-stan ( Persian: ستان )(

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: ''sthān'' or ''sthānam)'' is a Persian suffix that has the meaning of "a place abounding in" or "place where anything abounds" as a

suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns and adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can ca ...

. It is widely used by

Iranian languages The Iranian languages, also called the Iranic languages, are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European language family that are spoken natively by the Iranian peoples, predominantly in the Iranian Plateau. The Iranian langu ...

(mainly Persian) and the

Indic languages Indic languages may refer to: * Indo-Aryan languages, a subgroup of the Indo-European languages spoken mainly in the north of the Indian subcontinent (used in the context of Indo-European studies) * Languages of the Indian subcontinent, all the indi ...

(mainly Sanskrit,

Prakrit Prakrit ( ) is a group of vernacular classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 5th century BCE to the 12th century CE. The term Prakrit is usually applied to the middle period of Middle Ind ...

and Hindustani) as well as the

Turkic languages The Turkic languages are a language family of more than 35 documented languages, spoken by the Turkic peoples of Eurasia from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe to Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia (Siberia), and West Asia. The Turkic langua ...

(excluding Siberian Turkic), Dravidic languages (mainly Brahui and

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

) and other languages. The suffix appears in the names of many regions throughout

West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

, Central and

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

, and parts of the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Etymology and cognates

The suffix ''-stan'' is analogous to the suffix '' -land'', present in many country and location names. The suffix is also used more generally, as in Persian and Sanskrit which are (, ऋगेस्तान), "place of sand, desert"; (, गोलेस्तान), "place of flowers, garden"; (, गुरेस्तान), "graveyard, cemetery"; and '' Hendostân/Hindustan'' (, ), "Land of the

Indus The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans- Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the dis ...

(

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

)". Originally an independent noun, this morpheme evolved into a suffix by virtue of appearing frequently as the last part in nominal compounds. It is of Indo-Iranian and ultimately

Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...

origin. It is

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...

with the English word '' stead'', Polish ''stan'' (estate, or

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

first-level subdivisions), and with Sanskrit ( ), meaning "the act of standing", from which many further meanings derive, including "place, location; abode, dwelling". This meaning is ultimately related to

Proto-Indo-Iranian Proto-Indo-Iranian, also called Proto-Indo-Iranic or Proto-Aryan, is the reconstructed proto-language of the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo-European. Its speakers, the hypothetical Proto-Indo-Iranians, are assumed to have lived in the late 3rd ...

, partly loaned into

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

as ().

Countries

Countries adopting the -stan suffix in both English and these countries' national languages include: * - ; * - * - * - * - * - * - * - (informal name in the Hindustani language) * - (

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

name) Some of these nations were also known with the Latinate suffix ' during their time as Soviet republics: ''Turkmenistan'' was frequently ''Turkmenia'', ''Kyrgyzstan'' often ''Kirghizia'', and even ''Uzbekistan'' and ''Tajikistan'' were very occasionally ''Uzbekia'' and ''Tajikia''. In addition, the native name of

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

is ''Hayastan'', hay being the

endonym An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...

of Armenians and

is ''Hindustan'', Hindu being the endonym of

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

. The largest ''-stan'' country by area is

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

Country names in various languages

Administrative divisions

The following table lists the subnational entities of different countries that end with ''-stan''.

Administrative subdivisions

The following list shows some examples of some second-level, third-level, and fourth-level subdivisions inside different countries that have their names ending in a ''-stan''-like suffix.

In Afghanistan

In Armenia

In India

In Iran

Dehestan is the name of an administrative division in Iran.

In Pakistan

In Tajikistan

In other countries

Regions

* Arabistan – the name of the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

and other meanings * Arbayistan – a late-antiquity Sasanian

satrap A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median kingdom, Median and Achaemenid Empire, Persian (Achaemenid) Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic period, Hellenistic empi ...

* Asal Hindustan – a name for the

Kingdom of Nepal The Kingdom of Nepal was a Hindu monarchy in South Asia, founded in 1768 through the unification of Nepal, expansion of the Gorkha Kingdom. The kingdom was also known as the Gorkha Empire and was sometimes called History of Asal Hindustan, ...

