-stan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
For other uses, see Stan (disambiguation).

  Countries whose name in English has the suffix -stan
  Other countries that have first-level divisions whose names in English have the suffix -stan.
  Countries whose name in their native language has the suffix -𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯

The suffix -stan (Persian: ـستان, romanized: stân after a vowel; estân or istân after a consonant), has the meaning of "a place abounding in"[1] or "a place where anything abounds".[2] The suffix originated in the Persian language but is widely used by other Iranic Languages, Common Turkic Languages (excluding Siberian Turkic), and other languages historically influenced by Persian. It appears in the names of many regions in Iran, Afghanistan, and Central & South Asia, as well as in the Caucasus and Russia.

Etymology and cognates[edit]

The suffix -stan is analogous to the suffix -land, present in many country and location names. The suffix is also used more generally, as in Persian rigestân (ریگستان) "place of sand, desert", golestân (گلستان) "place of flowers, garden", gurestân (گورستان) "graveyard, cemetery", Hindustân (هندوستان) "land of the Indo people".

Originally an independent noun, this morpheme evolved into a suffix by virtue of appearing frequently as the last part in nominal compounds. It is of Indo-Iranian and ultimately Indo-European origin. It is cognate with the English word state, and with Sanskrit sthā́na (Devanagari: Sanskrit: स्थान [stʰaːnɐ]), meaning "the act of standing", from which many further meanings derive, including "place, location; abode, dwelling", and ultimately descends from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sthāna-.[3]

Countries[edit]

Some of these nations were also known with the Latinate suffix -ia during their time as Soviet republics: Turkmenistan was frequently Turkmenia, Kyrgyzstan often Kirghizia, and even Uzbekistan was very rarely Uzbekia.[4][5] In addition, the native name of Armenia is Hayastan, hay being the self-designation of Armenia people.

Country names in various languages[edit]

English Name Persian name Turkish name Armenian name Azerbaijani name Kazakh name Tatar name Uyghur name
 Armenia Armanestân – ارمنستان Ermenistan Hayastan – Հայաստան Ermənistan Ärmenstan – Әрменстан Ärmänstan – Әрмәнстан N/A
 Bulgaria Bulgharestân – بلغارستان Bulgaristan N/A Bolqarıstan Būlğarstan – Бұлғарстан Bolğarstan – Болгарстан N/A
 China Chin – چین N/A Čʿinastan – Չինաստան N/A N/A N/A N/A
 Croatia Hervatestan – کرواسی Hırvatistan N/A N/A Hyruatstan – Хыруатстан -
(alternative Xırwatstan – Хырватстан)		 N/A
 England Engelestân – انگلستان N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
 Ethiopian Empire

( Ethiopia and  Eritrea)

N/A -
(formerly Habeşistan) 		-
(formerly Habešstan - Հաբեշստան) 		-
(formerly Həbəşistan) 		N/A -
(formerly Xäbäşstan - Хәбәшстан 		-
(formerly Hebeshistan - ھەبەشىستان)
 Georgia Gorjestân – گرجستان Gürcistan Vrastan – Վրաստան Gürcüstan Gürjıstan – Гүржістан Görcistan – Гөрҗистан N/A
 Greece Yunan – یونان Yunanistan Hunastan – Հունաստան Yunanıstan İunanstan – Юнанстан Yunanstan – Юнанстан N/A
 Hungary Majarestan – مجارستان Macaristan N/A Macarıstan Majarstan – Мажарстан Macarstan – Маҗарстан N/A
 India Hindustan – هندوستان Hindistan Hndkastan – Հնդկաստան Hindistan Ündıstan – Үндістан Hindstan – Һиндстан Hindustan – ھىندىستان‎
 Mongolia Mogholestan – مغولستان Moğolistan N/A Monqolustan Moñğolstan – Моңголстан Moñğolstan – Моңголстан N/A
 Poland Lahestân – لهستان -
(formerly Lehistan)		 Lehastan – Լեհաստան N/A N/A Läxstan – Ләхстан Lehistan – لەھىستان‎
 Saudi Arabia Arabestân-e Sa'udi – عربستان سعودی Suudi Arabistan N/A Səudiyyə Ərəbistanı Arabstan – Арабстан Sögüd Gäräbstanı – Согуд Гарәбстаны Se'udi Erebistan – سەئۇدى ئەرەبىستان‎
 Serbia Serbestân – صربستان Sırbistan N/A N/A N/A -
(alternative Sırbstan – Сырбстан)		 N/A

Administrative divisions[edit]

The following table lists the subnational entities of different countries that end with -stan.

