Guidance

Timeline of country name changes in HMG use: 1919 to present

Updated 26 October 2023

This timeline shows His Majesty’s Government’s (HMG) use of country names and the associated state titles since the creation of the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names in 1919 ^{[footnote 1]}. Most changes recorded in the list reflect changes made in the respective countries and adopted for HMG use. Some limited explanation is given under certain entries, but for more information on the background of any change, please contact PCGN.

The list includes territories that have gained independence (e.g. former colonies), including those that enjoyed significant autonomy before gaining full independence.

2023

Micronesia changed to Federated States of Micronesia.

2022

Iceland; Republic of Iceland changed to Iceland.

Turkey; Republic of Turkey changed to Turkey; Republic of Türkiye.

2019

Macedonia; Republic of Macedonia changed to North Macedonia; Republic of North Macedonia.

Burma changed to Myanmar (Burma). State title, Republic of the Union of Myanmar, is unchanged (see also 2010, 1989 and 1948).

2018

Swaziland; Kingdom of Swaziland changed to Eswatini; Kingdom of Eswatini.

2017

New state title of Libya adopted as State of Libya.

2016

Czechia introduced as country name; Czech Republic remains state title (and see 1993).

2014

Republic of Cabo Verde adopted as state title. Cape Verde had circulated a request for this form to be used, though UK has retained the common English usage for the country name (and see 1975).

2013

Burkina Faso used by HMG as both country name and state title, replacing Burkina; Burkina Faso (Burkina Faso had replaced Republic of Burkina as state title in 1999 – and see 1984 and 1960.

Removed ‘Democratic’ from state title of Somalia to become Federal Republic of Somalia.

2012

Surinam to Suriname spelling change for country name agreed for British use (and see 1975)

2011

South Sudan; Republic of South Sudan created.

Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya became simply Libya ^{[footnote 2]} (and see 2017).

2010

New state title Republic of the Union of Myanmar, replacing Union of Myanmar. Country name remains Burma (see also 2019, 1989 and 1948).

2009

State title of Bolivia altered from Republic of Bolivia to Plurinational State of Bolivia.

2008

Kosovo; Republic of Kosovo: independence from Serbia recognised by HMG.

Nepal state title became Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

2007

Montenegro removed Republic from formal name so Montenegro both country name and state title.

2006

Montenegro created from Serbia and Montenegro. Republic of Montenegro briefly used as state title (see 2007).

Serbia; Republic of Serbia created from Serbia and Montenegro (and see 1990-92).

2002

Bahrain changed state title from State of Bahrain to Kingdom to Bahrain.

East Timor; Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste became independent from Indonesia.

2001

Comoros adopted new state title: Union of the Comoros (and see 1975).

1997

Western Samoa renamed Samoa; Independent State of Samoa (and see 1962).

Zaire became Congo (Democratic Republic) (see also 1960, 1964, 1971).

1994

Palau; Republic of Palau, part of the Caroline Islands, gained independence.

1993

Eritrea; State of Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia.

Czechoslovakia divided into Czech Republic (and see 2016) and Slovakia.

1992

Congo; Republic of the Congo restored as state title, replacing People’s Republic of the Congo (and see 1960, 1969).

1990-92

New country names consequent on the breakup of Yugoslavia:

• Bosnia and Herzegovina (no long form state title)
• Croatia; Republic of Croatia
• Macedonia; Republic of Macedonia (and see 2019)
• Serbia and Montenegro (and see 2006 (Montenegro; Serbia) and 2008 (Kosovo)
• Slovenia; Republic of Slovenia

1990-91

New country names consequent on the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics:

• Armenia; Republic of Armenia
• Azerbaijan; Republic of Azerbaijan
• Belarus; Republic of Belarus (on independence initially Belorussia, but adopted Belarus by 1992)
• Estonia; Republic of Estonia ^{[footnote 3]}
• Georgia (no long form state title)
• Kazakhstan; Republic of Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan; Kyrgyz Republic
• Latvia; Republic of Latvia^{[footnote 3]}
• Lithuania; Republic of Lithuania^{[footnote 3]}
• Moldova; Republic of Moldova (on independence initially Moldavia, but adopted Moldova by 1992)
• Russia; Russian Federation
• Tajikistan; Republic of Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan (no long form state title)
• Ukraine (no long form state title)
• Uzbekistan; Republic of Uzbekistan

1990

Benin; People’s Republic of Benin state title changed to Republic of Benin.

