The process of modifying a country’s name isn’t simple, much less economical. But despite it all, various parts of the world have dared to do it.
UNIQ found 11 countries that changed their names and we’ll tell you the story behind their resolutions.
Due to land divisions, wars, changes in government, independence, or simply to facilitate pronunciation abroad, some countries have decided to change their name. In some cases, they did it many years ago, and we know these countries by their current name. But others did it very recently, and we still find it challenging to call them by their new name.
Remember to read all the way through to the last country’s story — you’ll find a bonus that explains how much it costs to make this modification.
7. Swaziland changed to Eswatini
In April 2018, the king of Swaziland, in Africa, issued a statement declaring that the country’s name would change to Eswatini. The modification didn’t surprise its people since that was the name they were already using. Eswatini is just the translation of Swaziland into the local language, which means “land of the Swazis.” Besides, the old name was confusing, since many mistook it for Switzerland.
