The nickname “Graveyard of Empires” refers to the historic difficulty many foreign nations have encountered attempting to conquer Afghanistan.

Comoros earned the nickname “Perfume Isles” from its abundance of fragrant crops, especially the ylang ylang flower.

Paraguay is a landlocked South American nation, though around 30% to 40% of the country is made up of wetlands.

Bosnia and Herzegovina may resemble that of a human heart if you use your imagination, but “the heart-shaped land” is more of a tourist slogan than a nickname based in reality.

The islands of Tonga got their nickname of “the Friendly Islands” when British explorer Captain Cook arrived there on his second voyage of the Pacific in 1773.

In the local language, Bhutan's name is Drak Yul, which means "Land of Druk." In Bhutanese mythology, Druk is a Thunder Dragon whose roar is heard during storms.

Mongolia’s sparse, arid landscapes provide little in the way of cloud formation, which earn the country its nickname, “Land of the Eternal Blue Sky.”

Albania’s “Land of Eagles” nickname stems from the local legend of a boy who saved a baby eagle from a snake.

You’ll find Africa’s “warm heart” beating in the southeastern part of the continent, in the small landlocked country of Malawi.

“Blighty” is a term that first originated in India in the 1800s and was later adopted as an affectionate nickname for Great Britain.

Madagascar gets its nickname from metamorphic rock called gneiss, which decomposes into red murrum and a wide variety of other red fertile soil on the island.

In the ancient Greek myth of Aphrodite's birth, she emerges from the water around Cyprus. Given its place in mythology, it's no wonder that Cyprus has been given the nickname "Island of Love."

Given its geographic location, Indonesia is known in the local language as “Zamrud Khatulistiwa,” a name that translates to “Emerald of the Equator.”

In 1994, Archbishop Desmond Tutu coined South Africa's nickname, referring to its melting pot of cultures.

Finland’s nickname vastly undersells the more than 187,000 lakes with its borders. (That’s about one lake for every 26 residents.)

Sri Lanka is shaped like a teardrop and located just off the southeastern coast of India, hence this appropriate nickname.

Chile has produced numerous prize-winning poets, such as Pablo Neruda, Gabriela Mistral, and Nicanor Parra.

"Aotearoa," the Maori word for New Zealand, translates to "the long white cloud," giving New Zealand its nickname.

If you squint at a map of mainland France, you’ll see that there are roughly six sides, giving the country its nickname of “the Hexagon,” or “l'Hexagone” in French.

Malta is a tiny European island nation with a rich history of beekeeping that dates back to the time of the ancient Greeks.

Singapore is nicknamed the “Lion City” due to an ancient legend in which a Malay prince saw a sea creature that was half-fish and half-lion.

Although Monaco has a reputation for lavish wealth, the country may not actually be home to that many full-time billionaires — but one-third of residents are millionaires.

Thailand’s “Land of Smiles” nickname originated as a promotional slogan to boost tourism to the country.

The "Land of Fire and Ice" sounds like a place straight out of "Game of Thrones," so it's no wonder Iceland is home to several of the hit HBO show's favorite filming locations.

It’s not hard to see where Canada’s popular nickname came from: Much of its land is covered in snow and ice — particularly the 580,000-square-mile Arctic Archipelago.

In 645 CE, Japan officially adopted its native name Nippon, which translates to "sun's origin." The country eventually became known as "the Land of the Rising Sun."

Italy earned its nickname “the boot” from its shoe-like shape. Italy’s Calabria region is located in the “toe,” while Puglia is located around the “heel.”

Australia is nicknamed “Oz” because it sounds similar to the first syllable of its name. It is also called “the Land Down Under” due to its location in the Southern Hemisphere.

While it’s officially known as the Netherlands, some people (particularly English speakers) refer to this low-lying Northern European country as Holland.

When you gaze over Ireland's lush green pastures and cliffs, it's not difficult to see why its nickname is "the Emerald Isle."