Namibia; Republic of Namibia gained independence from South Africa.

North Yemen; Yemen Arab Republic and South Yemen; People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen joined to form Yemen; Republic of Yemen (and see 1967).

1989

State title altered to Union of Myanmar, previously Union of Burma. Country name remains Burma reflecting common British English usage (see also 2010 and 2019).

1986

Federated States of Micronesia, part of the Caroline Islands, became independent.

1984

Brunei; Brunei Darussalam gained full independence from United Kingdom.

Upper Volta; Republic of Upper Volta renamed Burkina Faso in the country. HMG used.

Burkina; Republic of Burkina until 1999, then adopting Burkina Faso as state title, and as country name in 2013 (and see 1960).

1983

St Kitts and Nevis Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis gained independence from United Kingdom.

1981

Antigua and Barbuda gained independence from United Kingdom.

Belize, formerly British Honduras, gained independence from United Kingdom.

1980

Southern Rhodesia became Zimbabwe on independence from United Kingdom.

Vanuatu; Republic of Vanuatu, formerly New Hebrides, became independent.

1979

Iran; Islamic Republic of Iran became state title, replacing Imperial State of Iran (and see 1935).

Kiribati; Republic of Kiribati, comprised principally of the Gilbert Islands, became independent from United Kingdom.

St Lucia Saint Lucia gained independence from United Kingdom.

St Vincent Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gained independence from United Kingdom.

1978

Dominica; Commonwealth of Dominica gained independence from United Kingdom.

Solomon Islands became independent from United Kingdom.

Tuvalu, formerly Ellice Islands, became independent from United Kingdom.

1977

Djibouti; Republic of Djibouti became independent from France; it had been known as the French territory of the Afars and Issas (1967-1977), earlier French Somaliland (to 1967).

1976

Seychelles; Republic of Seychelles gained independence from United Kingdom.

Vietnam; Socialist Republic of Vietnam was formed on reunification of South and North Vietnam ^{[footnote 4]}.

1975

Angola; Republic of Angola became independent from Portugal.

Dahomey; Republic of Dahomey became Benin; People’s Republic of Benin (and see 1990).

Cape Verde; Republic of Cape Verde became independent from Portugal (and see 2014).

Comoros; Federal and Islamic Republic of Comoros, state title now Union of the Comoros, became independent from France (see 2001).

Laos; Kingdom of Laos became Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and see 1953.

Mozambique; Republic of Mozambique became independent from Portugal.

Papua New Guinea; Independent State of Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia.

Sao Tome and Principe; Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe became independent from Portugal.

Surinam; Republic of Suriname gained independence from Netherlands (and see HMG adoption of spelling Suriname, 2012).

1974

Grenada gained independence from United Kingdom.

Guinea Bissau; Republic of Guinea Bissau’s independence from Portugal recognised.

1973

The Bahamas; Commonwealth of The Bahamas gained independence from United Kingdom.

1972

Sri Lanka adopted as country name change from Ceylon.

1971

Bahrain; State of Bahrain gained independence from United Kingdom and see 2002.

Bangladesh; People’s Republic of Bangladesh became independent from Pakistan (having been East Pakistan).

Democratic Republic of the Congo (previously Belgian Congo) became Zaire, renamed by President Mobutu Sese Seko. The name Congo was restored, see 1997, becoming Congo (Democratic Republic); Democratic Republic of the Congo (and see 1960, 1964).

Egypt; Arab Republic of Egypt replaces United Arab Republic as official name (and see 1958, 1961).

Qatar; State of Qatar gained independence from United Kingdom.

United Arab Emirates gained independence having been a protectorate of the United Kingdom known as the Trucial States.

1970

Fiji; Republic of Fiji gained independence from United Kingdom.

Guyana; Co-operative Republic of Guyana: having become independent from United Kingdom in 1966, Guyana decreed its state title to be the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.

Romania adopted by HMG as English-language country name (having been principally Romania 1926-1963 and Rumania, 1963-1970).

