Swedish exonyms

Below is list of Swedish language exonyms for places in non-Swedish-speaking areas of the world. Not included are spelling changes and translations of non-proper nouns.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

In general

Diacritical marks (such as ´ ` ^ etc above letters) are generally stripped, except that Å, Ä, Ö, are kept, and usually also Ü and É (but È and Á are written E and A). Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic and Faroese Æ and Ø are often written as AE or Ä and Ö, especially in the press.

Foreign place names containing a direction such as South or Upper are often translated, e.g.:

• East Timor - Östtimor
• Northern Ireland - Nordirland
• South Africa - Sydafrika

but U.S. states nowadays keep their English names in Sweden:

• e.g. South Carolina and West Virginia

Albania

Albania Albanien
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Tirana	Tirana	Tiranë

Argentina

Argentina Argentina
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Patagonia	Patagonien	Patagonia
Tierra del Fuego	Eldslandet	Tierra del Fuego

Austria

Austria Österrike
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Tyrol	Tyrolen	Tirol

Belgium

Belgium Belgien
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Bruges	Brygge	Brugge	Dutch
Brussels	Bryssel (Brüssel)	Brussel	Dutch
		Bruxelles	French
Ostend	Ostende	Oostende	Dutch
Ypres	Ypern	Ieper	Dutch

Bulgaria

Bulgaria Bulgarien
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Balkan Mountains	Balkanbergen	Stara Planina
Danube	Donau	Dunav
Thrace	Thrakien	Trakiya

China

China Kina
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Beijing	Peking	Běijīng	Mandarin	Endonym also used
Great Wall of China	Kinesiska muren	Chángchéng	Mandarin
Guanghzou	Kanton	Guangzhou	Mandarin
Hong Kong	Hongkong	Hong Kong	English
Tiananmen Square	Himmelska fridens torg	Tiān'ānmén Guǎngchǎng	Mandarin

Croatia

Croatia Kroatien
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Dalmatia	Dalmatien	Dalmacija
Danube	Donau	Dunav
Istria	Istrien	Istra

Cuba

Cuba Kuba
English name	Swedish name	Endonym
Havana	Havanna	Habana

Czechia

Czechia Tjeckien
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Bohemia	Böhmen	Čechy	Czech
Elbe	Elbe	Labe	Czech
Moravia	Mähren	Morava	Czech
Prague	Prag	Praha	Czech
Silesia	Schlesien	Slezko	Czech

Denmark

Denmark Danmark
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Aabenraa	Åbenrå	Aabenraa
Aalborg	Ålborg	Aalborg
Aarhus	Århus	Aarhus
Elsinore	Helsingör	Helsingør
Copenhagen	Köpenhamn	København
Peberholm	Pepparholm	Peberholm
Zealand	Själland	Sjælland

Newspapers in Sweden usually write all æ as ä or ae and all ø as ö, because of the lack of æ and ø on the Windows keyboard layout for Swedish, and historically because of the lack of them on Swedish typewriters. Swedish newspapers normally write aa as å. Aa is the traditional spelling of the "aw" sound in Danish, but this spelling does not exist for this sound in Swedish. Both spellings of the sound exist in Danish, but aa is preferred for names.

Swedish Wikipedia writes Danish place names using the original æ and ø, except for those listed above.

Egypt

Egypt Egypten
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Egypt	Egypten	Miṣr, Maṣr	Arabic
Alexandria	Alexandria	al-Iskandariyya	Standard Arabic
Cairo	Kairo	al-Qāhira	Standard Arabic
Luxor	Luxor	al-Uqṣur	Standard Arabic

Estonia

Estonia had a significant indigenous Swedish-speaking population until the mid-20th Century, so many of these names are not really exonyms in the strict sense of the word.

