List of alternative country names

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Most countries of the world have alternative names. Some countries have also undergone name changes for political or other reasons. This article attempts to give all known alternative names and initialisms for all nations, countries and sovereign states, in English and any predominant or official of the country in question.

Countries are listed alphabetically by their description, the most common name or term that is politically neutral and unambiguous. This may followed by a note as to the status of the description used. Contents [hide] • 1 A • 2 B

• 3 C

• 4 D

• 5 E

• 6 F

• 7 G

• 8 H

• 9 I

• 10 J

• 11 K

• 12 L

• 13 M

• 14 N

• 15 P

• 16 R • 17 S

• 18 T

• 19 U

• 20 V

• 21 Z

• 22 See also

• 23 References [edit] A

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Albania of Albania (official, English), Shqipëria (common, Albanian) (common, Republika e Shqipërisë (official, Albanian) English) Algeria People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (official, English), al-Jazā’ir (common, (common, Arabic), al Jumhuriyya al Jazaa'iriyya ad-Dīmuqrāţiyya ash English) Sha'biyya (official, Arabic) Armenia (common, Hayastan (transliterated Armenian, original: Հայաստան) English) Australia Commonwealth of Australia (official, English), New Holland (former name, (common, English) English) Austria Republic of Austria (official, English), Republik Österreich (official, German), (common, Österreich (common, German) English) [edit] B

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Bangladesh East , East Bengal (former names, English), People's Republic of (common, Bangladesh (official, English) English) Belarus Republic of Belarus (official, English), Gudija (Lithuanian), Byelorussia (common, (former name), White Russia (outdated) English) Benin Dahomey (former name), Republic of Benin (official, English), République (common, du Bénin (official, French) English) Botswana (common, Bechuanaland (former, English), Republic of Botswana (official, English) English) Brazil Pindorama (native, pre-colonization, Tupi-Guaraní), Terra de Santa Cruz (common, (early Portuguese colonization), United States of Brazil (former, English), English) Federative Republic of Brazil (official, English) Burkina Faso Upper Volta (former name, English), Haute-Volta (former name, French), (official, English Bourkina-Fasso (unofficial French form in the first few days after the 1984 and French) change from Upper Volta until the clarified the official spelling) [edit] C

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Kingdom of Cambodia (official, English), Royaume du Cambodge (official, French), Kampuchea (former officially-sanctioned common name in the Cambodia English and transliteration from Khmer language), Khmer Republic (common, (former official), Democratic Kampuchea (former official), People's English) Republic of Kampuchea (former official), State of Cambodia (former official) Canada Dominion of Canada (historical long form, English), Dominion du Canada (official, English (historical long form, French) and French) Central African Oubangui-Chari (former, French), Ubangi-Shari (English), République Republic Centrafricaine (official, French), Empire Centrafricain (former official, (official, French), Central African Empire (English) English) Chile Chilli (Aymara), Chili (Quechua), Reyno de Chile (colonial Spanish), (official, Capitania general de Chile (colonial Spanish) English) China/中中 (common, ambiguous), 中中中中中中中 (official, Chinese), PRC (initialism), Communist China (colloquial, mainly used by Western countries), People's Red China (colloquial, mainly derogatory), 中中 (colloquial and mainly Republic of derogatory, mainly used by the ROC with a cognate used in Vietnam), China Mainland China/中中中中/中中中中 (colloquial, refers to the area that the PRC (official, Government administers since the end of the Chinese Civil War), New China/中 English) 中中 (colloquial, pro-Communist), Shenzhou/中中, Ch'in Empire, Cathay (obsolete, now mainly used poetically) Zaire (former official name, 1971 to 1997; still occasionally used to distinguish Democratic it from Republic of the Congo), DRC (initialism), Congo Kinshasa (used in Republic of the contrast to "Congo Brazzaville"), Belgian Congo (former name during Belgian Congo colonization, 1908 to 1960, English), Congo belge (former name, French), (official, Congo Free State (former name, 1885 to 1908), Republic of the Congo English) (former name, 1960 to 1964, during which time both Congos had identical official names) Republic of the Congo (common), Congo Brazzaville (used in contrast to "Congo Kinshasa"), Congo French Congo (former name during French colonization, 1880 to 1910, (official, English) English) Côte d'Ivoire (common, Ivory Coast (common, English), the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire has asked that French and the French name be used in all languages official, English) Croatia Hrvatska (official, Croatian; also in Serbian, Bosnian and Montenegrin), (official, Hrvaška (Slovenian) English) Czech Republic Česká republika (official, Czech, Slovak), Česko (common, Czech, Slovak), (official, Czechia (abbreviated, English), Bohemia (former, English) English) [edit] D

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) French Territory of the Afars and the Issas, French Somaliland, Obock Territory (former names, English), Territoire français des Afars et des Issas, Djibouti Côte française des Somalis, Territoire d'Obock (former names, French), (common) Republic of Djibouti (official, English), République de Djibouti (official, French) Denmark (common, Danmark (common, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian) English) [edit] E

