Latin names of islands

From Wikinfo

Ancient Romans knew mostly the islands of Mediterranean, of eastern Atlantic and northwestern Indian Ocean having the classical Latin or latinized Greek names. The northernmost ones with a classical name was Norwegian Lofotes (Carambicae Insulae), the westernmost were Azores (Hesperides) the southernmost Madagascar (Menuthias), and the easternmost ones in Malaysia (Prasodum Insulae).

In southern Europe , ancient Romans knew numerous islands including many ninor islets; hence the next list includes chiefly major settled islands and islet groups. Other remote islands in Americas and Pacific during the Roman Empire were unknown; hence their recent Neolatin names are marked by Italics in the next list, and many latinized Greek names are indicated by an asterisk ( * ).

Here are listed major islands and groups in Latin, and English or local names on the right.

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Latin	English, other name, older name, island group, state/nation
Achillis* or Leuce	Serpilor or Zmeiny, NW Black Sea, Ukraine
Adulis	Dablak Isle, SW Red Sea, Erythrea
Aegates Insulae	Egadi Islands, West Sicily, Italy
Aegina	Aegina, Greece (Aigina)
Aenaria	Capri Isle, SE Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy
Aeolium* Insulae	Aeolian Islets, S Tyrrhenian, Italy
Aethalia* or Ilva	Elba Island, N Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy
Agathodemonis* Insula	Sumatra Island, Indonesia
Aloipos* or Aloepus	Olib Island, NE Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Alone*	Erdek island, Marmara sea, NW Turkey
Amorgos*	Amorgos, Aegean, Greece
Andros*	Andros, Aegean Sea, Greece
Anticosti	Ile d'Anticosti, Quebec
Anticythera*	Anticythera, Cythera, Greece
Antipodae*	Antipodes, SW Pacific, New Zealand
Arachus* or Tylus*	Bahrain Island, SW Persian Gulf
Arba	Rab Island, NE Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Archipelagus*	all Aegean islands of Greece
Insula Australis*	South Island, New Zealand
Balearicae	Balearic Islands
Barussae Insulae	Andamanes Islands, NE Indian Ocean
Insula Borealis*	North Island, New Zealand
Brattia	Brač Island, E Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Britannia	Britain
Bucium	Biševo or Bisovo Isle, Central Adriatic, Croatia
Calymnus*	Kalymnos, Dodecanese, Aegean, Greece
Carambicae Insulae	Lofotes Islands, NW Norway
Carpathos*	Carpathos, Dodecanese, Greece
Cassos*	Cassos, Dodecanese, Greece
Cauda*	Cauda (Gauda/Gaf(v)da), Greece
Celadussae Insulae	Kornati Islands, E Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Cephallenia*	Kefallinia or Cephallonia, Ionian Sea, Greece
Choasa*	Sušac or Šujac Isle, Central Adriatic offing, Croatia
Corcyra*	Corfu, Ionian, Greece (Kerkyra)
Corcyra* Nigra	Korčula, SE Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Cossyra	Capraria Isle, South Mediterranean, Italy
Cos*	Cos, Dodecanese, Aegean, Greece
Creta*	Crete (Kriti/Krete), Greece
Crepsa* or Crexa	Cres Island, N Adriatic, Croatia
Cuba	Cuba
Curycta* or Curicum	Krk or older Kark, NE Adriatic, Croatia
Cyclades* Insulae	Cyclades, Aegean Sea, Greece
Cynthos*	Cynthos, Cyclades, Aegean, Greece
Cyprus*	Cyprus (Kypros), East Mediterranean
Cyraunis*	Madeira Island in East Atlantic, Portugal
Cyrnus* or Corsica	Corsica, France
Cythera*	Cythera, Kythera, Greece
Dalmaticae Insulae	islands in middle and SE Adriatic, Croatia
Delos*	Delos, Cyclades, Aegean, Greece
Demonesiae*	Princes or Kizil Islands, Marmara Sea, NW Turkey
Diomedeae* Insulae	Tremiti Islets, SW Adriatic, Italy
Dioscoridis* Insula	Sokotra Island, Yemen, NW Indian Ocean
Dodecanesus*	Dodecanese or Dodekanisos, Greece
Dominica	Dominica, Antilles
Ebudeae Insulae	Hebrides Islands, North Scotland, UK
Ebusus	Ibiza, Baleares
Echinades* Insulae	Ehinadhes Islets in NE Ionian Sea, Greece
Euboea*	Euboea or Evvoia, Greece
Fortunatae Insulae or Canaris	Canary Islands, Spain
Gaulus	Gozzo Isle at Malta, South Mediterranean
Gorgades Insulae	Capverde Islands, West Africa
Gymnesiae* Insulae	Pithyuses Islets, Baleares, Spain
Helena (former name of Macronesus*)	Makronisos (Macro-nesus)
Hesperides* Insulae	Azores Islands, Central Atlantic, Portugal
Hibernia	Ireland
Hyperboreae* Insulae	Faeroes in North Atlantic, Denmark
Iabadia Insula	Java Island, NE Indian Ocean, Indonesia