Estonia Estland
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Haapsalu	Hapsal	Haapsalu
Hiiumaa	Dagö	Hiiumaa
Kärdla	Kärrdal	Kärdla
Osmussaar	Odensholm	Osmussaar
Pakri	Rågö	Pakri
Ruhnu	Runö	Ruhnu
Saaremaa	Ösel	Saaremaa
Tallinn	Lindanäs, Räffle, Reval	Tallinn
Tartu	Dorpat	Tartu
Vormsi	Ormsö	Vormsi

Finland

Swedish is one of the two official languages of Finland, so the Swedish names of places in Finland are not exonyms.

Further information: Names of places in Finland in Finnish and in Swedish

France

France Frankrike
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Aquitaine	Akvitanien	Aquitaine	French
Ardennes	Ardennerna	Ardennes	French
Burgundy	Burgund	Bourgogne	French
Corsica	Korsika	Corse	French
Normandy	Normandie(t)	Normandie	French
Pyrenees	Pyrenéerna	Pyrénées	French
Rhine	Rhen	Rhin	French

Germany

Germany Tyskland
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Gottorp	Gottorp	Gottorf	German
Rhine	Rhen	Rhein	German

Greece

Greece Grekland
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Athens	At(h)en	Athina
Attica	Attika	Attiki
Boeotia	Boiotien	Viotia
Corfu	Korfu	Kerkyra
Corinth	Korinth	Korinthos
Crete	Kreta	Kriti
Cyclades	Kykladerna	Kyklades
Dodecanese	Dodekaneserna, Tolvöarna	Dodekánisa
Epirus	Epirus	Ipeiros
Euboea	Euboia	Evvia
Heraklion	Heraklion	Iraklio
Ionian Islands	Joniska öarna	Ionia nisia
Missolonghi	Messolonghi	Mesolongi
Naupactus	Naupaktos	Nafpaktos
Patras	Patras	Patra
Pireus	Pireus	Peiraiás
Rhodes	Rhodos	Rodos
Samothrace	Samothrake	Samothraki
Sparta	Sparta	Sparti
Thebes	Thebe	Thivai
Thessaloniki	Thessaloniki, Saloniki	Thessaloniki
Thessaly	Thessalien	Thessalia
Thrace	Thrakien	Thraki

Hungary

Hungary Ungern
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Danube	Donau	Duna

Iceland

Iceland Island
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Heimaey	Hemön	Heimaey
Reykjavík	Reykjavik	Reykjavík
Vestmannaeyjar	Västmannaöarna	Vestmannaeyjar

Iraq

Iraq Iraq
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Euphrates	Eufrat	al-Furāt	Arabic
Tigris	Tigris	Dijla	Arabic

Israel

Israel Israel
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Acre	Akko	‘Akkā	Arabic
		‘Ako	Hebrew
Capernaum	Kafarnaum (Kapernaum)	Kfar Naḥum	Hebrew
		Talhum	Arabic
Galilee	Galileen	Al-Jalīl	Arabic
		HaGalil	Hebrew
Jaffa	Jaffa	Yaffa	Arabic
		Yafo	Hebrew
Judea	Judeen	Yahudia	Arabic
		Yehuda	Hebrew
Nazareth	Nasaret	al-Nāṣira	Standard Arabic
		al-Nāṣeriyye	Palestinian Arabic
		Natzrat, Natzeret	Hebrew
Tiberias	Tiberias	Ṭabariyya	Arabic
		Tverya	Hebrew

Italy

Italy Italien
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Florence	Florens	Firenze	Italian
Genoa	Genua	Genova	Italian
Lombardy	Lombardiet	Lombardia	Italian
Naples	Neapel	Napoli	Italian
Padua	Padua	Padova	Italian
Rome	Rom	Roma	Italian
Sardinia	Sardinien	Sardegna	Italian
Sicily	Sicilien	Sicilia	Italian
Syracuse	Syrakusa	Siracusa	Italian
Tiber	Tibern	Tevere	Italian
Turin	Turin	Torino	Italian
Tyrol	Tyrolen	Tirolo	Italian
Venice	Venedig	Venezia	Italian
Venetia	Venetien	Veneto	Italian
Vesuvius	Vesuvius	Vesuvio	Italian

