In the world, there are a number of countries whose names have changed over a certain historical period. Sometimes it happened quite quickly, especially in times of social upheaval, and sometimes it took a long time to change. In our article, you will learn about these states and their new and old names.

Macedonia

At present, the authorities of Macedonia are ready to change the name of their country. At the end of February this year, Zoran Zaev, the Prime Minister of the Republic, presented four options of the future name. The change of name will help to resolve the long-standing conflict with Athens, experts believe. After the break-up of Yugoslavia, Skopje was called the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (FYROM). Only with this condition, the country was admitted to the UN, and now it seeks membership in NATO.

Cambodia

The name of the kingdom in the south of Indochina changed five times in the last century. In 1953 the country became independent of France. In 1975, the Khmer Rouge was in power replacing the country's name with Democratic Kampuchea. In 1989, due to constitutional changes, it was called the State of Cambodia. The original name returned in 1993, after the restoration of the monarchy. The state again became the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka was called the island of Ceylon from the 16th century. In 1948, the country became dominion, that is, it gained independence being part of the British Empire. In the 70s of the XX century it was called the Republic of Sri Lanka, and in 1978 - the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. However, both in the country and in the West it was still called Ceylon. In 2005, Sri Lanka was led by the president of Rajapaksa who renamed the island at the beginning of his reign.

Myanmar

Before its independence from Britain in 1948, Myanmar had a different name - Burma. In 1974 the country became known as the Socialist Republic of the Burmese Union. In the late 1980s, after the establishment of the military dictatorship, the new government changed its name to the Union of Myanmar. In 2010, the state became known as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

Iran

Indigenous people called their territory Iran ("The Land of the Aryans"), although the ethnic majority were Persians. The country was called Persia until 1935, until the head of state, Reza Shah Pahlavi, demanded to call it Iran. In 1959 Reza Shah said that both names will be used in the international arena. However, after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the state officially became known as the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Saudi Arabia

The former name of Saudi Arabia is Hejaz. It is considered the birthplace of Islam, there are also sacred for the Muslim cities of Mecca and Medina. In 1925, King Abdulaziz Al Saud, ruler of the neighboring state of Najd, took over Hijaz. As a result, a united state emerged. In 1932, it was renamed Saudi Arabia, after the name of the ruling dynasty of the Saudis.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

In 1965, during a military coup, Mobutu Sese Seko came to power in the country. As a result, the Democratic Republic of Congo was named the Republic of Zaire. At the same time, Africanization of the country became part of the policy. In 1971, the state was renamed the Republic of Zaire. The name of the country was changed to modern in 1997 after the overthrow of the dictatorship of Mobutu.