The Europeans, especially the Portuguese, had a wonderfully simple approach to naming the lands they encountered. It wasn’t about intricate maps or deep dives into local cultures; it was more like love at first sight. Approaching the western coast of India, they spotted a beautiful bay, and their captain exclaimed, “Bom Baia!” – Good Bay. And just like that, Bombay was born. They sailed towards Brazil in January, noticing a river flowing into the sea. “Rio de Janeiro” – River of January – they declared. Never mind that it later turned out to be a lagoon; the name stuck. Imagine if they’d arrived in February – we might be calling it Rio de Fevereiro, or perhaps even Lagoa de Fevereiro! Then there’s Sri Lanka. After a long, difficult voyage around the stormy African cape, the sight of a tropical paradise felt like heaven. “Cielo!” their captain cried, and the island was forever marked, its name evolving from Cielo to Ceylon and finally Sri Lanka. These names weren’t carefully planned; they were spontaneous reactions, snapshots of those first, powerful impressions. They’re echoes of a time when the world was being mapped by Europeans, one captivating moment at a time.