European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 12, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Woman in Turkina faso the country former a called upper volts sorts feves of we Baobab free. Global name switching National geographic the following countries Are among More than 30 that have changed names Lotc unnoticed by the rest of the world Lor political reasons dui Nuj this Colury can you correctly match the old and now county names former names current names Dahomey sri Lanka new hebrides Belize British Honduras by Tim Bechuanaland Suriname Ceylon Vanuatu dutch Guiana Botswana geographic name changing gamed International attention during the recent ship re lagging crisis in Iho persian Gull when the Pentagon referred to those Waters which touch the shores of a half dozen Arab states As the arabian Gulf it s always been a problem says Richard r Randall executive Sec Elary of the u s Board on geographic names what do you do about historical names when they offend the people who live nearby he asks the persian Gull has had the same name since ancient Greefs and roman times Persia normally became Iran in 1935 at one Lime the Shah of Iran wanted to rename the Gull the iranian Gulf in 19ejb Iran protested an iraqi Cabinet decision to Call it the gum of Arabia but on saudi arabian maps it s been the arabian Gull for years in another part of the Globe Aller Taiwan shed the name Formosa Tho Strait that lies Between it and the chinese Mainland was officially recognized As the Taiwan Strait although it still appears on some maps As Formosa Strait former president Sukarno of Indonesia once tried unsuccessfully to rename the Indian Ocean the indonesian Ocean Trio sooth China sea says Randall has great renaming potential because it is surrounded by Many politically volatile Southeast asian nations among countries names generally change alter political status changes from colonial to Independent or from old regime to new. More than any other colment in this Century. Alica bears the largest number of new names the Novesl of which is Turkina faso adopted in 1984 by Liny landlocked upper Volla the name irom two dialects of its people Means land of Man " at Independence in 1956. Another landlocked african country Bechuanaland. Named i sell Botswana after its dominant people the Botswana. On the West african coast. Dahomey Independent since 1960. Did not begin calling ils Oll Benin until 1976 nearby Gold coast is renamed Ghana in 1957, honouring a legendary ancient african Empire neighbouring Ivory coast now wan is to be by ils French name. Cote d Loire in 1976 Tho president of Mozambique announced the Rech Stening of the capital Over National radio the City of Lourenco Marques died Al 9 35 a m today.1 he said and from ils ashes the City of Maputo has now been born in North America even before the last Colony on the Mainland became Independent in 1981. It had started us mrs Belize instead of British Honduras in South America Suriname acquired by the Netherlands from Greal Britain in 1667 in Exchange Lor new Amsterdam now Orkwas formerly either Netherlands Guiana or Oulch Guiana Trie Island nation of Ceylon in the Indian Ocean has been sri Lanka for 15 years taking us new name from the ancient sinhalese and sanskrit words Lor the Island after the Indian pakistani conflict in the Dally t97 is. Fast Pakistan became Bangladesh the South Pacific Island group now hebrides administered jointly by Franco and Britain since 1906, pm Rarned As the Independent Republic of Vanuatu in 19bo the Gilbert and Phoenix Island groups Termi ii the Republic of Kiribati when the Bulish colors were ceremoniously lowered in 1979 the Ellice islands which had separated politically from the Gilberts in 1975. Look the name Tuvalu at Independence in 1978 Egyna Cerind to a isl in Namo Only for Ihrck years when it United Wilh 5yna to Usu unit Ihu let Tui Arab Republic the Union was dissolved m 1961. If Argentina had succeeded in Cap Lurig the Falkland islands during its 19b2 War Wilh Britain. The islands in the South Atlantic would probably to recognized today As Islas Malvinas world renowned cities too have been subjected to name changes St Petersburg capital of the russian Empire from 1712 to 1917, was renamed Petrograd in 1914 and Leningrad in 1924 More recently Saigon once the capital of South Vietnam lost not Only its capital City status bul also its name during Iho reunification of Vietnam in 1976 Asho Chi Mph cily. It still ranks As Vietnam s largest with 3 5 million people it can Lake a decade or More for new names to stick Namo recognition depends on the importance of Iho area in the world How Ellen people see Iho name and what name map makers and the press says Sandra Shaw Deputy director of Iho Olyce of the geographer at the slate Deparl Mcnol and chairman of the Doard on geographic Faunna it s been nearly 10 years since the pinyin system was used Lor the roman Jaton of chinese and you still hear even native chinese using peking Sicad of Eloi Iarj " some limes name changes can be confusing is i Kampuchea Cambodia of changing country names new name Bangladesh Belize Benin Turkina Kaw Ghana Guyana Indonesia Iran Kampuchea Kiribati Lesotho Mil Niue Mali Namibia sri Lanka Suriname Taiwan Tanzania Thailand Tuvalu United Arab firn rain -. Vanuatu 7arc a it Hij old name East Pakistan British Honduras Dahomey upper Volla Gold coast British Guiana Netherlands indies Persia Cambodia Gilbert and Phoenix islands Basutoland Nyasa land sudanese Republic South West Africa Ceylon Netherlands Guiana. Dutch Guiana Formosa Tanganyika and Zanzibar Siam Ellice islands trucial status new hebrides Congo Northern Ryhti Dorii Khz Idesia Southern Rhodesia him Man ends Lii i a i lie is no or per Lac a Ulm filed Kampuchea l f seven years Oll scially switched bar to him Laklia in 1985 because the Untim Ilia tar docs not re Coryn e the. Joc a men m Power saturday. December 12. 1987 the stars and stripes Page 17
