From Burma to Myanmar: 8 countries of the world that changed their names in the recent past (9 photos)

Which countries on old geographical maps have completely different names and why?





Now on our planet there are 193 states recognized by the UN, and about 10 more unrecognized, but in fact independent countries, as well as dependent and associated territories - Hong Kong, Bermuda, Greenland, etc.

Sometimes the authorities of some countries decide to rename their state, which is most often dictated by politics or getting rid of the colonial past, incl. when a new leader comes to power. Today in our review we have made a selection of such renamings over the past decades, starting from 1980.

In our selection, we did not take into account states that collapsed and ceased to exist, such as the USSR, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, etc., as well as changes associated with the form of government and system (monarchy, socialist republic, etc.) and the change of name when independence was granted. We sorted the countries, most of which are former colonies and “banana republics,” by how recently they changed their names.

8. Burkina Faso (Africa)

Before 1984: Upper Volta



The country received its modern name in 1984. Prior to this, the state, which became independent from France in 1960, was called the Republic of Upper Volta. This name was given by French colonialists after the Volta River, which crosses the country, and the first part of it was traditionally translated into different languages ​​of the world.

In 1984, on the anniversary of one of the many military coups that brought Thomas Sankara to power, the name was changed to a common name for all countries, Burkina Faso, which is a cross between the two local languages ​​Mooré and Dioula, meaning "land of worthy people." .

7. Cape Verde (Africa)

Pre-1986: Cape Verde Islands





The former Portuguese colony in Africa, after gaining independence in 1975, became known as the Republic of Cape Verde, which is a literal translation from the Portuguese Ilhas do Cabo Verde. Other countries also used a translated form of the name.

In 1986, the country's government removed the word "islands" from the name and also demanded that other states stop translating it into other languages. The USSR followed this requirement, changing its official name to Cape Verde.

6. Ivory Coast (Africa)

Pre-1986: Ivory Coast



Another former French colony, which gained independence in 1960, until 1986 from the French Côte d'Ivoire as Ivory Coast. In 1986, the ruling party decided that Côte d'Ivoire is a geographical name and should not be translated. However, no one except the USSR listened to this resolution.

5. DR Congo (Africa)

1971-1997: Zaire



The former Belgian colony gained independence in 1960 as the Republic of Congo, named after the river, but faced a political crisis. Power soon passed into the hands of dictator Mobutu, who in 1971 renamed the country Zaire, a corruption of the local name for the Congo River (Nzari) by the Portuguese. After the overthrow of Mobutu in 1997, the former name of the Congo (Democratic Republic, DR) was restored.

Interestingly, to distinguish it from the neighboring Republic of the Congo, the names of the capitals are sometimes added: Congo-Kinshasa and Congo-Brazzaville.

4. Cambodia (Asia)

1975-1989: Kampuchea



The former colony in southeast Asia gained independence from France in 1953 when it became the Kingdom of Cambodia. In 1975, the communist regime of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge seized power and changed the name to Kampuchea, a closer transcription of the Khmer name (Khmer is the main language in Cambodia).

In 1979, Kampuchea was occupied by Vietnamese troops, which lasted until 1989, when the former name Cambodia was restored by Hun Sen, who came to power.

3. Myanmar (Asia)

Pre-1989: Burma



Having gained independence from Britain in 1948, civil war broke out in what was then Burma in southeast Asia, which gave way to the rise of communists in 1962. The old name of the state was associated with the name of the main nationality of the country distorted by the British.

After the military coup in 1989, led by General Soe Maung, a campaign was carried out to eliminate colonial names, as part of which the country was renamed Myanmar and the capital Yangon.

2. Eswatini (Africa)

Before 2018: Swaziland



The small monarchical state of 1.1 million people in South Africa, which borders South Africa and Mozambique, gained independence from Great Britain in 1968. In 2018, in honor of the 50th anniversary of Independence, the authorities decided to change the name of the country to match the name in the local language Swati, which means “land of the Swazi people.” This should also help avoid confusion with the English pronunciation of Switzerland - Switzerland ([swizeland]).

1. North Macedonia (Europe)

Until 2019: Macedonia



After secession from Yugoslavia in 1991, the newly formed country was named Macedonia, which caused discontent and led to a trade embargo from neighboring Greece, where there is a historical province of the same name.

At the request of Greece, the official name of Macedonia at the UN was the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In addition, the restless neighbor in every way prevented Macedonia from joining the EU and NATO.

After much debate and litigation in the Hague court in 2019, the Macedonian authorities agreed to change the name to North Macedonia, while the word “northern” is translated into languages ​​of the world.