* Asoristan – the province of

Babylonia Babylonia (; , ) was an Ancient history, ancient Akkadian language, Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Kuwait, Syria and Iran). It emerged as a ...

under the Sassanid Empire * Azadistan – a short-lived state in the Iranian province of Azarbaijan under Mohammad Khiabani *

Bashkortostan Bashkortostan, officially the Republic of Bashkortostan, sometimes also called Bashkiria, is a republic of Russia between the Volga river and the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. The republic borders Perm Krai to the north, Sverdlovsk Oblast ...

– administrative division of

in eastern

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

* Bashkurdistan – national-territorial autonomy, during the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

* Balawaristan – a revived historical name of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan *

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...

/Baluchistan – a region in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Baltistan Baltistan (); also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet, is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit-Baltistan and constitutes a northern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a dispute bet ...

– a northern region in

Bantustan A Bantustan (also known as a Bantu peoples, Bantu homeland, a Black people, black homeland, a Khoisan, black state or simply known as a homeland; ) was a territory that the National Party (South Africa), National Party administration of the ...

– an

Apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

-era South African and South West African black 'homeland' (the term coined by analogy) * Cholistan Desert – a desert region in

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, Pakistan * Dardistan – a region in northern

of Dardu speakers * Dihistan – a Sassanian province *

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

– the historic name for pre-independence

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

East Turkestan East Turkestan or East Turkistan (, : , : ), is a loosely-defined geographical region in the northwestern part of the People's Republic of China, on the cross roads of East and Central Asia. The term was coined in the 19th century by Russi ...

or Uyghuristan – a region dominated by

Uyghurs The Uyghurs,. alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central Asia and East Asia. The Uyghurs are recognized as the ti ...

, located in northwest China * Gharchistan – a medieval region in Afghanistan * *

Hindustan ''Hindūstān'' ( English: /ˈhɪndustæn/ or /ˈhɪndustɑn/, ; ) was a historical region, polity, and a name for India, historically used simultaneously for northern Indian subcontinent and the entire subcontinent, used in the modern day ...

- Persian name for India, broadly the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

. * Indostan – archaic usage in European languages for

. *

Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...

– Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq * Kadagistan – Kadagistan was the name of an eastern Sasanian province in the region of Tokharistan (in what is now north-eastern Afghanistan). * Kafiristan (land of the infidels) – historic region in Afghanistan until 1896, now known as Nuristan. A similarly named region exists in north Pakistan. * Kohistan – several regions of this name exist *

Kurdistan Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...

– Kurdish region. See also

Iranian Kurdistan Iranian Kurdistan or Eastern Kurdistan () is an unofficial name for the parts of northwestern Iran with either a majority or sizable population of Kurds. Geographically, it includes the West Azerbaijan province, Kurdistan province, Kermanshah pr ...

Syrian Kurdistan Syrian Kurdistan or Rojava () is a region in northern Syria where Kurds form the majority. It is surrounding three noncontiguous enclaves along the Turkish and Iraqi borders: Afrin in the northwest, Kobani in the north, and Jazira in the nor ...

, and

Turkish Kurdistan Turkish Kurdistan or Northern Kurdistan () is the southeastern part of Turkey where Kurds form the predominant ethnic group. The Kurdish Institute of Paris estimates that there are 20 million Kurds living in Turkey, the majority of them in the ...

. * Lezgistan – ethnolinguistic region in southern Dagestan and northern Azerbaijan *

North Waziristan North Waziristan District (, ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering . The capital ...

– northern part of

Waziristan Waziristan (Persian language, Persian, Pashto, Ormuri, , ) is a mountainous region of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Waziristan region administratively splits among three districts: North Waziristan, Lower South Waziristan Dis ...

region in

* Pashtunistan – the area of

and North-Western Pakistan historically inhabited by the Pashtun tribes * Quhistan – a region of medieval

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, essentially the southern part of

Greater Khorasan KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West Asia, West and Central Asia that encompasses wes ...

* Registan – historic site in

Samarkand Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...

