A placename is often much more than just a label. A name may bespeak the history of a nation, the culture of a people, or the hopes of an individual. Such connections are revealed in this reference work on placenames of the world, which offers an in-depth look at the origins of each. This new edition contains over 6, 000 entries, including 1, 000 new placenames from previously under-represented areas such as China and Japan.