Updated on March 6, 2024
Territory, a word that evokes a sense of ownership, belonging, and identity. It is a term that has been used throughout history to define and describe the physical space that a group of people inhabit and claim as their own. From the territorial disputes of nations to the protected habitats of endangered species, the concept of territory is one that transcends cultures and languages.
The significance of territory extends beyond mere geographical boundaries. It is intertwined with our cultural heritage, shaping our traditions, customs, and ways of life. Understanding the translations of territory in different languages can provide valuable insights into the unique perspectives and worldviews of various cultures.
For instance, in Spanish, territory is translated as 'territorio', while in French, it becomes 'territoire'. In German, the word is 'Gebiet', and in Japanese, it is '領域 (ryōiki)'. Each of these translations offers a glimpse into the distinct linguistic and cultural nuances associated with the concept of territory.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply curious, delving into the translations of territory in different languages is a fascinating journey that awaits you.
Afrikaans | gebied | ||
The word "gebied" also means "command" or "rule" in Dutch, from which the Afrikaans word is derived. | |||
Amharic | ክልል | ||
The word "ክልል" (kəlləl) in Amharic has the literal meaning of "circle" or "ring"} | |||
Hausa | yanki | ||
Yanki is also an informal Hausa term for 'village' or 'district'. | |||
Igbo | ókèala | ||
The word "ókèala" in Igbo can also mean "a piece of land" or "a region" | |||
Malagasy | faritany | ||
The word "faritany" is also used to refer to a region within a country, or a province within a region. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | gawo | ||
The word "gawo" is derived from the verb "kugwa" which means "to fall" or "to be located" in Nyanja. | |||
Shona | ndima | ||
Shona 'ndima' (territory) can also refer to the 'home' of an animal, 'nest', 'den' or 'burrow'. | |||
Somali | dhul | ||
The word "dhul" in Somali can also refer to a clan or group of people living in a specific area. | |||
Sesotho | tšimo | ||
The word "tšimo" can also mean "place of origin" or "homeland" and is related to the verb "ho tšimolla" (to start). | |||
Swahili | wilaya | ||
The word "wilaya" in Swahili can also refer to a province or a region within a country. | |||
Xhosa | intsimi | ||
In Xhosa, "intsimi" can also refer to a particular space or area. | |||
Yoruba | agbegbe | ||
"Agbegbe" in Yoruba can also mean "surrounding area" or "environment." | |||
Zulu | insimu | ||
Its plural "izimisi" can be used to mean "land" or "farm". | |||
Bambara | jamana | ||
Ewe | anyigbã | ||
Kinyarwanda | ifasi | ||
Lingala | teritware | ||
Luganda | amatwaale | ||
Sepedi | mollwane | ||
Twi (Akan) | beaeɛ | ||
Arabic | منطقة | ||
The Arabic word "منطقة" originally referred to an area marked out for grazing camels | |||
Hebrew | שֶׁטַח | ||
"שטח" can also refer to an area or surface | |||
Pashto | سیمه | ||
The word “سیمه” has also been used to describe a face or figure in Pashto literature and poetry. | |||
Arabic | منطقة | ||
The Arabic word "منطقة" originally referred to an area marked out for grazing camels |
Albanian | territori | ||
The word "territori" is derived from the Latin word "territorium" meaning "land belonging to a particular political unit" | |||
Basque | lurraldea | ||
In Basque, "lurraldea" literally means "land of the people," reflecting the deep connection between Basques and their land. | |||
Catalan | territori | ||
The term "territori" in Catalan comes from the Latin word "territorium", which originally meant "the land of a tribe" or "the district of a city-state." | |||
Croatian | teritorija | ||
The word 'teritorija' is derived from the Latin word 'territorium', which originally referred to the land controlled by a city-state. | |||
