Do you remember these countries changing their names? - It is not uncommon for countries to change names. It may seem strange for such a large entity to do so, but in reality it has happened a lot throughout history. After all, many countries are much younger than you might expect.
Most recently is the case of Swaziland, which has changed its name to eSwatini to avoid any confusion with Switzerland.

Take a look at this fascinating history of countries that have changed their name!

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Burma / Myanmar - Burma changed its name to Myanmar, and finally to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar after a coup d'état in 1989. 

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Burma / Myanmar - The title of the Union of Myanmar was recognized by the UN and European Union, but rejected by some governments and ethnic groups. In 2010, the name was officially changed to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

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Siam / Thailand - Siam was one of the few countries that was not colonized by European powers and was an absolute monarchy.

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Siam / Thailand - Siam officially changed its name to Thailand in 1939 after a coup.

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Irish Free State / Ireland - In 1921, representatives of the UK and Ireland signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty to end the Irish War of Independence, which had gone on for two years. Ireland's status was changed from colony to dominion, but it still did not achieve total freedom, thus being named the Irish Free State.

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Republic of Ireland /Éire (Ireland) - In 1937, after a referendum to free itself of any legal ties to the United Kingdom, the new constitution was enforced, and the name was officially declared as Ireland or the Republic of Ireland, to differentiate itself from Northern Ireland.

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Upper Volta / Burkina Faso - Called the Republic of Upper Volta until August 4, 1984, then-president Thomas Sankara had it changed to Burkina Faso.

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Upper Volta / Burkina Faso - Burkina means "honest people" in the Mossi language, while Faso means "fatherland" in the Dyula language. Together the words mean "land of honest people."

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Dahomey / Benin - Dahomey was a powerful pre-colonial kingdom established in west Africa, in what is today Benin. The kingdom also included what is today Togo and some parts of south-east Nigeria.

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Dahomey / Benin - The country changed its name from Dahomey to the Republic of Benin 15 years after achieving independence, under the leadership of Mathieu Kérékou.

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Trucial States / United Arab Emirates - Before 1971, the UAE was known as the Trucial States, in honor of the 19th century truce between the UK and the various Sheikhs.

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Trucial States / United Arab Emirates - Only after independence in 1971 did the term United Arab Emirates come into use.

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Ceylon / Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon from when it was colonized by the British until 1972, despite gaining independence in 1948.

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Ceylon / Sri Lanka - It became the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in 1978, and is still known as such today.

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Zaire / Democratic Republic of Congo - Zaire was the official name of this African country from October 27, 1971 until May 17, 1997.

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Zaire / Democratic Republic of Congo - After Laurent-Désiré Kabila became president, Zaire became known as the Democratic Republic of Congo, as it is still known today.

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Bechuanaland Protectorate / Botswana - Botswana was previously known as the Bechuanaland Protectorate, a name given to it by the English after their invasion on March 31, 1885.

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British protectorate of Bechuanaland / Botswana - The name stuck until independence was achieved on September 30, 1966, when it became known as Botswana.

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Abyssinia / Ethiopia - The Ethiopian Empire, also known as Abyssina, covered the north of what is now Ethiopia. The founding of the Solomonic dynasty by the Abyssinians in 1270 led to the whole country being named Abyssinia. The Abyssinians ruled over most of the territory until the 20th century.

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Abyssinia / Ethiopia - Europeans started using the name Ethiopia in reference to Abyssinia during World War II, a few years before former emperor and king of Ethiopia Haile Selassie was overthrown. 

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Southern Rhodesia / Zimbabwe - Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo river and the Union of South Africa from 1888 until 1979.

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Southern Rhodesia / Zimbabwe - After independence the name Zimbabwe was adopted.

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British Honduras / Belize - This territory was known as British Honduras during the period of British colonization.

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British Honduras / Belize - In 1981, the colony gained total independence and it is now the independent nation of Belize.

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Northern Rhodesia / Zambia - Known as Northern Rhodesia during colonial times, its current name is taken from the river Zambeze, the country's main river.

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Northern Rhodesia / Zambia - In 1953, the United Kingdom attempted to unite Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) with Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Malawi, but the interests of the white colonizers in Southern Rhodesia led to Northern Rhodesia separating and becoming Zambia, in 1964.

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New Hebrides / Vanuatu - New Hebrides was the designated name for the islands that made up the archipelago of Vanuatu during colonial times.

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New Hebrides / Vanuatu - In 1980, the islands became independent and took on the name Vanuatu.

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Democratic Kampuchea / Cambodia - Cambodia has had several name changes throughout its history. From 1953 until 1970 it was known as the Kingdom of Cambodia. From 1970 to 1975 it was known as the Khmer Republic. Under the communist regime from 1975 to 1979 it was known as Democratic Kampuchea.

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Democratic Kampuchea / Cambodia - In 1993, after the restoration of the monarchy, it became known again as the Kingdom of Cambodia.

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Swaziland / eSwatini - King Mswati III made the announcement of Swaziland's name change during the 50th anniversary celebrations for the country's independence (and his 50th birthday). The country is now the Kingdom of eSwatini.

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Swaziland / eSwatini - One of the reasons for the change is an apparent confusion between Swaziland and Switzerland.

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Swaziland / eSwatini - King Mswati III has ruled since 1982 and decided after 36 years in charge to change his country's name. eSwatini means "land of the Swazis."

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