Placenames—whether they be of a city or a river, a country or a mountain—denote something about the region. They often provide a brief history or description of the feature, sometimes telling in a word who founded a city (e.g., Barcelona, Spain, named for Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca) or giving a full description in a single word (e.g. Cape Roca in western Portugal, which derives its name from the Portuguese roca, "rock").
In this reference work, the origins of the placenames for over 5,000 cities, natural features, countries, and historic sites are provided. All seven continents are included here. Each entry provides, first, the name of the feature, a brief description and its geographic location; an account of the name’s origin and meaning then follows, with appropriate historical, topographical and biographical references. Cross references provide former names and alternate spellings or forms of current names.
