WHAT is the origin of the word stan, as in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and why are so many of the former Russian states called stan in this way? Is it something to do with them being new countries? - E Coates, Houghton-le-Spring.

STAN is an ancient Persian word meaning land, and occurs in the names of several Islamic states in central Asia. Pakistan is one of the most interesting names as it is a relatively new name that was formed from the initials of various provinces combined with the word stan, although this word did already occur in the Pakistan province of Baluchistan.

The provinces which contributed to the name of Pakistan were all in the northern, predominantly Muslim, parts of the Indian subcontinent, which had been under British rule. When India's independence from Britain became likely in the 1940s, the northern Muslim states of India collectively campaigned for a separate Muslim nation, fearing domination by the Hindu majority in India. Their alliance was known as the Muslim League and their leader was Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1848), a Karachi and British-educated lawyer, who successfully negotiated the independence of Pakistan.

The name Pakistan was first suggested by a Cambridge student called Choudhary Rahmat Ali in 1933. He incorporated the initials of the main northern provinces - the Punjab (P), Afghania, or Afghan Border States (A), Kashmir (K) and Sind (S). The letter I represented the River Indus, which flows through the heart of the country. The initials also made up the ancient word Pak meaning pure, so that Pakistan can also mean Pure Land.

The name of Pakistan did not incorporate the initial of the highly populous Muslim province of East Pakistan in Bengal. This was also created in 1947 as part of Pakistan, but was separated from the rest of the country by 1,000 miles. This province had a substantially different language (Bengali) from the rest of Pakistan and eventually gained independence in 1971. It is now a separate country and is known today as Bangladesh.

Apart from Pakistan, all but one of the other countries whose names include the word stan, were former republics of the USSR and most of the people in these countries are adherents of the Sunni-Muslim religion.

If you have a Burning Question, or can improve on any of the answers above, please write to Burning Questions, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF or e-mail david.simpson@nne.co.uk