World former names quiz
53 countries of the world used to have another name. Dahomey, Ceylon, Zaire, Upper Volta: say which country each one is today.
Start the quizPlayed as Review · mixed questions, typed answers · free, no sign-up
How it works
- A few at a time. You see each new former name first, then recall it until it sticks.
- Mistakes become practice. Whatever you miss comes back sooner, mixed with what you already know.
- Keep it for good. Spaced repetition brings everything back just before you would forget it.
Former names of the world
| Country | Used to be called |
|---|---|
| Bangladesh | East Pakistan, East Bengal (until 1971) |
| Belarus | Byelorussia (until 1991) |
| Belize | British Honduras (until 1973) |
| Benin | Dahomey (until 1975) |
| Bolivia | Upper Peru (until 1825) |
| Botswana | Bechuanaland (until 1966) |
| Burkina Faso | Upper Volta (until 1984) |
| Cambodia | Kampuchea, Khmer Republic (until 1989) |
| Central African Republic | Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire (until 1979) |
| Colombia | New Granada (until 1858) |
| Djibouti | French Somaliland, French Territory of the Afars and the Issas (until 1977) |
| DR Congo | Zaire, Belgian Congo (until 1997) |
| Egypt | United Arab Republic (until 1971) |
| Equatorial Guinea | Spanish Guinea (until 1968) |
| Eswatini | Swaziland (until 2018) |
| Ethiopia | Abyssinia |
| Ghana | Gold Coast (until 1957) |
| Guinea-Bissau | Portuguese Guinea (until 1974) |
| Guyana | British Guiana (until 1966) |
| Haiti | Saint-Domingue (until 1804) |
| Indonesia | Dutch East Indies (until 1949) |
| Iran | Persia (until 1935) |
| Ireland | Irish Free State (until 1937) |
| Jordan | Transjordan (until 1949) |
| Kenya | British East Africa (until 1920) |
| Kiribati | Gilbert Islands (until 1979) |
| Kyrgyzstan | Kirghizia (until 1991) |
| Lesotho | Basutoland (until 1966) |
| Madagascar | Malagasy Republic (until 1975) |
| Malawi | Nyasaland (until 1964) |
| Malaysia | Malaya (until 1963) |
| Mali | French Sudan (until 1960) |
| Mexico | New Spain (until 1821) |
| Moldova | Moldavia (until 1991) |
| Mozambique | Portuguese East Africa (until 1975) |
| Myanmar | Burma (until 1989) |
| Namibia | South West Africa (until 1990) |
| North Macedonia | Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, FYROM (until 2019) |
| Oman | Muscat and Oman (until 1970) |
| Republic of the Congo | Middle Congo (until 1958) |
| Samoa | Western Samoa (until 1997) |
| Sri Lanka | Ceylon (until 1972) |
| Sudan | Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (until 1956) |
| Suriname | Dutch Guiana (until 1975) |
| Tanzania | Tanganyika (until 1964) |
| Thailand | Siam (until 1939) |
| Togo | Togoland, French Togoland (until 1960) |
| Turkmenistan | Turkmenia (until 1991) |
| Tuvalu | Ellice Islands (until 1978) |
| United Arab Emirates | Trucial States (until 1971) |
| Vanuatu | New Hebrides (until 1980) |
| Zambia | Northern Rhodesia (until 1964) |
| Zimbabwe | Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia (until 1980) |