Danish | territorium | ||
"Territorium" is a more formal word for "omraade" ("area"), but it is also used in contexts where "omraade" would not be appropriate | |||
Dutch | grondgebied | ||
The word "grondgebied" is derived from the Dutch words "grond" (land) and "gebied" (area). | |||
English | territory | ||
The word "territory" comes from the Latin word "territorium", meaning "land belonging to a particular state or ruler." | |||
French | territoire | ||
The word "territoire" is derived from the Latin word "terra", meaning "land" or "earth". | |||
Frisian | gebiet | ||
The Frisian word "gebiet" is not related to the German word with the same spelling and meaning "territory", but to the Old Frisian verb "gebenna" (to give). | |||
Galician | territorio | ||
In Galician, "territorio" can also refer to a town's district or neighborhood where a saint is celebrated. | |||
German | gebiet | ||
"Gebiet" originally meant "something given", later it came to mean "area under one's control". | |||
Icelandic | landsvæði | ||
The Icelandic word "landsvæði" originally meant a "place where one has the duty of watching for enemy attacks" | |||
Irish | críoch | ||
"Críoch" means "boundary, limit, territory, region, country, border" and comes from the Old Irish "crích" meaning "boundary, frontier, territory." | |||
Italian | territorio | ||
In Italian, 'territorio' can also refer to a district or an administrative division. | |||
Luxembourgish | territoire | ||
Though commonly used in French, German and English with essentially the same meaning, ''Territoire'' as used in Luxembourgers is more likely derived from the Celtic word ''Tir,'' meaning ''land'' or ''country'' that has evolved into English ''shire.'' | |||
Maltese | territorju | ||
The word "territorju" ultimately derives from the Latin word "terra" meaning "land" and has cognates in numerous Romance languages and English. | |||
Norwegian | territorium | ||
In Norwegian, territorium can also refer to the land surrounding a building or a town. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | território | ||
The word "território" derives from the Latin "territorium," but in Portuguese, it also refers to a "jurisdiction" or "area of expertise." | |||
Scots Gaelic | fearann | ||
Fearann may refer to both land and sea, as it derives from a Pictish term for 'headland'. | |||
Spanish | territorio | ||
"Territorio" also means "land subject to a given jurisdiction" or "a subject or a domain, usually of knowledge or activity." | |||
Swedish | territorium | ||
The word "territorium" is related to the Swedish word "terräng", which originally meant "uncultivated land". | |||
Welsh | tiriogaeth | ||
Tiriogaeth derives from the Welsh word "tir" (land) and the suffix "-ogaeth" (possession or domain), meaning "that which is possessed or owned." |
Belarusian | тэрыторыі | ||
The word "тэрыторыі" is the cognate of "territory" in Russian and has similar connotations of a political domain in Belarusian. | |||
Bosnian | teritorija | ||
The word "teritorija" can also refer to a district, region or area. | |||
Bulgarian | територия | ||
The word "територия" (territory) in Bulgarian derives from the Latin word "territorium," meaning "land belonging to a particular city" | |||
Czech | území | ||
The word "území" is derived from the Latin word "terra" and originally meant "land" or "earth." | |||
Estonian | territooriumil | ||
Related to the Estonian word "tari", meaning "fence" or "boundary". | |||
Finnish | alue | ||
The word "alue" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "ala", meaning "lower area" or "plain." | |||
Hungarian | terület | ||
"Terület" originates from the Turkic word "terü" meaning "area" or "place". | |||
Latvian | teritorijā | ||
The word “teritorijā” in Latvian comes from the Latin word “territorium”, which means “land” or “district”. | |||
Lithuanian | teritorijoje | ||
