Countries that changed their name, from Swaziland to Türkiye

A country's name feels fixed, almost untouchable. In fact states change it more often than you would think, and usually for very down to earth reasons: a mix-up, a spelling, a better shop window. Six examples from recent years show how such a switch works and why the map reads differently afterwards.

Eswatini: the end of the mix-up with Switzerland

In 2018 King Mswati III turned the Kingdom of Swaziland into the Kingdom of Eswatini. The new name simply means land of the Swazi and had long been in everyday use at home. The timing was deliberate, as the country was marking 50 years of independence.

There was a practical reason too. Abroad, Swaziland was regularly confused with Switzerland. With Eswatini that mix-up is off the table.

Türkiye: the country's own name

Since 2022 Turkey has used the international name Türkiye, the way the country refers to itself in its own language. In June 2022 the UN registered the name at the request of the Turkish government.

One motive was an English double meaning, since turkey is also the name of a bird. With the spelling Türkiye, umlaut and all, the name points clearly to the country.

Shorter and closer to the original: Czechia and Cabo Verde

Not every change is a full swap of names. In 2016 Czechia registered that short English form with the United Nations. The formal long name, the Czech Republic, stays in place for treaties and diplomacy, but for sport, trade and maps there is now a handy short version.

Cabo Verde took a similar step in 2013. The island state asked the UN to use only the Portuguese original Cabo Verde instead of the English translation Cape Verde. The name is no longer translated.

Six name changes at a glance

These six cases are well documented and uncontroversial:

• Eswatini: since 2018, formerly Swaziland, named after the Swazi people.
• Türkiye: the internationally registered name of Turkey since 2022.
• Czechia: the official short English form for the Czech Republic since 2016.
• Cabo Verde: used since 2013 instead of the translated Cape Verde.
• Myanmar: the official country name since 1989, previously known mostly as Burma.
• Netherlands: officially just the Netherlands since 2020, dropping the nickname Holland.

Myanmar and the Netherlands: more than a new sign

Two entries on the list are categories of their own. Myanmar has carried its present name since 1989. The earlier international name was Burma, and the two words go back to the same root, with Myanmar the more formal variant.

The Netherlands, on the other hand, did not change the name of the state at all, only its marketing. Since 2020 the country has presented itself officially only as the Netherlands and no longer as Holland. The reason: Holland strictly refers to just two of the twelve provinces, North Holland and South Holland. The nickname always stood for only a part of the whole.

Anyone who plays a lot of CountryRush keeps names like these in their head anyway, old or new. The Daily Trip keeps them fresh, so that Eswatini, Türkiye and Cabo Verde stop tripping you up.