The Stan reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Stan

This a page about the word "stan". For information on the Eminem song "Stan" see Stan (song)

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The word stan is a suffix meaning "Home of" that is used in the names of many countries. For example, "Turkmenistan" would be "the home of the Turkmen."

Countries that end in "stan"

• Afghanistan
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Pakistan
• Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan
• Uzbekistan

Other "stans"

• Balochistan
• Bantustan
• Bashkortostan (Russian region)
• Dagestan (Russian region)
• Kafiristan
• Khalistan (proposed Sikh homeland)
• Kurdistan (proposed Kurdish homeland)
• Nuristan
• Pashtunistan
• Rajasthan (Indian state)
• Tatarstan (Russian region)
• Turkestan
• Waziristan

The suffix is often mocked for its over-use, and has led to many parodies, such as the film Lost in Absurdistan or Pat Buchanan's nickname for Canada; Soviet Canuckistan.

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