Latvia

Latvia Lettland
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Courland	Kurland	Kurzeme
Latgale	Lettgallen	Latgale
Zemgale	Semgallen	Zemgale

Lebanon

Lebanon Libanon
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Beirut	Beirut	Bayrūt	Arabic
Sidon	Sayda, Sidon	Ṣaydā	Arabic
Tyre	Tyros	Ṣūr	Arabic

Lithuania

Lithuania Litauen
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Samogitia	Samogitien	Žemaitija

Mali

Mali Mali
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Timbuktu	Timbuktu	Tombouctou	French

Morocco

Morocco Marocko
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Casablanca	Casablanca	Ed-Dah el-Biḍa	Arabic
Marrakesh	Marrakech	Murrākuš	Arabic
Tangier	Tanger	Ṭanjah	Arabic

Netherlands

Netherlands Nederlända
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Rhine	Rhen	Rijn
The Hague	Haag	Den Haag

Norway

The mutually intelligible Norwegian and Swedish languages have different spelling systems for the same sounds. Newspapers in Sweden usually write all æ as ä or ae and all ø as ö, because of the lack of æ and ø on the Windows keyboard layout for Swedish, and historically because of the lack of them on Swedish typewriters. Apart from æ and ø, the Norwegian spelling is used in Sweden.

Examples include Askøy, Bodø, Bærum, Galdhøpiggen, Gjøvik, Hønefoss, Røros, Stjørdal, Tønsberg, Tromsø, Vadsø and Østfold, which are usually by media written as Asköy, Bodö, Bärum, Galdhöpiggen, Gjövik, Hönefoss, Röros, Stjördal, Tönsberg, Tromsö, Vadsö and Östfold.

The Norwegian spelling with æ and ø is still often used. Swedish Wikipedia writes Norwegian place names using the original æ and ø.

Palestine

Palestine Palestina
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Bethlehem	Betlehem	Bayt Laḥm	Arabic
		Beyt Leḥem	Hebrew
Hebron	Hebron	Al-Khalīl	Arabic
		Ḥevron	Hebrew
Jericho	Jeriko	‘Arīḥā	Arabic
		Yeriḥo	Hebrew
Jerusalem	Jerusalem	Al-Quds	Arabic
		Yerushaláyim	Hebrew

Poland

Poland Polen
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Carpathians	Karpaterna	Karpaty	Polish
Gdańsk	Gdansk (Danzig)	Gdańsk	Polish
Masuria	Masurien	Mazury	Polish
Mazovia	Masovien	Mazowieckie	Polish
Pomerania	Pommern	Pomorze	Polish
Silesia	Schlesien	Śląsk	Polish
Szczecin	Stettin	Szczecin	Polish
Warmia	Ermland	Warmia	Polish
Warsaw	Warschau	Warszawa	Polish	Swedish now uses endonym

Portugal

Portugal Portugal
English name	Swedish name	Endonym
Lisbon	Lissabon	Lisboa

Romania

Romania Rumänien
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Bucharest	Bukarest	Bucureşti
Danube	Donau	Dunărea
Moldavia	Moldavien	Moldova
Wallachia	Valakiet	Țara Românească, Valahia

Russia

Russia Ryssland
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Bashkortostan	Basjkirien	Bashkortostan	Russian
Caucasus	Kaukasien	Kavkaz	Russian
Chukotka	Tjuktien	Chukotka	Russian
Ingria	Ingermanland	Ingermanlandiya	Russian
Ingushetia	Ingusjien	Ingushetiya	Russian
Kabardino-Balkaria	Kabardinien-Balkarien	Kabardino-Balkariya	Russian
Karachay-Cherkessia	Karatjajen-Tjerkessien	Karachayevo-Cherkesiya	Russian
Karelia	Karelen	Kareliya	Russian
Khakassia	Chakassien	Khakasiya	Russian
Pechenga	Petsamo	Pechenga	Russian
Petrozavodsk	Petroskoj (Onegaborg)	Petrozavodsk	Russian	Endonym also used
Priozersk	Kexholm	Priozersk	Russian
Saint Petersburg	Sankt Petersburg	Sankt Peterburg	Russian
Shlisselburg	Nöteborg	Shlisselbúrg (Шлиссельбу́рг)	Russian
Siberia	Sibirien	Sibir	Russian
Vyborg	Viborg	Vyborg	Russian
Zelenogorsk	Terijoki	Zelenogorsk	Russian