Country & First-level of division Country Subdivision Name
Provinces of Afghanistan Nuristan
Districts of Azerbaijan Gobustan
States of India Rajasthan[n 1]
Provinces of Iran Golestan, Khuzestan, Kurdistan, Lorestan, Sistan, Baluchestan
Governorates of Iraq Kurdistan Region
Regions of Kazakhstan Turkistan
Provinces of Pakistan Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan
Republics of Russia Bashkortostan, Dagestan, Tatarstan
Regions of Uzbekistan Karakalpakstan

Administrative subdivisions[edit]

The following list shows some examples of some second-level, third-level and fourth-level subdivions inside different countries that have their names ending in -stan-like suffix.

In Afghanistan[edit]

  1. ^ Various places share this name.

In Armenia[edit]

In Iran[edit]

  1. ^ a b Various places share this name.
  2. ^ In the Persian language, Shahrestan is also a common noun that means "county". It is in the names of the counties of Iran.

In Pakistan[edit]

In Tajikistan[edit]

In other countries[edit]

Regions[edit]

Proposed names[edit]

Fictional[edit]

Other[edit]

  • Absurdistan – sometimes used to satirically describe a country where everything goes wrong
  • Angyalistan – a micronation that claims garbage patches in international waters
  • Autistan – the "metaphorical country" of the autistic people
  • Bimaristan – a kind of hospital in medieval Persia and the medieval Islamic world
  • Bradistan – a moniker for Bradford, England, owing to its large population of Pakistani worker migrants
  • Canuckistan (full name being The People's Republic of Soviet Canuckistan) – epithet for Canada, used by Pat Buchanan on 31 October 2002, on his television show on MSNBC in which he denounced Canadians as anti-American and the country as a haven for terrorists. He was reacting to Canadian criticisms of US security measures regarding Arab Canadians[11]
  • Cavaquistan (Cavaquistão in Portuguese) – a name coined after the former Portuguese President and Prime-Minister Aníbal Cavaco Silva, referring to the regions of Portugal where he achieved landslide victories in the elections held in the late 1980s and early 1990s (especially in the Viseu District[12]); intended pun with Kazakhstan (Cazaquistão in Portuguese[13])
  • Dalitstan.org – a Dalit advocacy website active until mid-2006,[14] one of 18 websites that were blocked by the Indian government to check for hate messages following the 2006 Mumbai train bombings.[15]
  • Dondestan – an album by Robert Wyatt. Sounds like Spanish: "¿Dónde están?", lit. 'Where are they?'.
  • Extremistan and Mediocristan – used by author Nassim Nicholas Taleb to illustrate concepts of black swan theory in The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
  • Filmistan – a film-production company
  • Fondukistan or Fondoqestān – an early medieval settlement and Buddhist monastery in Afghanistan
  • Gazimestan – name of a monument commemorating the historical Battle of Kosovo
  • Hookturnistan - satirical name of Melbourne, Victoria due to big number of hook turns on city roads
  • Hamastan – a concept of a Palestinian Islamic government with Sharia as law
  • Iranistan – a pseudo-orientalist mansion built for P. T. Barnum in 1848 in Connecticut
  • Islamistan – means 'Land of Islam', used in various contexts
  • Londonistan – French counter-terrorism agents gave the British/English capital of London this sobriquet. Sometimes used derogatorily to refer to the large immigrant, especially Muslim, population in London.
  • Muristan – a complex of streets and shops in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem
  • New Yorkistan – the title of the cover art for the 10 December 2001 edition of The New Yorker magazine
    • The New Yorkistan map itself included various districts ending in -stan, e.g., Bronxistan, Cold Turkeystan, Fuhgeddabouditstan, Gaymenistan, Taxistan, Youdontunderstandistan, etc.
  • Orbánistan – a derogatory term for Hungary under the rule of Viktor Orbán[16]
  • Paganistan – the pagan/neo-pagan community of Minneapolis-Saint Paul in Minnesota[17]
  • Quebecistan – a term coined by Barbara Kay in 2006
  • Sarvestan – a Sasanian-era palace in the Iranian province of Sarvestan
  • Shabestan – an underground space, usually found in traditional architecture of mosques, houses, and schools in ancient Persia
  • Shahrestan (several meanings)
  • Skateistan – a skateboarding/educational organization based in Kabul, Afghanistan
  • Talibanistan – a name for the government of Afghanistan under the Taliban
  • Zaqistan – a micronation currently in Nevada