1969

Congo; Republic of the Congo became People’s Republic of the Congo (and see 1960, 1992).

1968

Equatorial Guinea; Republic of Equatorial Guinea, formerly Spanish Guinea, gained independence from Spain.

Mauritius; Republic of Mauritius gained independence from United Kingdom.

Nauru; Republic of Nauru gained independence.

Swaziland; Kingdom of Swaziland gained independence from United Kingdom, see also name change to Eswatini, 2018.

1967

Aden Colony and Protectorate gained independence from United Kingdom as South Yemen; People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen.

1966

Barbados gained independence from United Kingdom

Bechuanaland ^{[footnote 5]} gained independence from United Kingdom and was renamed Botswana, Republic of Botswana.

Guyana gained independence from United Kingdom (previously British Guiana) and see 1970.

Lesotho; Kingdom of Lesotho gained independence from United Kingdom (having been Basutoland).

1965

Maldives; Republic of Maldives gained independence from United Kingdom.

The Gambia; Republic of The Gambia gained independence from United Kingdom.

Singapore; Republic of Singapore gained independence.

1964

Democratic Republic of the Congo became official name replacing Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville^{[footnote 6]}) (and see 1960, 1971, 1997).

Malawi; Republic of Malawi gained independence from United Kingdom (having been Nyasaland).

Malta; state title now Republic of Malta gained independence from United Kingdom.

Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined to form Tanzania; United Republic of Tanzania (and see 1961).

Zambia; Republic of Zambia gained independence from United Kingdom (having been Northern Rhodesia).

1963

Kenya; Republic of Kenya gained independence from United Kingdom.

1962

Algeria; People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria gained independence from France.

Burundi gained independence from Belgium^{[footnote 7]}; initially as Kingdom of Burundi, changing to Republic of Burundi in 1966.

Jamaica gained independence from United Kingdom.

Rwanda; Republic of Rwanda gained independence from Belgium^{[footnote 7]}.

Trinidad and Tobago; Republic of Trinidad and Tobago gained independence from United Kingdom.

Uganda; Republic of Uganda gained independence from United Kingdom.

Western Samoa, now Samoa; Independent State of Samoa, gained independence from New Zealand (and see 1997).

1961

Northern Cameroons became part of Nigeria, now Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Southern Cameroons became part of Cameroon; Federal Republic of Cameroon, now Republic of Cameroon.

Kuwait; State of Kuwait gained full independence from United Kingdom.

Sierra Leone; Republic of Sierra Leone gained independence from United Kingdom.

Syria; Syrian Arab Republic secedes from United Arab Republic, see 1958.

Tanganyika gained independence from United Kingdom and see 1964 creation of Tanzania.

1960

Upper Volta now Burkina Faso gained independence from France (and see 2013, 1984).

Cameroon became independent from France, and see 1961 Central African Republic^{[footnote 8]} gained independence from France, briefly.

Central African Empire (1976-78), then Central African Republic restored.

Chad; Republic of Chad gained independence from France.

Congo; Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) (now Democratic Republic of the Congo, see 1964, 1971 and 1997) gained independence from Belgium.

Congo; Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) (now Republic of the Congo, see 1969, 1992) gained independence from France.

Cyprus; Republic of Cyprus gained independence from United Kingdom.

Dahomey; Republic of Dahomey (now Benin) gained independence from France (and see 1975, 1990).

Gabon; Gabonese Republic gained independence from France.

Ivory Coast; Republic of Côte d’Ivoire gained independence from France.

Madagascar; Republic of Madagascar gained independence from France.

The Mali Federation gained independence from France, subsequently dividing to form Senegal; Republic of Senegal and Mali; Republic of Mali.

Mauritania; Islamic Republic of Mauritania gained independence from France.

Niger; Republic of Niger gained independence from France.

Nigeria; Federation of Nigeria gained independence from United Kingdom, now Federal Republic of Nigeria, and see 1961.

Somalia gained independence from Italy.

Somaliland gained independence from United Kingdom.

Somalia and Somaliland joined to form Somalia; Somali Republic (becoming the Federal Republic of Somalia in 2012).

Togo; Togolese Republic gained independence from France.

1958

Egypt and Syria formed United Arab Republic.