Icaria*	Icaria, NE Ionian Sea, Greece
Imbros	Imbros or Gokceada, NE Aegean Sea Turkey
Ioniae Insulae	Ionian Islands or Ionie Nisoi, Greece
Iotabe*	Tiran Islets, North Red Sea at Sinai
Irine* Insula	now Kutch Peninsula in Gujarat, SW India
Issa*	Vis Island, Central Adriatic offing, Croatia
Ithaca*	Ithaca, Ionian Sea, Greece
Ladeste or Lastobon*	Lastovo, Central Adriatic offing, Croatia
Lemnos*	Lemnos, Greece
Leros*	Leros, Aegean, Greece
Lesbos*	Lesbos, NE Aegean, Greece
Leukas*	Lefkas Island, NE Ionian Sea, Greece
Liburnicae Insulae	Kvarner Islands in N and NE Adriatic, Croatia
Lipara	Lipari Isle, South Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy
Lopadusa	Lampedusa isle in South Mediterranean, Italy
Lumbricata	Vrgada Isle, NE Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Lyciae* Insulae	Kastellorizo Isles, SW Asia Minor, Greece
Melitta*	Malta, South Mediterranean
Melitussa*	Mljet Island, SE Adriatic, Croatia
Menuthias	Madagascar Island at East Africa, Indian Ocean
Mona	Anglesey Island, England, UK
Monapia	Isle of Man, UK
Myconos*	Myconos, Greece
Necropygia*	Tendra Isle, NW Black Sea, Ukraine
Nivaria	Teneriffe, Canary Islands, Spain
Nova Britannia Occidentalis	New West Britain, Papua New Guinea
Nova Caledonia	New Caledonia, SW Pacific
Nova Hibernia	New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
Nova Terra	Newfoundland, NW Atlantic, Canada
Oaracta*	Hormuz Island (Qeshm) in Persian Gulf, Iran
Olynta* or Sulenta	Šolta Isle, East Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Oenussae* Insulae	Oinouse islets, SW Peloponnesus, Ionian Sea
Ophiussa*	Formentera, Spain
Orcadia	Orkney Island, Scotland
Osteodes*	Ustica Isle, South Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy
Pamodus	Pag island, NE Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Parus*	Paros, Cyclades, Aegean, Greece
Pharus*	Hvar or old Foar Island, East Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Prasodum Insulae	Malaysia, SW islands of Chinese Sea
Insula Prin. Eduardi	Prince Edward Island
Proconnesus*	Marmara Island, Marmara Sea, NW Turkey
Proteras* or Proversa	Prvić Isle, NE Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Pullariae Insulae	Brijuni islets, North Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Regiae Elisae	Queen Elizabeth Islands, Nunavut, Canada
Riduva	Alderney, Channel Islands, UK
Rho*	Ro islet, E of Rhodes, Greece
Rhodus*	Rhodes, Dodecanese, Aegean, Greece
Salamis*	Salamis, Greece
Sardinia	Sardinia
Sarnia	Guernsey, Channel Islands, UK
Scyrus*	Scyros, Sporades, Greece
Selediva (or Taprobane*)	Ceylon Island or Sri Lanka, Indian Ocean
Sena	Ile d'Ouessant, West France
Sicilia	Sicily
Sissa	Ugljan Isle, NE Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Skardagissa*	Škarda Isle, NE Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Skopelus*	Skopelos, Sporades, Greece
Sorlingae	Scilly Islets, SW England, UK
Sporades* Insulae	Sporades Islands, Aegean, Greece
Stoechades* Insulae	Hyeres Islets, SE France
Strongyle*	Stromboli Isle, South Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy
Strophades*	Strophades, S of Zante/Zakynthos, Greece
Syros*	Syros, Greece
Taphus*	Taphos islet, NE Ionian Sea, Greece
Taprobane*	an enigmatic island in Indian Ocean (perhaps Ceylon ?)
Terra Australis	a land in Southern Ocean (perhaps Australia ?)
Thasos*	Thasos, Aegean, Greece
Therinessa*	Volcano Isle, South Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy
Thule	an isle in North Atlantic (perhaps Island ?)
Tylus* or Arachus*	Bahrain Island, SW Persian Gulf
Ultima Thule	a land in northernmost Atlantic (perhaps Groenland ?)
Vindilis	Belle-Ile in West France
Zelandia	Zealand, Zeeland
Zycanthus, Zacynthus	Zante (Zakynthos), Ionian, Greece

See also

• Latin names of European cities
• Latin names of European rivers
• Latin names of cities
• Latin names of geographical features
• Latin names of lakes
• Latin names of mountains
• Latin names of regions
• Latin names of rivers
• List of Roman place names in Britain
• Roman Place names

External Links

http://www.columbia.edu/acis/ets/Graesse/contents.html

References

• Partly adapted and completed, from the Wikipedia article "Latin_names_of_islands" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_names_of_islands, used under the GNU Free Documentation License