Here’s a partial list of countries that changed their names recently due to war, politics, or sometimes mere whimsy.
- Bangladesh was East Pakistan until 1971
- Belarus was Byelorussia until 1991
- Belize was British Honduras until 1973
- Benin was Dahomey until 1975
- Burkina Faso was Republic of Upper Volta
- Cambodia was known as Khmer Republic 1971-1975, and then Kampuchea until 1991
- Colombia was New Granada until 1819
- Czech Republic and Slovakia were collectively called until 1993
- Democratic Republic of the Congo was Zaire between 1971 and 1997
- Djibouti was formerly French Somaliland and then Afars and Issas until 1977
- Egypt and Syria were collectively called the United Arab Republic from 1958 to 1961
- Ethiopia was Abyssinia
- Ghana was the Gold Coast until 1957
- Guinea Bissau was Portuguese Guinea until 1974
- Guyana was British Guiana until 1966
- Indonesia was Netherlands East Indies until 1945
- Iran was Persia until 1935
- Jordan was known as Transjordan
- Kiribati was known as the Gilbert Islands until 1979
- Malawi was Nyasaland until 1964
- Mali was French Sudan until 1960
- Mexico was New Spain until 1821
- Moldova was Moldavia until 1991
- Myanmar was Burma
- Namibia was Southwest Africa
- Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Kosovo were collectively known as Yugoslavia until 1992-2006
- Sri Lanka was Ceylon until 1972
- Tanzania was Tanganyika and Zanzibar
- Thailand was Siam until 1949
- Tuvalu was known as the Ellice Islands until 1978
- Vanuatu was New Hebrides until 1980
- Zambia was Northern Rhodesia until 1964
- Zimbabwe was Rhodesia