British Isles Etymological Map (Atlas of True Names)

Kalimedia have produced an original, fold out map of the British Isles that uncovers the true etymology behind familiar place names in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Names are taken back to their roots and translated into English, giving us an unusual and intriguing insight into the character of peoples and places behind the more recognizable cartographic names. Many geographical names are clearly rooted in man’s observation of his natural environment. Physical geography has given rise to the Iles at the Edge of the Sea (Hebrides) and the Market by the Yawning Estuary (Ipswich). Unsurprisingly, places have often acquired names derived from the characteristics of the people who live there: The Great Land of the Tattooed (Great Britain) and Bear Guard’s Home (Birmingham). London is, possibly aptly,said to translate as ‘Unaffordable River Town’! An A-Z listing of place names and their derivations, as featured on the map, is provided on the reverse of the sheet.