Some of these names are not really exonyms in the strict sense of the word, as the places have been part of Sweden, some founded as such.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia Saudiarabien
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Jeddah	Jeddah	Jidda
Mecca	Mekka	Makkah
Medina	Medina	Al-Madīnah
Riyadh	Riyadh	Ar-Riyāḍ

Slovakia

Slovakia Slovakien
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Carpathians	Karpaterna	Karpaty
Danube	Donau	Dunaj

South Africa

South Africa Sydafrika
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Cape Town	Kapstaden	Cape Town	English
		iKapa	Zulu
		Kaapstad	Afrikaans

Spain

Spain Spanien
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Andalusia	Andalusien	Andalucía	Spanish
Aragon	Aragonien	Aragón	Spanish
Asturias	Asturien	Asturias	Spanish
Basque Country	Baskien	Euskadi	Basque
		País Vasco	Spanish
Castile	Kastilien	Castilla	Spanish
Catalonia	Katalonien	Cataluña	Spanish
		Catalunya	Catalan
Galicia	Galicien	Galicia	Spanish
Pyrenees	Pyrenéerna	Pirineus	Catalan
		Pirinoak	Basque
		Pireneos	Spanish
Tenerife	Teneriffa	Tenerife	Spanish

Switzerland

Switzerland Schweiz
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Rhine	Rhen	Reno	Italian
		Rhein	German
		Rhin	French

Syria

Syria Syrien
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Aleppo	Aleppo	Ḥalab	Arabic
Damascus	Damaskus	Dimashq	Arabic
Euphrates	Eufrat	Al-Furāt	Arabic

Turkey

Turkey Turkiet
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Anatolia	Anatolien	Anadolu
Antioch	Antiochia	Antakya
Bosphorus	Bosporen	Boğaziçi/ İstanbul Boğazı
Cappadocia	Kappadokien	Kapadokya
Cilicia	Kilikien	Kilikya
Dardanelles	Dardanellerna	Çanakkale Boğazı
Edirne (Adrianople)	Edirne (Adrianopel)	Edirne
Ephesus	Efesos	Efes
Euphrates	Eufrat	Fırat
Gallipoli	Gallipoli	Gelibolu
Halicarnassus	Halikarnassos	Halikarnas
Istanbul (Constantinople)	Istanbul, Stanbul (Konstantinopel)	İstanbul (Kostantiniyye)
Thrace	Thrakien	Trakya
Tigris	Tigris	Dicle
Trabzon (Trebizond)	Trabzon (Trapezunt)	Trabzon
Troy	Troja	Truva/Troia

Ukraine

Ukraine Ukraina
English name	Swedish name	Endonym	Notes
Danube	Donau	Dunai
Galicia	Galizien	Halychyna
Kiev	Kiev	Kyiv

United Kingdom

United Kingdom Förenade kungadömet/ Storbritannien
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
British Virgin Islands	Brittiska Jungfruöarna	British Virgin Islands	English
Great Britain	Storbritannien	Great Britain	English	Preferred name for the country
Thames	Themsen	Thames	English

Some historic area names beginning with British are translated, such as British Guyana into "Brittiska Guyana". British Columbia in Canada is nowadays kept.

United States

United States Förenta staterna/ Amerika
English name	Swedish name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Appalachian Mountains	Appalacherna	Appalachian Mountains	English
California	Kalifornien	California	English
Rocky Mountains	Klippiga bergen	Rocky Mountains	English
U.S. Virgin Islands	Amerikanska Jungfruöarna	U.S. Virgin Islands	English

See also

• List of European exonyms
• Names of European cities in different languages