The name of the country is very important for its people. It is the first thing by which a country is identified. That's why people feel connected to their country's name and emotional towards it. We have seen a lot of countries who have changed the name of cities, towns or roads. The change, in some cases, is for political reasons or in other cases, is in the honor of a particular person. But many countries have changed their country's name. Change of name is not easily acceptable. There are many countries in which people of a particular region still use the old name. Here I am enlisting the 5 countries that have changed their name.
1 Siam To Thailand
Thailand is one of those countries that have been governed by Kings for centuries. Formerly, it was known as Siam. After 1939, when Siam become a constitutional monarchy, King changed its name from Siam to Thailand. Thailand means "the country of free people" is opted because it is one of the few countries that is not controlled by the British or French. Also, the name was changed to give tribute to the first freedom fighter.
2 Rhodesia To Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe, previously known as Rhodesia, changed its name in 1980 after the country gained independence from Northern Rhodesia and Nyasa land. After independence, It was known as the Republic of Zimbabwe, later renamed Zimbabwe. One of the main reasons to change the name was that Rhodesia is a colonial name.
3 Ceylon To Sri Lanka
Ceylon was discovered by the Portuguese in the 16th century and named Ceilão. When the British occupied this area, they renamed it Ceylon. After gaining independence from the British, the government changed it to Siri Lanka and remove the old name from all official bodies and companies. The name was suggested by the freedom party. Firstly, they changed the name to "The Republic of Sri Lanka" in 1972. Later it was recalled as the "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka".
4 Persia to Iran
Iran before 1935 was called Persia due to the Greek manuscript. The Persians firstly invaded the region and formed Persian Empire. After 1935 the government requested the Western world to recall the country as Iran. Iran is the name of the country in the Persian language. It was suggested by the Iranian ambassador. It was also referred that the name change was influenced by Nazis. Many people opposed this decision, but then they agreed to it.
5 Burma To Myanmar
Burma was changed by the military to Myanmar in 1989. United Nations, France, and Japan requested the change of the name after a lot of people were murdered during political upheaval. Everyone was not agreed with this new name and still, the old name was used. Also, UK and US did not agree to this new name that was changed by the Military.
Besides it, many countries have changed their name. Recently in the 2019 Republic of Macedonia changed its name due to become a member of NATO. Now, it is known as the Republic of North Macedonia.
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