Many
nations of
today once had very different
names. Below is a list of some of the well-known ones.
Name Former Name
Bangladesh East Pakistan
Belarus Byelorussia
Belize British Honduras
Benin Dahomey
Botswana Bechuanaland
Burkina Faso Upper Volta
Burundi Urundi
part of (1) German East Africa,
(2) Ruanda-Urundi
Central African Republic Ubangi-Shari
Cambodia Democratic Kampuchea
Columbia New Granada
Congo (Democratic Rep. of) Zaire, Belgian Congo
Congo (Republic of) Middle Congo (French)
Cote d'Ivoire Ivory Coast
Djibouti Affars & Issas, Tty. of;
French Somaliland
Equatorial Guinea Spanish Guinea
Ethiopia Abyssinia
Ghana Gold Coast
Guinea part of French West Africa
Guinea-Bissau Portugese Guinea
Guyana British Guiana
Indonesia Dutch East Indies
Iran Persia
Kiribati Gilbert Islands
Kyrgyzstan Kirghizia (part of Former USSR)
Lesotho Basutoland
Malawi Nyasaland
Malaysia Malaya, Sabah (North Borneo), and
Sarawak
Mali French Sudan
Moldova Moldavia (Part of Former USSR)
Myanmar Burma
Netherlands Antilles Dutch East Indies
Pakistan West Pakistan
Rwanda Part of (1) German East Africa,
(2) Ruanda-Urundi
Somalia Somaliland (Brit. & Ital.)
Sri Lanka Ceylon
Suriname Dutch Guiana
Tanzania Tanganyika and Zanzibar
Thailand Siam
Togo Togoland
Tuvalu Ellice Islands
United Arab Emirates Trucial States, Trucial Oman
Vietnam Formerly North Vietnam, South Vietnam
French Indo-China before that
Vanuatu New Hebrides
Yemen Part of (1) Southern Yemen
(2) People's Democratic
Republic of Yemen
Zambia Northern Rhodesia
Zimbabwe Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia
Thanks Gritchka!