Global Sourcebook for International Data Management
by Graham Rhind
____
This resource costs about € 500 per month to host and maintain. Help me to keep it updated and free for all by donating as little as € 1 at Ko-Fi here. Alternatively, use one of these links to make purchases at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk, for which I receive a small remuneration at no cost to yourself. Thank you
____
Place names in English
Global Sourcebook | Index | Properties
Tips for practical management of international place name data
I am often asked for a list of place names in English rather than in their local language(s). I advise very strongly against using English place names instead of their local variants, but I have summarised below those place names where an English version is known. The main reasons for places having an English variant are:
- Historical (Bruges, Calcutta, Gallipoli etc.)
- Also, where local versions have changed and English versions have not (Saigon etc.)
- Linguistic:
- Written without local diacritics in English (Reykjavík, Istanbul etc.)
- Transliterated from a different script (Sofia, Cairo, Kuwait, Mecca etc.)
- Written in a national language other than the local one (Louvain, Bruges etc.)
Note: This table does not include the large number of settlements in Ireland with both English and Irish names, those in New Zealand with Maori and English names, or those in South Africa with names in several languages. Please refer to the Ireland/New Zealand/South Africa chapters for those names.
| Country | Local name | English name |
| Albania | Tiranë | Tirana |
| Algeria | Al-Jazā’ir | Algiers |
| Ouahran | Oran | |
| Qacentina | Constantine | |
| Austria | Wien | Vienna |
| Azerbaijan | Bakı | Baku |
| Bahrain | Al Manāmah | Manama |
| Belgium | Antwerpen | Antwerp |
| Brugges | Bruges | |
| Bruxelles/Brussel | Brussels | |
| Gent | Ghent | |
| Ieper | Ypres | |
| Kortrijk | Courtrai | |
| Leuven | Louvain | |
| Mechelen | Malines | |
| Menen | Menin | |
| Oostende | Ostend | |
| Vilvoorde | Filford | |
| Zeebrugge | Zeebruges | |
| Brazil | Brasilía | Brasilia |
| São Paulo | Sao Paulo | |
| Bulgaria | Sofiya | Sofia |
| Canada | Montréal | Montreal |
| Québec | Quebec | |
| China | Nanjing | Nanking |
| Colombia | Bogotá | Bogota |
| Medellín | Medellin | |
| Cuba | La Habana | Havana |
| Cyprus | Ammoschostos | Famagusta |
| Lavkosia | Nicosia | |
| Lemesos | Limassol | |
| Pafos | Paphos | |
| Czechia / Czech Republic | Česke Budějovice | Budweis |
| Plzeň | Pilsen | |
| Praha | Prague | |
| Denmark | København | Copenhagen |
| Egypt | Aswân | Aswan |
| Bûr Saîd | Port Said | |
| Dumyât | Damietta | |
| El Gîza | Giza | |
| El Iskandarîya | Alexandria | |
| El Qâhira | Cairo | |
| El Suweis | Suez | |
| El Uqsur | Luxor | |
| Eritrea | Asmera | Asmara |
| Ethiopia | Addis Abeba | Addis Ababa |
| France | Dunkerque | Dunkirk |
| Germany | Aachen | Aix-la-Chapelle |
| Blindheim | Blenheim | |
| Braunschweig | Brunswick | |
| Frankfurt am Main | Frankfurt on Main | |
| Hameln | Hamelin | |
| Hannover | Hanover | |
| Jülich | Juliers | |
| Kassel | Cassel | |
| Kleve | Cleves | |
| Koblenz | Coblenz | |
| Köln | Cologne | |
| Konstanz | Constance | |
| München | Munich | |
| Nürnberg | Nuremberg | |
| Greece | Athínai | Athens |
| Iráklion | Candia | |
| Kérkira | Corfu | |
| Khalkís | Chalcis | |
| Kórinthos | Corinth | |
| Patrai | Patrae | |
| Piraiévs | Piræus | |
| Ródos | Rhodes | |
| Sparti | Sparta | |
| Thessaloniki | Salonica | |
| Greenland | Kangerlussuaq | Sondrestrom |
| Pituffik / Uummanaq | Thule Air Base | |
