The UN recently approved Turkey’s request to make a name change internationally, leaving behind the name of Turkey, used mostly in English, opting to use the native name of Türkiye, which according to its president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, represents the values of the nation.
(Read: Why does Turkey change its name? The UN makes it official internationally)
This change was accompanied by new measures that companies and initiatives must abide by immediately that included the name of the country, such as ‘Made in Turkey’, which will become ‘Made in Türkiye’ (made in Turkey), as well as the GoTurkey tourism initiative, which invited foreigners and natives to tour the country, leaving from this 2022 as GoTürkiye, already reflected on the official Turkish website.
But the case of the Eurasian country is not the only one in history, since representative cases have recently been witnessed, with some largely unknown reasons. Below we review the reasons for some countries to make the change in their name.
Netherlands
Composed of 12 provinces and belonging to both the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the European Union, This country was mostly known as Holland, precisely two provinces that make it up and where Amsterdam, its capital, is located..
Faced with the discontent of some inhabitants, who felt excluded when they were called Dutch, and seeking to change the image that had been built of a tourist site for drug use and access to legal prostitution, in 2020 the government decided to “eliminate ” the label of Holland, to be called the Netherlands, encompassing the provinces that make up the entire country.
In the books it was always “Kingdom of the Netherlands”. “Holland” is the name of a region divided into two provinces, North Holland and South Holland. The name “Holland” was accepted because its use was widespread. @MiguelOsovi
– Facundo Aguilera (@JFacundoA) June 21, 2022
North Macedonia
Finally, there is the case of North Macedonia, a country that until 2018 was known as the Republic of Macedonia or the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. These names caused political friction with Greece, which has a region called Macedonia.
In order to alleviate these conflicts with Greece, and finally be able to access NATO, the country chose to call itself North Macedonia, avoiding possible confusion with the Greek region.
And here it is: Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia are going to demand progress in their accession processes. Let’s see how the EU manages this anger while reaching out to Ukraine and Moldova. You can’t blow and sip at the same time. https://t.co/VJFlDkAz26
— Emilio Ordiz (@EmilioOrdiz) June 22, 2022
Czechia
In another case of countries that are erroneously named under an old name, we have the Czech Republic, a country that until 2016 used the name of the Czech Republic.
Although in the UN or the European Union they are known by their official name of Czechia, other organizations still call this Central European country by its old name.
Although the reasons are not very clear, the most established theory is to want to shorten its name, so that it is easier to remember and use in marketing. According to the debate that monopolized almost 20 years in the country, it would facilitate sports processes, although FIFA and UEFA still call them the Czech Republic.
Democratic Republic of Congo
The African country has gone through massive name changes, especially during the 20th century, going from the Congo Free State to the Belgian Congo, then to Congo-Léopoldville and after its independence it became known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, its current name.
Even so, after Mobutu Sese Seko’s dictatorship between 1971 and 1997, it underwent a name change to the Republic of Zaire, which would change with the end of its strict government at the hands of Laurent-Désile Kabila, who would once again return to the Republic. Democratic Republic of the Congo, a name that still stands.
Belarus
Although it is a name that is rarely used, especially by the West, the real name of Belarus of Belarus, as stated in its constitutional act. The name translates to ‘The White Russia’, a determination that was not well seen by Russia after the fall of the USSR, so they would insist on calling this country as Belarus.
At the moment, the government of Aleksandr Lukashenko seeks that both in the East and the West the name of the constitutional act of this country is respected.
Iran
After a strong historical association with the Persian empire and some internal conflicts, the Shah Reza Pahleví established in 1939 that the name of Persia would only refer to one of the regions and ethnic cultures that make up Iran as a country.
Although its initial approach was approached with a proposal such as Iranestán, it was rejected for not encompassing all the provinces of the country. From there, after the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979 and the rise to power of Ayatollah Khomeini, the country took the official name of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Both Iran and the Islamic Republic of Iran are valid before official organizations.
Thailand
After a coup in the 1930s, the transition from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy, the country that until then was known as Siam was renamed Thailand, which in the native language means “land of the free”hinting that they were never colonized.
This change was signed in 1939, and although between 1945 and 1949 they returned to the name of Siam, since then they have returned to using the name of Thailand, which according to historians, was proposed by Plaek Pibulsonggram, prime minister after the constitution and coup of 1938.
In addition, Thailand also changed the name of its capital during this century, leaving aside Bangkok and opting for ‘Krung Tep Maha Nakhon’. It should be clarified that the use of Bangkok will continue to be valid for foreign use and official documents, although these must be accompanied by the local name.
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