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Miṣ r (formal shortened, Arabic), Meṣ r (common, Arabic), Aegypt (former, ), (common) Kīmi (Coptic) Estonia Eesti (common, Estonian), Viru (poetic, Estonian) (common) Ethiopia Abyssinia (former), Habeshastan (Turkish), Federal Democratic Republic of (common) Ethiopia (official, English), Ethiopië (common, Dutch), Al-Habasha (Arabic) [edit] F

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Republic of Finland (common, English and Swedish), Suomi (common, Finnish), Suomen Finland tasavalta (official, Finnish), Republiken Finland (official, Swedish), Soome (official, (common, Estonian) English) French France (common, English and French), République Française (official, Republic French), L'Hexagone (often journalistic, colloquial French), Gaul (former name, (official, English), Gaule (former name, French) English) [edit] G

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Georgia Iberia (former, English, East Georgia), Colchis (former, English, West (official, Georgia), Iveria (usually used as Christian name), Republic of Georgia English) (former, before the 1995 ), Sakartvelo (in their own language) Federal Germany (common, English), Deutschland (common, German), Republic of Bundesrepublik Deutschland (official, German; formerly meant only West Germany Germany), Duitsland (common, Dutch) BRD (German initialism), East (official, Germany, German Democratic Republic, GDR, Deutsche Demokratische English) Republik or DDR Greece Hellas (official and common name), Ελλάδα ("Hellada" common name in (official English Greek), Ελλάς ("Hellas" official description in Greek), Hellenic Republic description) (official name of Greek state, English) Portuguese Guinea (former, English), Republic of Guinea-Bissau (official, Guinea-Bissau English), Guiné-Bissao (archaic, Portuguese), Guinea (shorthand, used when (common, context clearly distinguishes Guinea-Bissau from the neighboring Republic of English) Guinea) [edit] H

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Hungary Republic of Hungary (official, English), Magyar Köztársaság (official, (common, Hungarian), Magyarország (common, Hungarian) English) [edit] I

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Iceland (official English name), Republic of Iceland (official English description), Iceland Ísland (official Icelandic name), Lýðveldið Ísland (official Icelandic description), Fold (poetic name), Thule (Latin name, also poetic), Frón, Ísafold (both poetic) Bhārat (official name in Hindi), Bhārat Gaṇ arājya (official long form in Hindi), Republic of India (official long form in English), Union of India, Hindustan India (unofficial name in Hindi/Urdu), (Al-)Hind (name in Arabic/Persian/Urdu), Aryavarta (name in ) Nusantara (dating back from Hindu era), Insulinde (from the Colonial era), Indonesia Indunesia (suggestion for Dutch East Indies' modern name), Indonesië (common, Dutch) Persia was coined by ancient Greeks referring to Iran, which has always been the local name. Use of the Greek name continued in the west until 1932, when upon Iran Iran's request, the local became the internationally legal name, replacing Persia. Though both still remain in use today, outside of legal sphere. Mesopotamia (former name) Éire (official Irish name), Ireland (official English name), Irish Free State (1922– 1937), Poblacht na hÉireann (official Irish description), Republic of Ireland Ireland (official English description), Saorstát Éireann (Irish 1922-1937), Erin, Banba, Fodla (three poetic names), Hibernia (Latin name, also poetic) State of (official English name), Medinat Yisra'el (official Hebrew name), Dawlat Isra'il (official Arabic name), the Jewish State (unofficial), the Hebrew Israel State (unofficial), State of the Jews (unofficial), Palestine of '48 (Arabic, indicates non-recognition), the Zionist Entity (English) Italy Repubblica Italiana (official Italian name) [edit] J

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Jamaica Xamayca (Spanish version of Taino name) Nippon (中中?) (official name in Japanese), Nihon (alternate, more common reading of 中中 in Japanese), Yamato (中中?) or 中 (historic, ancient Japan), Ōyashima (大八 Japan 中?) (meaning the country of eight great islands, historic), Cipangu/Zipangu or Gipangu (appeared in The Travels of Marco Polo in the 13th century) Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (official, English) [edit] K

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Republic of (official English long name), Kazakhstan (English Kazakhstan passport short name), Republic of Kazakhstan (English passport long name), (common, Қазақстан (official Kazakh short name), Қазақстан Республикасы (official English) Kazakh long name), Qazaqstan (Kazakh short name in Latin script), Alash / Алаш / Alaş (former name, also poetic) Republic of Kenya (official, English), Jamhuri ya Kenya (official, Swahili), Kenya British East Africa Protectorate (former name when held in ‘protectorate’ (conventional status prior to becoming a starting in the 1880s until 1920), Kenya short form) Colony (former name during British colonization, from the 1920 until 1963) [edit] L

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Latvia Latvija (common, Latvian) (common, English) Lesotho Basutoland (former, English), Kingdom of Lesotho (official, English) (common, English) Lithuania Lietuva (common, Lithuanian), Литва (Litva) (common, Russian) (common, English) [edit] M

