From Myanmar to Macedonia, these 8 countries changed their name and it cost them a bomb

From political to religious reasons, countries change names for multiple reasons. The switch might be due to the division of the country, wars, division of borders, the financial market or the royal command of monarchs. Whatever the reason may be, several countries have changed their names over the years and today we know them by those names. However, it was not as easy as it may seem, and definitely not cheap. 

In fact, it might interest you to know that each nation had to pay millions of dollars to change the name of their respective country. After all, it is not just the name that changes. There is the flag, the currency, the government’s letterhead, the license plates, military uniforms, national sports team uniforms and the whole constitution. There is a lot that goes in changing the name of a country. 

Here are 8 countries that changed their names over the years. 

Burma to Myanmar

Burma was changed to Myanmar as the former only referred to the largest group of ethnic people in the country, leaving out the other 135 indigenous communities. The decision was taken in 1989 by the military junta. 

Swaziland to eSwatini 

The King of Swaziland commemorated the 50th anniversary of the country by declaring that the country’s name would change to eSwatini. The name was primarily changed due to the fading colonialism and foreigners confusing the land for Switzerland. 

Ceylon to Sri Lanka 

Ceilão, the former Portuguese colonial name of the country, was changed to Ceylon by the British in the early 19th century. After becoming a republic, the government of the island changed its name to Sri Lanka.

Rhodesia to Zimbabwe 

Rhodesia was a colonial name, and upon independence, the country was renamed Zimbabwe.  

The Czech Republic to Czechia 

Czechoslovakia was difficult to pronounce and thought of as a big name. After 20 years of discussion, the name was shortened to Czechia in April 2016. However, this is only the shorter version of the official name Czech Republic. 

Siam to Thailand 

Currently known as Thailand, the country was known as Siam. It was changed in 1939 after it became a constitutional monarchy. The word “Thai”, originally “Tai”, means free. 

The Republic of Macedonia to The Republic of North Macedonia 

The Republic of Macedonia was changed to the Republic of North Macedonia last year in January 2019. The main reason was the country’s tiff with its next-door neighbour, Greece.  

The Congo Free State to The Democratic Republic of Congo 

This country has had its fair share of name changes, starting from the 1800s to the 1970s. Formerly, the country was known as the Congo Free State until 1908. Then it became Belgian Congo, followed by the Republic of Congo in 1960, the Republic of Zaire in 1971 and finally in 1997, it was changed back to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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