Country names and the periodic table

While doing some random research, I found out that you can make the word “Palestine” out of symbols from the periodic table:

• P – Phosphorus
• Al – Aluminium
• Es – Einsteinium
• Ti – Titanium
• Ne – Neon

And that got me thinking if you could do that with other countries. So I decided to find out!

(If I’ve made any mistakes, please let me know in the comments!)

Argentina

• Ar – Argon
• Ge – Germanium
• N – Nitrogen
• Ti – Titanium
• Na – Sodium

Bahamas

• Ba – Barium
• H – Hydrogen
• Am – Americium
• As – Arsenic

Bahrain

• Ba – Barium
• H – Hydrogen
• Ra – Radium
• In – Indium

Bhutan

• Bh – Bohrium
• U – Uranium
• Ta – Tantalum
• N – Nitrogen

(You could also split Bh into Boron and Hydrogen)

Brunei

• B – Boron
• Ru – Ruthenium
• Ne – Neon
• I – Iodine

(You could also use Bromine and Uranium)

Burundi

• B – Boron
• U – Uranium
• Ru – Ruthenium
• Nd – Neodymium
• I – Iodine

Cameroon

• C – Carbon
• Am – Americium
• Er – Erbium
• O – Oxygen
• O – Oxygen
• N – Nitrogen

China

• C – Carbon
• H – Hydrogen
• I – Iodine
• Na – Sodium

Cuba

• Cu – Copper
• Ba – Barium

Cyprus

• C – Carbon
• Y – Yttrium
• Pr – Praseodymium
• U – Uranium
• S – Sulfur

Eswatini

• Es – Einsteinium
• W – Tungsten
• At – Astatine
• In – Indium
• I – Iodine

(You could split Indium into Iodine and Nitrogen)

Finland

• F – Fluorine
• In – Indium
• La – Lanthanum
• Nd – Neodymium

(You could also split Indium into Iodine and Nitrogen)

France

• F – Fluorine
• Ra – Radium
• N – Nitrogen
• Ce – Cerium

Gabon

• Ga – Gallium
• B – Boron
• O – Oxygen
• N – Nitrogen

Honduras

• Ho – Holmium
• Nd – Neodymium
• U – Uranium
• Ra – Radium
• S – Sulfur

(You could also split Holmium into Hydrogen and Oxygen)

Iceland

• I – Iodine
• Ce – Cerium
• La – Lanthanum
• Nd – Neodymium

Iran

• I – Iodine
• Ra – Radium
• N – Nitrogen

(Republic of) Ireland¹

• I – Iodine
• Re – Rhenium
• La – Lanthanum
• Nd – Neodymium

Kiribati

• K – Potassium
• Ir – Iridium
• I – Iodine
• Ba – Barium
• Ti – Titanium

(You could split Barium and Titanium into Boron, Astatine, and Iodine)

Kosovo

• K – Potassium
• Os – Osmium
• O – Oxygen
• V – Vanadium
• O – Oxygen

Laos

• La – Lanthanum
• Os – Osmium

Monaco²

• Mo – Molybdenum
• N – Nitrogen
• Ac – Actinium
• Co – Cobalt

(You could split Cobalt into Carbon and Oxide)

Nauru

• Na – Sodium
• U – Uranium
• Ru – Ruthenium

(Na and U could also be split into N and Au)

Nepal

• Ne – Neon
• P – Phosphorus
• Al – Aluminium

the Netherlands

• Ne – Neon
• Th – Thallium
• Er – Erbium
• La – Lanthanum
• Nd – Neodymium
• S – Sulfur

Pakistan

• Pa – Palladium
• K – Potassium
• I – Iodine
• S – Sulfur
• Ta – Tantalum
• N – Nitrogen

Palau

• Pa – Palladium
• La – Lanthanum
• U – Uranium

Peru

• P – Phosphorus
• Er – Erbium
• U – Uranium

Philippines

• P – Phosphorus
• H – Hydrogen
• I – Iodine
• Li – Lithium
• I – Iodine
• P – Phosphorus
• P – Phosphorus
• In – Indium
• Es – Einsteinium

(You could split Indium into Iodine and Nitrogen)

Poland

• Po – Polonium
• La – Lanthanum
• Nd – Neodymium

(You could split Polonium into Phosphorus and Oxygen)

Singapore

• S – Sulfur
• In – Indium
• Ga – Gallium
• Po – Polonium
• Re – Rhenium

(You could split Indium into Iodine and Nitrogen and Polonium into Phosphorus and Oxygen)

Spain

• S – Sulfur
• Pa – Palladium
• In – Indium

(You could split Indium into Iodine and Nitrogen)

Ukraine

• U – Uranium
• K – Potassium
• Ra – Radium
• I – Iodine
• Ne – Neon

UK

• U – Uranium
• K – Potassium

(United States of) America

• Am – Americium
• Er – Erbium
• I – Iodine
• Ca – Calcium

1. Sorry, Northern Ireland! ↩︎
2. I know it’s a muncipality rather than a sovereign country! ↩︎