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The suffix -sthan is through Indic; not Iranic.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hayyim, Sulayman (1892), "ستان", New Persian-English Dictionary, vol. 2, Tehran: Librairie imprimerie Béroukhim, p. 30 Quote= ستان (p. V2-0030) ستان (۲) Suffix meaning 'a place abounding in'. Ex. گلستان a flower or rose-garden. Syn. زار See گازار Note. This suffix is pronounced stan or setan after a vowel, as in بوستان boostan, a garden, and هندوستان hendoostan, India; and estan after a consonant. Ex. گلستان golestan, and ترکستان torkestan. However, for poetic license, after a consonant also, it may be pronounced setan. Ex. گلستان golsetan
  2. ^ Steingass, Francis Joseph, "ستان", A Comprehensive Persian-English Dictionary, p. 655, stān (after a vowel), istān (after a consonant), Place where anything abounds, as ḵẖurmāstān, A palm-grove, gulistān, A flower-garden, &c.
  3. ^ Macdonell, Arthur Anthony. A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout. London: Oxford University Press, 1929 – University of Chicago
  4. ^ Google Ngram Uzbekia, Kirgizia, Turkmenia, Tajikia
  5. ^ Becker, Seymour (2004). Russia's Protectorates in Central Asia: Bukhara and Khiva, 1865–1924. Routledge. p. 553. ISBN 1-134-33582-2. As early as June 1920, Lenin had toyed with the idea of dividing Russian Turkestan into three national regions: Uzbekia, Kirgizia and Turkmenia.
  6. ^ "Turmoil in the North East: The demand for Bangalistan". SabrangIndia. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Lebanese solution " 15 Jul 1978 " The Spectator Archive". The Spectator Archive.
  8. ^ "Lojbnaistan". lojban wiki. 4 November 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  9. ^ Cowan, John Waldemar (1997). "1". The Complete Lojban Language (First ed.). Fairfax, VA, USA: The Logical Language Group. p. 3. ISBN 0-9660283-0-9.
  10. ^ Stuart, Keith (31 May 2019). "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare returns to tread a moral minefield". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  11. ^ Allan, Chantal (2009). Bomb Canada: And Other Unkind Remarks in the American Media. Athabasca University Press. pp. 84–85. ISBN 978-1-897425-49-7. soviet%20canuckistan%20arab%20canadians.
  12. ^ "Cavaquistão continua irredutível e a votar laranja ("Cavaquistan remains unyielding and voting orange") (in Portuguese)". Visão. 6 October 2019.
  13. ^ Carla Fernandes (2016). Multimodality and Performance. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-4438-9465-4.
  14. ^ Dibyesh Anand (15 October 2011). Hindu Nationalism in India and the Politics of Fear. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 34–. ISBN 978-0-230-36263-5.
  15. ^ "Govt blocks 18 sites to check hate messages". The Times of India. 19 July 2006. Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  16. ^ "The Ruler of Orbánistan". Aspen Institute Central Europe (in Czech). Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  17. ^ Pizza, Murphy (2009). "Schism as midwife: how conflict aided the birth of a contemporary Pagan community". In Lewis, James R.; Lewis, Sarah M. (eds.). Sacred schisms: how religions divide (PDF). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 249–261. ISBN 978-0-511-58071-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011. [...] the Pagan community of the Minnesota Twin Cities, otherwise known by members as 'Paganistan.'

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=-stan&oldid=1086285554"