the Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state bordered by Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin and Burkina Faso to the southwest, Mali to the west, and Algeria to the northwest. It covers a land... read more This is the weirdest name ever and the grossest.
It's like you just copied the name of Nigeria.
It is pronounced like niz-air, not the word I know you're laughing about.
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in northern Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon to the south-west, Nigeria to the southwest (at Lake Chad), and Niger to the west. It has a population... read more When I was a little kid, I thought the name was so funny. I mean, here we have all these countries with names that sound a lot more thought-out, like the United States of America, China, Russia, India, Pakistan (you know what I mean, right?). And then you have just Chad.
Chad is a pretty weird name for a country. It's literally a name. Imagine calling your son named Chad in Chad.
Its name is after Giga Chad, so yeah, it's weird.
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country located in West Africa, bordered by Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire. The capital and largest city is Ouagadougou. The country is known for its rich cultural heritage, which includes a vibrant music scene and traditional crafts. It has a primarily... read more I think this country's name is just so bloody weird.
Sounds like an African first and last name. It's also sadly very poor.
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked sovereign state located in southern Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers. Chose this country for a country project in geography.
It's fun to say, though. Zimbabwe.
Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, formerly known as Kirghizia, is a landlocked country located in Central Asia.Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and China to the east. Its capital and largest city is Bishkek. Ethnic... read more
At first, I couldn't pronounce this name because of the Y's and the Z. It wasn't until months later that I could pronounce the name correctly, and that's just because someone told me.
So weird and hard to pronounce the first time you see it.
Interesting name and spelling. What do they do here, kidnap women and horses?
Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the largest country in the Central American isthmus. It is bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south, with the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the capital and largest city.
Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental country in Eurasia, mainly in Anatolia in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest. Georgia to the northeast. Armenia,... read more I got confused once because my friend was talking about turkey in Turkey.
Saying the word turkey makes me hungry, not gonna lie.
Why the hell would you name your country after food?
Singapore, officially known as the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It is situated approximately one degree of latitude (137 kilometers or 85 miles) north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It borders the Strait of Malacca... read more The name makes me think of blocked, oily pores (on your skin). So uncomfortable.
Wow, this is so true, and I love all these comments so much that I am about to cry, mate. Fair dinkum.
It's bloody amazing, mate. You gotta love it, bloody hell.
The Newcomers
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of 2,780,400 km² (1,073,500 sq mi), making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourth-largest country in the Americas, and the eighth-largest country... read more
Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is an archipelagic country located in Southern Asia, situated in the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 750 kilometres (470 miles. 400 nautical miles) from the Asian continent's mainland. The chain of 26 atolls stretches from... read more
Lesotho, officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is an enclaved, landlocked country in southern Africa completely surrounded by South Africa. It is by far the largest of the world's three independent states completely surrounded by the territory of another country, with Vatican City and San Marino being... read more I've never heard of this country.
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, formerly known by its Russian name Byelorussia or Belorussia, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital and most populous... read more
Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a mountainous, landlocked country in Central Asia. It has an area of 143,100 km² (55,300 sq mi) and an estimated population of around 10 million as of 2025. Its capital and largest city is Dushanbe. It is bordered by Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan... read more
Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a sovereign country located in Southwest Asia, occupying the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and surrounded by the Persian Gulf on the remaining sides. The capital and largest city... read more This is the weirdest because of the English language. It should be Qatar in English, but in this, there's no I after the Q.
I thought this would be number one.
Kazakhstan, officially known as the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country in northern Central Asia, with a sliver of its territory west of the Ural River extending into Eastern Europe. It is the world's largest landlocked country and the ninth-largest country in the world by land area. Astana (formerly... read more It has so many silent letters, I think.
Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arab country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Muscat. Oman is known for its historic trading ties, diverse landscapes, and stable government. The joke, oh man, the one made in there was so funny, but I have a better one. Oh man, dude, that stinks.
Oman probably isn't a strange country. It's just a name that is different from the norm.
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is a small island monarchy located in the Persian Gulf. It lies off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia and consists of a group of islands. Bahrain is known for its petroleum industry, financial sector, and hosting the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix. It sounds like Ebenezer Scrooge was forced to give charity because of rain or something. Like "Bah! Rain."
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over 1,240,000 square kilometres (480,000 sq mi). The population of Mali is 19.1 million. 67% of its population was estimated to be under the age of 25 in 2017... read more Sounds just like Molly, as in Molly Quinn.
Hungary is a sovereign state in Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Romania to the east, Serbia to the south, Croatia to the southwest, Slovenia to the west, Austria to the northwest, and Ukraine to the northeast... read more If you are Hungary, grab a Turkey and bake it in Greece!
Pakistan was established in 1947 and is located in South Asia. Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan. Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar are other major cities. Urdu and English are the official languages of Pakistan. The world's second-highest peak (K2) and ninth-highest peak (Nanga Parbat) are located... read more I love the flag, though! The country's great, but the name's weird.
Japan is an island country in East Asia in the Pacific Ocean. It lies off the eastern coast of the Asian mainland (east of China, Korea, and Russia) and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and near Taiwan in the southwest... read more
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to the west and southwest and Brazil to the north and northeast, and is bordered by the Río de la Plata to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. It is part of the Southern... read more First, because it sounds like you're gay.
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Namibia to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Zambia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its capital and largest city is Luanda. Sounds like someone groaning at angles and stuff because they are bad at math!
Seychelles, officially the Republic of Seychelles, is an archipelago and country in the Indian Ocean. You'll find plenty of seashells on the beaches of Seychelles.