Have you ever though what the names of all the countries in the world ACTUALLY mean? Well, this innovative map created by Credit Card Compare and released by Culture Trip does just that, and some of them are pretty accurately hilarious!

The world map mentions every country’s historical meaning as far as their earliest literal translations go, as well as the actual name in brackets. And well, Malta’s is pretty accurate! According to the map, Malta’s literal translation is ‘place of refuge’ which is spot on, especially considering the various settlers that have come over to the islands while travelling to other places throughout history. We’re the perfect stepping stone.

Other intriguing names in Europe include, Sons of the Bull (Italy), Land of the Fierce (France), Land of Eagles (Albania) and Home of Warriors (Denmark).

If you venture on to North America, there’s The Village (Canada), Land of Shallow Sea (Bahamas), In the Navel of the Moon (Mexico), Land of Mountains (Haiti), and Place of Abundant Fish (Panama) – more like abundant offshore accounts, but we won’t get into that!

Culture Trip said, “surprisingly, a lot of factors seem to influence the name of a country, from geography to climate to wildlife. Andorra, which means ‘Shrub-Covered Land,’ and Spain meaning ‘Land of Many Rabbits,’ are good examples.” And sometimes, the name is a term describing the inhabitants of a country, like Macedonia, meaning ‘Land of Tall People.’

How delightful!