, meaning "place of sand" *

Russian Turkestan Russian Turkestan () was a colony of the Russian Empire, located in the western portion of the Central Asian region of Turkestan. Administered as a Krai or Governor-Generalship, it comprised the oasis region to the south of the Kazakh Steppe, b ...

– Turkestan in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, later Turkestan Autonomous SSR * Sakastan or Sistan – a historical and geographical region in present-day eastern Iran (Sistan and Baluchestan Province) and southern Afghanistan * Saraikistan – a region in the south-western part of Punjab, Pakistan, with a majority of Saraiki speakers *

South Waziristan South Mahsud Waziristan District () was a Districts of Pakistan, district in the Dera Ismail Khan Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, before splitting into the Lower South Waziristan District and the Upper South Waziristan D ...

– southern part of

region in

* Talyshstan – ethnolinguistic region in the SE

and NW

Tatarstan Tatarstan, officially the Republic of Tatarstan, sometimes also called Tataria, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is a part of the Volga Federal District; and its capital city, capital and largest city i ...

– administrative division of

in eastern

* Tokharistan, Tocharistan or Tukharistan, also known as Balkh or Bactria – the ancient name of a

historical region History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

in Central Asia, located between the range of the

Hindu Kush The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central Asia, Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and eastern Afghanistan into northwestern Pakistan and far southeastern Tajikistan. The range forms the wester ...

and the

Amu Darya The Amu Darya ( ),() also shortened to Amu and historically known as the Oxus ( ), is a major river in Central Asia, which flows through Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Rising in the Pamir Mountains, north of the Hindu Ku ...

(Oxus) * Turgistan or Turestan – a Sasanian province * Turkestan or Turkistan – ethnolinguistic region of Turkic peoples and languages, encompassing Central Asia, northwest China, parts of the Caucasus, and Asia Minor * Uyghurstan, China, same as

– a region of northwest

Historical regions

* Frangistan – a historical term used (by Muslims and Persians in particular) to refer to Western or Christian Europe. * Funjistan (Funj) - a historical empire ubicated in modern-day Sudan * Kabulistan – a historical name of the territory centered around present-day

Kabul Province Kabul (Dari/Pashto: ), situated in the east of the country, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The capital of the province is Kabul city, which is Afghanistan's capital and largest city. The population of the Kabul Province is ...

of Afghanistan. * Lazistan – a historical and cultural region of the Caucasus and Anatolia, traditionally inhabited by the

Laz people The Laz people, or Lazi ( ''Lazi''; ka, ლაზი, ''lazi''; or ჭანი, ''ch'ani''; ), are a Kartvelian languages, Kartvelian ethnic group native to the South Caucasus, who mainly live in Black Sea coastal regions of Black Sea Region, ...

. *

Moghulistan Moghulistan, also called the Moghul Khanate or the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, was a Muslims, Muslim, Mongol, and later Turkic peoples, Turkic breakaway khanate of the Chagatai Khanate and a historical geographic area north of the Tian Shan, Teng ...

(Mughalistan) – a historical area in Central Asia that included parts of modern-day Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

* Tabaristan – a historical mountainous region located on the Caspian coast of

Northern Iran Northern Iran (), is a geographical term that refers to a relatively large and fertile area, consisting of the southern border of the Caspian Sea and the Alborz mountains. It includes the provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan (ancie ...

. * Zabulistan – a historical region roughly corresponding to today's Zabul Province in southern Afghanistan.

Proposed names

* Bangalistan – a proposed state in India. * Khalistan – a proposed country for the

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

people. * Maronistan – a proposed name for Maronite state in Lebanon during the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

. * Romanistan – a proposed country for the Romani people. * Saraikistan – a proposed province in Pakistan. * Zazaistan – a suggested name for the region where the Zazas live.

Fictional

* Absurdistan - various * Adjikistan – a fictional central Asian country in the video game '' SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Combined Assault''. * Aldastan – a fictional central Asian country consisting of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, from '' Command & Conquer: Generals''. * Antagonistan – a fictional country in '' Heavy Weapon'' * Ardistan – a fictional country in the novel ''Ardistan und Djinnistan'' by Karl May. * Avgatiganistan – a pun of 'Afghanistan', it means ' Fried eggs' ('Avga tiganista') in Greek. Fictional country by author Eugene Trivizas. * Azadistan – a fictional kingdom from the anime

Mobile Suit Gundam 00 is a Japanese anime television series, the eleventh installment in Sunrise studio's long-running ''Gundam'' franchise comprising two seasons. The series is set on a futuristic Earth and is centered on the exploits of the fictional paramilit ...

