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Ask the Fact Monster

The Question:

Many of the countries in the news end with the suffix "stan." It must mean something. Do you know?

The Answer:

According to Webster's dictionary, the suffix "stan" is Persian for "country." Afghanistan translates as "country of the Afghans."

Learn more about Persian in our encyclopedia. Or read profiles of the "Stans" in Countries of the World.

—The Fact Monster

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