The Lithuanian word "teritorijoje" comes from the Latin word "territorium", but it can also mean "area" or "land" | |||
Macedonian | територија | ||
In some Slavic languages, "територија" also designates a large forest area. | |||
Polish | terytorium | ||
The word 'terytorium' comes from the Latin word 'terra', meaning 'land'. | |||
Romanian | teritoriu | ||
"Teritoriu" is derived from the Latin "territorium" meaning "land" or "domain" and can also refer to a geographical area or a sphere of activity. | |||
Russian | территория | ||
The word "территория" comes from the Latin "terra", meaning "land", and can also refer to an area of administrative division or jurisdiction. | |||
Serbian | територија | ||
"Територија" is derived from Latin "terra" (earth) through the Romance languages. It can also refer to the area of jurisdiction of an organization or authority. | |||
Slovak | území | ||
The word "území" comes from the Slavic word *u-zem-je*, meaning "land that is outside of a settlement." | |||
Slovenian | ozemlju | ||
The word "ozemlju" can also refer to a specific area of land, such as a farm or a forest. | |||
Ukrainian | території | ||
The word "території" also means "lands" or "domains" in Ukrainian. |
Bengali | এলাকা | ||
The term 'এলাকা' can also refer to an administrative unit or a geographic region in Bengali. | |||
Gujarati | પ્રદેશ | ||
Hindi | क्षेत्र | ||
The word "क्षेत्र" (kṣētra) in Sanskrit also means "field" or "sacred space". | |||
Kannada | ಪ್ರದೇಶ | ||
The Kannada word "ಪ್ರದೇಶ" has Sanskrit roots meaning "region" and can also refer to an administrative division. | |||
Malayalam | പ്രദേശം | ||
The word "പ്രദേശം" in Malayalam has a Sanskrit origin meaning "region, place or district." | |||
Marathi | प्रदेश | ||
The Marathi word 'प्रदेश' ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word 'प्रदिश' meaning 'a direction'. | |||
Nepali | क्षेत्र | ||
The word "क्षेत्र" (territory) comes from the Sanskrit word "क्षेत्रा" which means "field" or "area". It is also related to the word "क्षत्र" which means "power" or "authority". These words share a common root meaning "to spread" or "to expand". | |||
Punjabi | ਖੇਤਰ | ||
The word 'ਖੇਤਰ' comes from the Sanskrit word 'क्षेत्र', meaning 'field' or 'land'. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | භූමිය | ||
The Sinhala word "භූමිය" can also mean "land" or "earth." | |||
Tamil | பிரதேசம் | ||
"பிரதேசம்" also means 'locality, place', 'field, ground', or 'part, side', 'region or country' in the sense of a defined geographical entity, or it can also be interpreted as 'space, place or direction' in a philosophical context | |||
Telugu | భూభాగం | ||
The Telugu word "భూభాగం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "भूभाग" which literally means "part of the earth" or "land division". | |||
Urdu | علاقہ | ||
The word "علاقہ" can also refer to an area of land that is governed by a single authority. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 领土 | ||
"领土"在中文中最早指的是领子下的土地 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 領土 | ||
領土 in Chinese can be used to describe not only territory of a country but also the fief of a feudal lord or the domain of a particular power. | |||
Japanese | 地域 | ||
The word 「地域」 initially referred to one's land or hometown, but today commonly refers to a specific area. | |||
Korean | 영토 | ||
영토 can also refer to a person's personal space or domain. | |||
Mongolian | газар нутаг | ||
Газар нутаг can also mean the space where the Mongolian people live. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ပိုင်နက် | ||
Indonesian | wilayah | ||
The Indonesian word "wilayah" is also used in Malay (e.g. wilayah perairan "maritime boundary") and other regional language variations in the Philippines as "wilayat" | |||
Javanese | wilayah | ||
Wilayah, meaning 'territory' in Javanese, derives from Sanskrit 'vi-laya' meaning 'place of movement'. | |||
Khmer | ទឹកដី | ||