; it means "free land". * Azmanastan (or Uzmenistan) – a fictional country and region in the film '' The Expendables 3''. * Backhairistan- the fictional homeland of Bolbi Stroganovsky, a character from the cartoon series Jimmy Neutron * Bananastan – A fictional country from the Popeye the Sailor comic book series, which was ruled by Saddam Shahame, a parody of

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

, an

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

i dictator. * Bangistan – a fictional country in the

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

movie Bangistan (2015) starring

Riteish Deshmukh Riteish Deshmukh (born 17 December 1978) is an Indian actor, filmmaker and television presenter who predominantly works in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Marathi cinema, Marathi films. Known for his comic portrayals, Deshmukh is a recipient of several ...

and Pulkit Samrat. * Bazrakhistan – a fictional former Soviet republic in the movie ''Act of War'' (1998) starring Jack Scalia. * Belgistan – a fictional Middle Eastern country in the

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

'' Gasaraki''. * Berzerkistan – a fictional republic run by genocidal terrorist godhead and President for life, Trff Bmzklfrpz, in the comic strip '' Doonesbury''. * Bilalistan - a country in the novel Lion's Blood, OTL

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...

, Dixie, Confederate States * Blingostan - a fictional country in the show Smiling Friends ran by war criminal dictator Mr. Blingo who commits genocide * Brajikistan – a fictional country from season 2 of the teen sitcom '' Wingin' It''. * Capustan – a fictional city-state in '' Malazan Book of the Fallen''. * Cobrastan – a fake fictional country made up by a character named Jorji Costava in his passport from the game ''

Papers, Please ''Papers, Please'' is a puzzle simulation video game created by indie game developer Lucas Pope, developed and published through his production company, 3909 LLC. The game was released on August 8, 2013, for Microsoft Windows and OS X, for ...

.'' * Darujhistan – a fictional city-state in '' Malazan Book of the Fallen''. * Derkaderkastan – a fictional Middle Eastern country in '' Team America: World Police''. * Djinnistan – a fictional country in the novel ''Ardistan und Djinnistan'' by Karl May. * Franistan – a fictional country referred to in the television show ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...

''. * Frigistan – a fictional country in '' Heavy Weapon'' * Gohet Gostan – a fictional country in '' Tiga Abdul'' * Hachmachistan – fictional country in '' Kickin' It'' * Helmajistan – a fictional area from the anime '' Full Metal Panic!''. * Howduyustan ("how do you stand?") – a fictional country from the ''

Uncle Scrooge ''Uncle Scrooge'' (stylized as ''Uncle $crooge'') is a Disney comic book series starring Scrooge McDuck ("the richest duck in the world"), his nephew Donald Duck, and grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and revolving around their adventures in ...

'' comic book stories. * Irakistan – a fictional country in the game

Broforce ''Broforce'' is a Side-scrolling video game, side-scrolling run and gun video game developed by Free Lives and published by Devolver Digital. The game has the player as one of several "bros", based on popular culture action movie icons (for examp ...

* Iranistan – an oriental region of Hyborea (''

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero created by American author Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) and who debuted in 1932 and went on to appear in a series of fantasy stories published in ''We ...

stories''). * Istan – a fictional island state in the online role-playing game, '' Guild Wars Nightfall''. * Jazeristan – fictional country in the movie '' The Misfits''. * Kabulstan – a fictional very hostile third world country that does not like strangers (''

MacGyver (1985 TV series) ''MacGyver'' is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff and starring Richard Dean Anderson as the title character. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The series follows the advent ...

