Old Names and New Names of Countries and Cities

September 17, 2009 November 1, 2023
Old NameNew NameHistorical Context
AbyssiniaEthiopiaAbyssinia, the ancient name for Ethiopia, was officially changed to Ethiopia in 1930 when Haile Selassie became Emperor.
Angora (Turkey)AnkaraAngora was the former name of the capital city of Turkey, which was changed to Ankara when it became the capital in 1923.
Bohemia, Moravia, CzechoslovakiaCzech Republic and SlovakiaCzechoslovakia was split into two separate countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, in 1993 after the Velvet Divorce.
CeylonSri LankaCeylon was the colonial name for the island nation, and it was changed to Sri Lanka upon gaining independence in 1972.
Constantinople (Turkey)IstanbulThe name Constantinople was changed to Istanbul in 1930 as part of the Turkish government’s efforts to modernize and Westernize.
Peking (China)BeijingThe change from Peking to Beijing reflects the shift from the Wade-Giles romanization system to Pinyin in the late 20th century.
PersiaIranIran is the native name for the country, and it officially asked to be called Iran instead of Persia in 1935.
MesopotamiaIraqThe name Mesopotamia referred to the historical region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which is now modern-day Iraq.
Southern RhodesiaZimbabweSouthern Rhodesia was renamed to Zimbabwe upon gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1980.
Northern RhodesiaZambiaNorthern Rhodesia became Zambia when it gained independence from British colonial rule in 1964.
Saigon (Vietnam)Ho Chi Minh CitySaigon was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City in 1976 after the reunification of North and South Vietnam under communist rule.
Petrograd and Leningrad (Russia)St. PetersburgThe city was originally named St. Petersburg, then Petrograd during World War I, and Leningrad during the Soviet era, before reverting.
SiamThailandSiam officially became Thailand in 1939. The name change aimed to emphasize the country’s identity as a nation of the Thai people.
Tanganyika and Zanzibar,TanzaniaThe two territories of Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964.
German East AfricaRwanda and BurundiGerman East Africa was divided into Rwanda and Burundi after World War I when it became a League of Nations mandate.
ZaireDemocratic Republic of CongoZaire was the name for the Democratic Republic of Congo from 1971 to 1997, after which it reverted to its former name.
South-West AfricaNamibiaSouth-West Africa was a German colony before becoming a League of Nations mandate and eventually gaining independence as Namibia.
MoldaviaMoldovaMoldavia is a historical region that corresponds to present-day Moldova. The name Moldova was officially adopted after independence.
Upper VoltaBurkina FasoUpper Volta was renamed Burkina Faso, meaning “Land of the Upright People,” in 1984 to reflect its cultural and political identity.
Tripolitania and CyrenaicaLibyaThese two regions merged to form the modern nation of Libya in 1951 after gaining independence from Italian colonial rule.
NumidiaAlgeriaNumidia was an ancient Berber kingdom in North Africa. The region became part of modern-day Algeria after Roman conquest.
Sudanese RepublicMaliThe Sudanese Republic was part of the Federation of Mali, which later became the independent country of Mali in 1960.
GaulFranceGaul was the Roman name for the region that corresponds to modern-day France.
French Equatorial AfricaCentral African Republic, ChadFrench Equatorial Africa was dissolved, and its territories became independent countries, including the Central African Republic and Chad.
CathayChinaCathay was a historical name used by European explorers and traders to refer to China.
MangiChinaMangi was another historical name used by early European travelers to refer to China.
Cochin-China, Annam, TonkinVietnamThese were historic regions of Vietnam, which became part of a unified Vietnam after gaining independence.
BurmaMyanmarThe military government officially changed the name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989, although the name is still a subject of debate.
EdoTokyoEdo was the former name of Tokyo, and it was changed when Emperor Meiji moved the capital from Kyoto to Edo in 1868.
Cho sonKorea (North and South)Cho son was the historical name for Korea, which was divided into North and South Korea after World War II.
KampucheaCambodiaThe Khmer Rouge regime renamed the country Kampuchea in 1975, and it was later changed back to Cambodia in 1991.
FormosaTaiwanFormosa was the name given to Taiwan by Portuguese explorers in the 16th century.
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, andYugoslaviaEstablished in 1918, this name was used before the country was officially known as Yugoslavia.
SlovenesYugoslaviaThe “Kingdom of Yugoslavia” was the name used from 1929 to 1943.
Kingdom of YugoslaviaYugoslaviaFrom 1943 to 1963, the country was known as the “Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia.”
Federal People’s Republic ofYugoslaviaYugoslavia adopted this name from 1945 to 1963.
Socialist Federal Republic ofYugoslaviaThe name “Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia” was used from 1963 to 1992.
Gambia Colony and ProtectorateThe GambiaThe Gambia was a British colony and protectorate before gaining independence.
Dahomey KingdomBeninDahomey was the former name of the country that is now known as Benin.
Republic of DahomeyBeninBefore becoming Benin, the country was known as the “Republic of Dahomey” until 1975.
Cho senNorth KoreaCho sen was the historical name for North Korea.
SwazilandEswatiniSwaziland officially changed its name to the “Kingdom of Eswatini” in 2018.

 

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2 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    November 25, 2009 at 9:22 am

    Democratic Republic of Congo- Zaire

  2. LiguistHound

    March 15, 2023 at 8:40 pm

    Czech republic – Czechia

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