You may not realize it, but lots of things are named for places that used to exist, but now go by different names. For instance, everyone’s heard of Siamese cats and Ceylon tea. Well, Siam is the old name for Thailand and Ceylon is now called Sri Lanka. Also, many places were given names when they were colonized by Europeans, only to be renamed when they gained their independence. Did you know that Belize was formerly known as British Honduras and Suriname was Dutch Guiana? The borders of several African countries have been redrawn many times throughout history too. Due to frequent wars and former colonial rule, if you look at an old map of Africa you’re sure to see places that no longer exist. The nations of Zambia and Zimbabwe were once collectively known as Rhodesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo was once called Zaire.
Can you think of any other places that used to be known by other names? Feel free to add them in the comments section below!
| CURRENT NAME | FORMER NAME |
| Bangladesh | East Pakistan |
| Belize | British Honduras |
| Burkina Faso | Upper Volta |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Zaire, British Congo |
| Ethiopia | Abyssinia |
| Ghana | Gold Coast |
| Iran | Persia |
| Mali | French Sudan |
| Myanmar | Burma |
| Sri Lanka | Ceylon |
| Suriname | Dutch Guiana |
| Tanzania | Tanganyika and Zanzibar |
| Thailand | Siam |
| Vanuatu | New Hebrides |
| Zambia | Northern Rhodesia |
| Zimbabwe | Southern Rhodesia |