'') * Kamistan (Islamic Republic of) – a fictional Middle Eastern country featured in the television series '' 24''. * Kazanistan – an ideal state imagined by

John Rawls John Bordley Rawls (; February 21, 1921 – November 24, 2002) was an American moral philosophy, moral, legal philosophy, legal and Political philosophy, political philosopher in the Modern liberalism in the United States, modern liberal tradit ...

in '' The Law of Peoples'', in which there is a system of law, legal representation for all groups, and a respect for basic human rights, but not full democracy. * Kehjistan – the state of the eastern jungles in the game '' Diablo II''. * Kekistan – a fictional country created by 4chan members that has become a political meme and online movement. * Kerakhistan – a fictional Middle Eastern country featured in the tabletop miniature wargame '' Battlefield Evolution''. * Kerplakistan – fictional country in '' Big Time Rush'' * Kreplachistan – a fictional country in the ''

Austin Powers ''Austin Powers'' is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the British spy Austin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of '' International Man of Mystery'' (1997), ' ...

'' film series. * Langtbortistan – a fictional country in the Danish ''

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. Donald is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit, sailor shirt and cap with ...

'' cartoons, literally meaning "far-away-in-stan" * Långtbortistan - same as the Danish Donald Duck cartoons, but in the Swedish versions. * Langtvekkistan - same as the Danish Donald Duck cartoons, but in the Norwegian versions. * Lojbanistan – the fictional country

Lojban Lojban (pronounced ) is a Logical language, logical, constructed language, constructed, human language created by the Logical Language Group which aims to be Syntactic ambiguity, syntactically unambiguous. It succeeds the Loglan project. The Log ...

ists imagine themselves inhabiting * Moldovistan – a fictional island country in '' The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest''. * Obristan – a fictional country in ''

''. * Paristan or Pari-estan – a ''

fairy A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

land'' in the folklore of Middle East, South Asia, and Central Asia. * Porpoisestan - a fictional hometown country where Pei Pei the Purple Panda lives here in the Thumb Wrestling Federation. * Pokolistan – a fictional country in ''

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

''. * Ratznestistan – a fictional country in '' Annie''. * Serdaristan – a fictional country in '' Battlefield: Bad Company''. * Skandistan - a fictional country in western Russia in

The Years of Rice and Salt ''The Years of Rice and Salt'' is an alternate history novel by American science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, published in 2002. The novel explores how world history might have been different if the Black Death plague had killed 99 pe ...

* Stanistan A common name used to describe a fictional union between the -stan countries. * Taboulistan – a fictional country in '' Vive la France'' * Takistan – a fictional country in '' ARMA 2: Operation Arrowhead''. * Tazbekistan – a fictional central Asian nation in the BBC television series ''

Ambassadors An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

''. * Trashcanistan – a fictional country mentioned by the hosts of " MXC". * Turaqistan – a fictional country in the movie '' War, Inc.'' * Turgistan – a fictional central Asian dictatorship in '' 6 Underground''. * Turmezistan – a fictional country in ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

''. * Tyrgyzstan – a fictional country in the BBC television drama '' The State Within''. * Urzikstan – a fictional country in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019 video game) * Ustinkistan – fictional country in '' The Fairly OddParents'' * Yakyakistan – a fictional northern country in '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic''. * Zekistan – a fictional central Asian nation in the video game '' Full Spectrum Warrior''.

Other

* Absurdistan – sometimes used to satirically describe a country where everything goes wrong * Angyalistan – a

micronation A micronation is a polity, political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from list o ...

that claims garbage patches in

international waters The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed region ...

* Autistan – the "metaphorical country" of the autistic people * Bailoutistan (or Bailoutistan 2.0) - sarcastic term for Greece following the European Union bail out packages, coined by Yanis Varoufakis in his book 'Adults in the Room: My Battle With the European and American Deep Establishment' * Bimaristan – a kind of hospital in medieval Persia and the medieval Islamic world * Bradistan – a moniker for

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

, England, owing to its large population of Pakistani worker migrants * Canuckistan (full name being The People's Republic of Soviet Canuckistan) –

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

for Canada, used by Pat Buchanan on 31 October 2002, on his television show on

MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...

in which he denounced Canadians as anti-American and the country as a haven for terrorists. He was reacting to Canadian criticisms of US security measures regarding

Arab Canadians Arab Canadians () come from all of the countries of the Arab world. According to the 2021 Census, there were 690,000 Canadians, or 1.9%, who claimed Arab ancestry. According to the 2011 census there were 380,620 Canadians who claimed full or p ...

