Placenames in Brazil and South America named after famous people - not just Bolivia and Columbia

Flag of Brazil on a map of Brazil

 Can you name places in Brazil and South America named after famous people? I immediately think of  Bolivia named after Simon Bolivar. 

Ask Gemini found me many more.

Brazil

• Florianópolis (Santa Catarina): Named after Floriano Peixoto, the second President of Brazil.

• Petrópolis (Rio de Janeiro): Named in honor of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil (Petrópolis translates to "City of Pedro").

• Teresópolis (Rio de Janeiro): Named after Empress Teresa Cristina, wife of Emperor Pedro II.

• Goiânia (Goiás) / Presidente Prudente (São Paulo): Named after Prudente de Morais, the first civilian President of Brazil.

• Santos Dumont (Minas Gerais): Named after Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazilian aviation pioneer.

• Rondonôpolis (Mato Grosso) & State of Rondônia: Named after Cândido Rondon, famous Brazilian military officer, explorer, and indigenous rights advocate.

• Duque de Caxias (Rio de Janeiro): Named after Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, Duke of Caxias, military hero and patron of the Brazilian Army.

• Presidente Epitácio / Presidente Epitácio Pessoa: Named after Epitácio Pessoa, President of Brazil (1919–1922).

• Joao Pessoa (Paraíba): Capital city named after João Pessoa Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, governor of Paraíba assassinated in 1930.

---

Rest of South America

Countries & Sovereign States

• Colombia: Named after explorer Christopher Columbus.

• Bolivia: Named in honor of Simón Bolívar, Venezuelan military leader and liberator of northern South America.

Capital & Major Cities

• Sucre (Bolivia): Constitutional capital named after Antonio José de Sucre, Venezuelan independence hero and companion of Simón Bolívar.

• Sarteneja / San Martin (Argentina & Peru): Dozens of towns across Argentina, Peru, and Colombia are named General San Martín in honor of José de San Martín, national hero and liberator of southern South America.

• Valdupar (Colombia): Named after indigenous chief Eupar (Valle de Upar).

• O'Higgins Region / Puerto O'Higgins (Chile): Named after Bernardo O'Higgins, supreme director and founding hero of Chilean independence.

• Valdivia (Chile): Named after Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia.

• George Town (Guyana): Capital named after King George III of Great Britain.

• Paramaribo (Suriname) / Cayenne (French Guiana): Port Louis / Cayenne named after French monarchs (King Louis XIV).

• Barinas / Ciudad Bolívar (Venezuela): Formerly Angostura, renamed in 1846 to honor Simón Bolívar.

• Maracaibo (Venezuela): Traditionally believed to be named after local Indigenous Cacique Mara.

Geographic Features & Regions

• Magellan Strait (Chile/Argentina): Named after Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who navigated it in 1520.

• Darwin Sound / Mount Darwin (Chile): Named after naturalist Charles Darwin during his voyage on HMS Beagle.

• O'Higgins Glacier & Lake O'Higgins (Chile/Argentina): Named after Bernardo O'Higgins.

• -ends-

• How many more do you know? Please contact me through comments. 

• This post will be updated later today and in the future.

  Please share links to your favourite posts.

See Natural Wonders From America to Ireland on the wonderful Science Nature Page

Photo by Patrick-Emil Zörner, "Paddy". Details of copyright and attribution and other details on the Wikipedia website.

Problem
Many videos on Facebook and elsewhere showing unusually dramatic or cute and quirky places leave you with hours of research and appealing for help to track down the place shown.

The videos on the science nature page are in a new league, top of the ladders when it comes to clarity.  I started watching a video on science, on dolphins being intelligent. A friend on Facebook who comes from Toastmasters International had sent it to me. Then I spotted in a column on the right, the mention of the words travel and places.

After watching the video, I tried to find it again. It had vanished. So I scrolled down the Science Nature page until I found it.

What is so good about this video? The clarity of the captions and the factual information. You know which continent, which country, the name of the place. The information is given large on easy to read subtitles. I love subtitles.  Then, even if you turn off the sound, you can see the name of the place, long enough to copy it down to look up later.

All that it missing is the practical travel information. That is where I come in. I have to research how near is each destination to the country's main airport. I would also like to know the best local hotel.

I bet there are more costs. Is there a charge to enter the area such as a national park, if you are driving, or if you are on a tour which does not include entrance fees? Alternatively, what is the cost of a local all-inclusive a day trip to see the place, or an inclusive holiday including that destination?

This video on travel shows some of the world's best places to visit, not the usual man-made landmarks, quaint villages, ancient archaeological sites and underwater discoveries of lost cities, but all natural wonders.

They are:
1 BOLIVIA.

2 The Dark Hedges, NORTHERN IRELAND.

3 Long Sheng Rice Terraces, Guangxi, CHINA.

4 Kuril Islands, Sakhalin Oblast, RUSSIA.

5 Caño Cristales, Meta, COLOMBIA. (That sounds and looks like Canyon of Crystals.)

6 Grand Prismatic Spring, Wyoming, USA.

7 Pamukkale, Denizli, TURKEY.

8 Iguazu Falls, Misiones, ARGENTINA.

I had heard of Iguazu Falls in Argentina and Pamukkale in Denizli, Turkey. I had seen pictures of The Dark Hedges in Northern Ireland and the rice terraces in Guanxi, China.

Other places which are already well-known waterfalls such as Niagara on the border of Canada and the USA, and Victoria Falls on the African continent. My other wishlist item is Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, which could be added to a trip to see The Dark Hedges.

Useful Websites
https://www.facebook.com/officialsciencenaturepage/videos/187180335228143/
https://wikitravel.org/en/Kuril_Islands

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.