SOBRIQUETS OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Sobriquets are the fancy names given to person, place, thing to provide specific descriptions of it. We all have heard of many nicknames of major Indian cities like ‘ The pink city’, ‘London of India’, ‘City of temples’, etc., but never know the reasons behind these namings. So, this article is disclosing some sobriquets of major European countries and the reason behind those nicknames. 1. Land of Thousand Lakes 2. White City 3. Eternal City 4. Land of Midnight Sun 5. Playground of Europe

1. Land of Thousand Lakes

Finland is the country named the ‘Land of Thousand Lakes' even though it holds more than a thousand lakes. In fact, there are around 1,87,888 lakes and no other nation in the world has this many lakes in relation to its size. It’s surprising that, with a population of around 5 million, Finland has one lake for every 26 people. Its biggest lake, Saimaa is the fourth largest lake in Europe. Along with the case of lakes, Finland also has a great number of islands, around 179,000. Due to these peculiar features, Finland opens up vast opportunities for fishing, boating, and skiing. Most of the land in Finland is also covered with forest and is bountiful in wildlife.

2. White City

Belgrade, the capital of Serbia is located on the banks of the Danube and Sava rivers. During the 4^th century, Belgrade was the Serbian bastion until the invasion of the Ottoman. After that, the city was transferred between the hands of Ottoman and Austrians several times, till 1878. When Serbia got independence, the fascinating city Belgrade became the capital of Serbia. The word ' Belgrade’ means ‘White City’ in Slavic language and thus the city commonly came to be known as ‘White city’. Now, Belgrade is a popular tourist destination due to various styles of architecture and its emergence of being the leading hub in south-eastern Europe.

3. Eternal City

Histories always endorsed Rome, the capital of Italy as a supreme and powerful city in the world and this owes to the name ‘Eternal City. During the glorious time of the Ancient Roman Empire, Romans believed that their city would go on, never fails, and would remain eternal forever, even if the whole world and its empires rise or fall. Even, the entire universe believed this due to the city’s supremacy. The term  ‘Eternal City’ was popularized by Hall Caine in his novel with the same title. And, this novel deals with a Utopian state in Rome.

4. Land of Midnight Sun

The midnight sun is a phenomenon in which the sun can be visible even at midnight, during the Arctic or Antarctic summer. This wonder happens because the Earth’s axis inclines towards the sun in summer and away from the sun in the winter season. Hence, the poles are displayed to the sun rays for six months each. At the North pole, the sun can be seen 24 hours a day from March 21 to September 23. As many parts of Norway proudly sit in the north of the Arctic Circle and the sun glimmers throughout the nights during summer. Thus, Norway came to know as the ‘Land of Midnight Sun'. Also, these places never see daylight during the six months of the winter season.

5. Playground of Europe

Switzerland is known because of its magnificent mountains, rolling grasslands, attractive towns, and charming modern cities and this land is surrounded by the Alps and the Jura Mountains of Central Europe. The snow-clad paradise offers an amazing variety of sports facilities both in winter and summer. Friendly natives, alluring architecture, efficient transportation system,  impeccable hospitality welcome flocks of tourists every time, and this made Switzerland one of the world’s most favored holiday destinations also awarded the name 'The playground of Europe'.

Let’s visit these breathtaking destinations and have a joyful vacation.