* Cavaquistan (''Cavaquistão'' in Portuguese) – a name coined after the former Portuguese President and Prime-Minister

Aníbal Cavaco Silva Aníbal António Cavaco Silva (; born 15 July 1939) is a Portuguese economist and politician who served as the 19th president of Portugal, from 9 March 2006 to 9 March 2016, and as prime minister of Portugal, from 6 November 1985 to 25 October ...

, referring to the regions of Portugal where he achieved landslide victories in the elections held in the late 1980s and early 1990s (especially in the

Viseu District The Districts of Portugal, District of Viseu ( ) is located in the Central Inland of Portugal, the District Capital is the city of Viseu. Municipalities The district is composed by 24 municipalities: * Armamar Municipality, Armamar * Carregal d ...

); intended pun with Kazakhstan (''Cazaquistão'' in Portuguese) * Dalitstan.org – a

Dalit Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...

advocacy website active until mid-2006, one of 18 websites that were blocked by the Indian government to check for hate messages following the 2006 Mumbai train bombings. * Extremistan and Mediocristan – used by author Nassim Nicholas Taleb to illustrate concepts of black swan theory in '' The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable'' *

Filmistan Filmistan is an Indian film studio based in Goregaon, Mumbai. Spread over five acres, near Patkar College on S.V. Road, the studio has seven shooting floors, and a temple and garden for outdoor locations. Patkar College's reputation has incre ...

– a film-production company * Fondukistan or Fondoqestān – an early medieval settlement and Buddhist monastery in Afghanistan * Gazimestan – name of a monument commemorating the historical Battle of Kosovo * Hookturnistan – satirical name of

Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, due to the large number of hook turns on city roads * Hamastan – a concept of a Palestinian Islamic government with

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

as law * Iranistan – a pseudo-orientalist mansion built for P. T. Barnum in 1848 in Connecticut *

Islamistan Islamistan (, ; lit. "''Islamland''" or "''the Land of Islam''") is a Persian, Pashto and Urdu term referring to '' Dār al-Islām''. In Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War, anti-Soviet factions came together to try to present a united fro ...

– means 'Land of Islam', used in various contexts * Londonistan – French counter-terrorism agents gave the British/English capital of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

this

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...

. Sometimes used derogatorily to refer to the large immigrant, especially Muslim, population in London. * Muristan – a complex of streets and shops in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem * '' New Yorkistan'' – the title of the cover art for the 10 December 2001, edition of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' magazine ** The New Yorkistan map itself included various districts ending in ''-stan'', e.g., Bronxistan, Cold Turkeystan, Fuhgeddabouditstan, Gaymenistan, Taxistan, Youdontunderstandistan, etc. * Orbánistan – a derogatory term for

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

under the rule of

Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian lawyer and politician who has been the 56th prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has also led the Fidesz political party since 200 ...

* Paganistan – the pagan/neo-pagan community of Minneapolis-Saint Paul in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

* Quebecistan – a term coined by Barbara Kay in 2006 in reference to

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. *

Sarvestan Sarvestan () is a city in the Central District of Sarvestan County, Fars province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The city is southeast of Shiraz, the capital of Fars province. Many tropical and sub-trop ...

– a Sasanian-era palace in the Iranian province of Sarvestan * Shabestan – an underground space, usually found in the traditional architecture of mosques, houses, and schools in ancient Persia * Shahrestan (several meanings) * Skateistan – a skateboarding/educational organization based in Kabul, Afghanistan * Swedistan – a derogatory term for

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

due to its growing immigration from Islamic countries. It is sometimes used by internet users to attack or offend Swedish Muslims. * Talibanistan – a name for the government of

under the

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

* Zaqistan – a

currently in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

Notes

References

Sources

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stan Suffixes Place name element etymologies Persian words and phrases Bengali words and phrases English suffixes Nepali words and phrases