The word "ទឹកដី" (territory) also refers to a plot of land or agricultural property, particularly one in a rural area. | |||
Lao | ອານາເຂດ | ||
ອານາເຂດ can also refer to the domain or sphere of influence of a particular power or entity. | |||
Malay | wilayah | ||
The term 'wilayah' derives from the Arabic word for 'province', 'region', or 'dominion' and has been widely used in Malay to denote various levels of territorial jurisdiction. | |||
Thai | อาณาเขต | ||
The word "อาณาเขต" is derived from the words "อาณา" meaning "realm" and "เขต" meaning "boundary". | |||
Vietnamese | lãnh thổ | ||
The Sino-Vietnamese word lãnh thổ is also used in the sense of 'domain' and 'realm'. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | teritoryo | ||
Azerbaijani | ərazi | ||
The word "ərazi" in Azerbaijani can also refer to a plot of land or a building. | |||
Kazakh | аумақ | ||
The Kazakh word "аумақ" derives from the Proto-Turkic word "*awmaq" which also means "nation" or "country." | |||
Kyrgyz | аймак | ||
The word "аймак" ("territory") in Kyrgyz also refers to an administrative division in Mongolia and China. | |||
Tajik | қаламрав | ||
The word "қаламрав" is derived from the Persian word "قلمرو" (qalamraw), meaning "domain" or "realm." | |||
Turkmen | territoriýasy | ||
Uzbek | hudud | ||
The word "hudud" in Uzbek, meaning "territory," is also used to refer to the boundaries of a land. | |||
Uyghur | تېررىتورىيە | ||
Hawaiian | teritori | ||
In Hawaiian, "teritori" can also refer to a specific land division within a larger political entity, similar to a district or province. | |||
Maori | rohe | ||
"Rohe" can also mean "the reach of a chief's authority" or "the area of a mountain's influence on the surrounding land". | |||
Samoan | teritori | ||
The Samoan word "teritori" also refers to a specific piece of land or property. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | teritoryo | ||
"Teritoryo" is derived from the Spanish word "territorio" which means "territory". |
Aymara | uraqi | ||
Guarani | yvytuicha | ||
Esperanto | teritorio | ||
The Esperanto word “teritorio” derives from the Latin word “territorium” which has two alternate meanings: region of the sky and region of the Earth. | |||
Latin | finibus | ||
The word "finibus" in Latin means "boundary, limit, end" and is related to the verb "finire," meaning "to end, to finish, to bound." |
Greek | έδαφος | ||
The Greek word έδαφος (territory) is etymologically related to the words εδάφη, which means soil and ground, and έδος meaning base. | |||
Hmong | liaj ia tebchaws | ||
The word "liaj ia tebchaws" in Hmong can also mean "land" or "country". | |||
Kurdish | herêm | ||
The word 'herêm' also means 'sanctuary' or 'protected area' in Kurdish. | |||
Turkish | bölge | ||
The word "bölge" is derived from the Turkish word "bölek", which means "part" or "division". It is related to the Mongolian word "böle", which also means "part". "Bölge" is also a term used to denote a military zone, a region of a country, or a geographical area. | |||
Xhosa | intsimi | ||
In Xhosa, "intsimi" can also refer to a particular space or area. | |||
Yiddish | טעריטאָריע | ||
The Yiddish word "טעריטאָריע" is borrowed from English "territory", and also refers to animal habitat. | |||
Zulu | insimu | ||
Its plural "izimisi" can be used to mean "land" or "farm". | |||
Assamese | অঞ্চল | ||
Aymara | uraqi | ||
Bhojpuri | क्षेत्र | ||
Dhivehi | ސަރަހައްދު | ||
Dogri | अलाका | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | teritoryo | ||
Guarani | yvytuicha | ||
Ilocano | teritorio | ||
Krio | tɛritri | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | ناوچە | ||
Maithili | क्षेत्र | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯝ | ||
Mizo | ram bung | ||
Oromo | daangaa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଅଞ୍ଚଳ | ||
Quechua | territorio | ||
Sanskrit | प्रक्षेत्र | ||
Tatar | территориясе | ||
Tigrinya | ግዝኣት | ||
Tsonga | ndhawu | ||