| Guatemala | Ciudad de Guatemala | Guatemala City |
| Iceland | Reykjavík | Reykjavik |
| India | Alappuzha | Aleppey |
| Aluva | Alwaye | |
| Bengalooru | Bangalore | |
| Chennai | Madras | |
| Kannur | Cannanore | |
| Kochi | Cochin | |
| Kolkata | Calcutta | |
| Kollam | Quilon | |
| Mangalooru | Mangalore | |
| Kozhikode | Calicut | |
| Panjim | Goa | |
| Puna | Poona | |
| Shimla | Simla | |
| Thiruvanthapuram | Trivandrum | |
| Iran | Tehrān | Teheran/Tehran |
| Israel | Akko | Acre |
| Nazerat | Nazereth | |
| Tel Aviv-Yafo | Tel Aviv-Jaffa | |
| Tyverya | Tiberias | |
| Italy | Bologna | Bologne |
| Firenze | Florence | |
| Genova | Genoa | |
| Livorno | Leghorn | |
| Mantova | Mantua | |
| Milano | Milan | |
| Nápoli | Naples | |
| Padova | Padua | |
| Roma | Rome | |
| Siena | Sienna | |
| Siracusa | Syracuse | |
| Torino | Turin | |
| Venezia | Venice | |
| Jordan | Ammān | Amman |
| Kosovo | Prishtina / Prishtinë / Priština | Pristina |
| Kuwait | Al Kuwayt | Kuwait City |
| Latvia | Rīga | Riga |
| Lebanon | Bayrut | Beirut |
| Libya | Benghāzi | Benghazi |
| Marsá Susah | Apollonia | |
| Shahhāt | Cyrene | |
| Tarābulus | Tripoli | |
| Ţubruq | Tobruk | |
| Luxembourg | Lëtzebuerg | Luxembourg |
| Malta | Birgu | Vittoriosa |
| Bormla | Cospicua | |
| Għajn Sielem | Kemmuna | |
| Rabat | Victoria | |
| Raħal Ġdid | Paolo | |
| San Pawl Il-Baħar | St Paul’s Bay | |
| Wied Il-Għajn | Marsascala | |
| Marshall Islands | Dalap-Uliga-Darrit | Majuro |
| Mexico | Ciudad de México | Mexico City |
| Mongolia | Ulaanbaatar | Ulan Bator |
| Morocco | ar-Rabāṭ | Rabat |
| Myanmar | Yangon | Rangoon |
| Netherlands | Alphen aan den Rijn | Alphen-on-the-Rhine |
| Brielle | Brill | |
| Den Helder | The Helder | |
| Dordecht | Dort | |
| Haarlem | Harlem | |
| Hoek van Holland | The Hook of Holland | |
| Leiden | Leyden | |
| Rijswijk | Ryswick | |
| ‘s-Gravenhage / Den Haag | The Hague | |
| Sluis | Sluys | |
| Vlissingen | Flushing | |
| Oman | Musqaţ | Muscat |
| Panama | Panamá | Panama City |
| Poland | Gdańsk | Danzig |
| Kraków | Crakow | |
| Oświęcim | Auschwitz | |
| Warszawa | Warsaw | |
| Szczecin | Stettin | |
| Wrocław | Breslau | |
| Portugal | Lisboa | Lisbon |
| Porto | Oporto | |
| Qatar | Ad Dawhah | Doha |
| Romania | Bucureşti | Bucharest |
| Russia | Arhangelsk | Archangel |
| Moskva | Moscow | |
| Sankt Peterburg | Saint Petersburg | |
| Saudi Arabia | Al Madinah | Medina |
| Ar-Riyād | Riyadh | |
| Az Zahrān | Dhahran | |
| Makkah | Mecca | |
| Serbia | Beograd | Belgrade |
| Spain | Cádiz | Cadiz |
| Córdoba | Cordoba | |
| Málaga | Malaga | |
| Sevilla | Seville | |
| Zaragoza | Saragossa | |
| Sweden | Göteborg | Gothenburg |
| Switzerland | Basle | Basel |
| Berne | Bern | |
| Genève | Geneva | |
| Zürich | Zurich | |
| Syria | Al Lādhiqiyah | Latakia |
| Dimashq | Damascus | |
| Halab | Aleppo | |
| Hims | Homs | |
| Thailand | Krung Thep | Bangkok |
| Turkey | Bursa | Prusa |
| Gelibolu | Gallipoli | |
| İstanbul | Istanbul | |
| İzmir | Smyrna | |
| Tekirdag | Rodosto | |
| Ukraine | Kiyev | Kiev |
| Odesa | Odessa | |
| United Arab Emirates | AbūZaby | Abu Dhabi |
| Ash Shāriqah | Sharjah | |
| Dubayy | Dubai | |
| Uzbekistan | Toškent/Taškent | Tashkent |
| Vietnam | Ho Chi Minh City | Saigon |
| Yemen | Al ’Adan | Aden |
| Şan’ā’ | Sana |
Every effort is made to keep this resource updated. If you find any errors, or have any questions or requests, please don't hesitate to contact the author.
All information copyright Graham Rhind 2024. Any information used should be acknowledged and referenced.