Guinea; Republic of Guinea gained independence from France.

Jordan and Iraq formed a short-lived confederation known as the Hashemite Arab Federation (dissolved in the same year).

1957

Ghana; Republic of Ghana gained independence from United Kingdom and changed name from Gold Coast.

Malaysia gained independence from United Kingdom.

1956

Morocco; Kingdom of Morocco gained independence from France.

Sudan gained independence from United Kingdom.

Tunisia; Republic of Tunisia gained independence from France.

1953

Cambodia; Kingdom of Cambodia gained independence from France.^{[footnote 9]}

Formation of South Korea; Republic of Korea and North Korea; Democratic People’s Republic of Korea^{[footnote 10]}.

Laos; Kingdom of Laos gained independence from France (and see 1975).

1951

Libya gained independence; since this time there have been various iterations of its state title^{[footnote 11]}, now State of Libya, see 2017.

1949

China; Republic of China became People’s Republic of China.

Indonesia; Republic of Indonesia recognised as independent.

Jordan; Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan name is changed from Transjordan (and see 1946).

1948

Israel; State of Israel established.

Burma; Union of Burma became independent from United Kingdom (and see subsequent changes in 1989, 2010 and 2019).

Ceylon; Republic of Ceylon gained independence from United Kingdom and see 1972 name change to Sri Lanka.

1947

India; Republic of India gained independence from United Kingdom.

Pakistan; Islamic Republic of Pakistan gained independence from United Kingdom.

1946

Transjordan; Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan gained full independence from United Kingdom. The name Transjordan was retained until 1949 then becoming Jordan.

Philippines; Republic of Philippines gained independence from United States.

1945

French mandate ends and full independence gained for Lebanon; Lebanese Republic and Syria; state title now Syrian Arab Republic.

1939

Thailand; Kingdom of Thailand replaced Siam; Kingdom of Siam.

1937

Ireland adopted as official name (and see 1922) 1935.

Iran; Imperial State of Iran adopted, replacing Persia (and see 1979).

1932

Iraq, then Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq, now Republic of Iraq, gained full independence from United Kingdom^{[footnote 12]}.

1929

Vatican City gained independence from Italy.

1923

Turkey; Republic of Turkey established.

1922

Egypt gained full independence from United Kingdom, having been a protectorate.

Irish Free State gained independence, now Ireland, see 1937 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics formed, and see 1990 to 1991.

1. This list is not an exhaustive guide to state title changes. Country names are short names for general use and the names recommended by PCGN usually reflect current British usage. State titles are the forms used in formal, legal or diplomatic contexts. For the current full list of country names and state titles see Country names: The Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British official use. ↩

2. The state title was no longer Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya once Muammar Gaddafi was deposed but due to the instability it was not officially replaced, therefore simply Libya was used as both the state title and country name until 2017. ↩

3. HMG never recognised de jure the Baltic States’ incorporation into the USSR but considers that they were de facto occupied by the USSR in 1940. ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. The many status and name changes between the end of French colonial rule, through the Second World War, division into North and South Vietnam and Vietnam War are too detailed for this list. For more information please contact PCGN. ↩

5. This territory was Bechuanaland Protectorate; separately, British Bechuanaland was incorporated into South Africa. ↩

6. The name of the capital was changed from Léopoldville to Kinshasa in 1966. ↩

7. Formerly part of Belgian colony Ruanda-Urundi. ↩ ↩²

8. Earlier this had been known as Ubangi Shari, for a short time around 1920 united with Chad as Ubangi-Shari-Chad; within French Equatorial Africa. ↩

9. HMG did not adopt the country name/state title of the Khmer Rouge (Kampuchea, 1975-1979); the country remained Cambodia. ↩

10. The peninsula, under Japanese annexation between 1910 and 1945, saw several name and status changes between the Second World War and the Korean War. These entries reflect the division post War; for more detail please contact PCGN. ↩

11. 1969-77 = Libyan Arab Republic; 1977-86 = Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; 1986-2011 = Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. ↩

12. The Anglo-Iraq Treaty was agreed in 1922 with the spelling Irak, but the spelling Iraq, after some fairly heated debate within government, was adopted by HMG in 1926. ↩