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Malawi Nyasaland (former, English), Republic of Malawi (official, English) (common) Persekutuan (official long form, Malay), Federation of Malaysia (official long form, English), Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak (former, English Malaysia names of the various components), Tanah Melayu or Malay Land (former, (official) Malay), 中中中中/ Mǎláixīyà (common, Mandarin), மேலசயா/ Malesiya (common, Tamil) Mauritania Islamic Republic of Mauritania (official, English), République Islamique de (common) Mauritanie (official, French) United Mexican States (official), Estados Unidos Mexicanos (official, Mexico Spanish), México (Spanish short form), República Mexicana (Only heard in (shortened form) Mexico, colloquial, Spanish), Méjico (Spanish variant), MEX (initialism), MX (initialism) Republic of Macedonia Македонија (official Macedonian), Macedonia, MKD (official) Republic of Moldova (official), Republica Moldova (official, Moldovan), Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (former Soviet name, English), Република Советикэ Сочиалистэ Молдовеняскэ (former Soviet name, Moldova Moldovan), Bessarabia, Bassarabia(historic name, still used by irredentists), Boğdan ('Land of Voyvoda I. Bogdan', former common and official name during Ottoman Empire, Turkish) Montenegro (official, English Crna Gora (official, Montenegrin, Serbian and Croatian), Mali i Zi (official, and other Albanian) languages) [edit] N

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Nederland (Dutch), het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (official Dutch), Netherlands [1] Kingdom of Holland (former official name, English), Holland (common, (official, English, Dutch and other languages), Bataafse Republiek (former official name, English) Dutch), Batavian Republic (former official name, English), Republiek der Zeven Vereenigde Nederlanden (former long official name, Dutch), Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (former long official name, English), Dutch Republic (former short official name, English), United Provinces (former common name), Seventeen Provinces or Low Countries (a former official name when united with Belgium and Luxembourg, English) New Zealand Aotearoa (official, Maori), Realm of New Zealand (official English name (official, including Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, and Ross Dependency), Dominion of English) New Zealand (former official, English) Norway Norge (common, Norwegian Bokmål, Danish, Swedish), Noreg (common, (common, Norwegian Nynorsk), Kingdom of Norway (official, English), Kongeriket Norge English) (official, Norwegian Bokmål), Kongeriket Noreg (official, Norwegian Nynorsk) [edit] P

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Islamic Republic of Pakistan (official and constitutional, English), Federation of Pakistan (alternate official name, English), Dominion of Pakistan (historic Pakistan official name, English), West Pakistan (common and later official name for the (common, area now covering Pakistan, used when discussing the polity before the English) secession of Bangladesh), (unofficial historical names) Sindhustan and Indosyncthia Palau Republic of Palau (official, English), Belau (common, Palauan; was also (common, sometimes used by English speakers who supported Palauan independence English) before it was gained in 1994) Republic of Poland (official, English), Rzeczpospolita Polska (official, Polish), Polska (common, Polish), RP (often journalistic, Polish), People's Republic of Poland (former Communist name, English), Polska Poland Rzeczpospolita Ludowa (former Communist name, Polish), Rzeczpospolita (common, (historic common name, Polish), Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (historic English) official name, English), Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów (historic official name, Polish), United Commonwealth of the Two Nations (historic official name, English) Portuguese Republic (official, English), (official, Latin), Galaico- Portuguese nation and Portucale from the Gallaeci tribe (Celtic Gale and roman-celtic Portus Cale) and Galician-Portuguese (ethnic term derived from the original language); also spelled Ophiusa (the ancient Greek name of what is now the Portuguese territory. It means Land of Serpents); Portugalliae and Lusitaniae (Latin); Regno Portugalensium and Portugalis (Latin, Medieval); Portugalliae et Algarbiae; Purtugall (Middle Ages); Burtughāl is the word for Portugal and orange in Arabic (Portuguese influence and expansion); Portingall or Portingal (common classical English and other late medieval Germanic languages); Ocidental Praia Lusitana (Western Lusitanian Beach) and Pátria Lusitana (Lusitanian Fatherland) from the national poem Os Lusíadas and from all Epic Poetry and Chronicles of the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Luxitania and Portugraal (Port of Grail) in Esotericism and metaphysical literature. Philippines Islas de San Lasarus (former named by Ferdinand Magellan), Las Islas Felipenas (official, (named by Ruy Lopez de Villalobos), Republika ng Pilipinas, Pilipinas, Pinas English) (Colloquial), RP (English, Official) Filipina (Malay, common) Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico (official, Spanish), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (official, English), Porto Rico (archaic, English), Associated Free (common, State of Puerto Rico (non-official literal translation to English of the official English and Spanish name), Borikén, Borinquen, or Borinken (former Taíno name also Spanish) used colloquially and among nationalists) [edit] R

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Russian Federation (official English description), Российская Федерация (official Russian), Russia, (official and common name, ambiguous, English), Россия (old Russian Rossiya, modern Russian Rassiya) (common, Russian), RF Russia (initialism), Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (former name), RSFSR (former name initialism), Rus (poetic or obsolete name, ambiguous), Great Russia (obsolete name) România (official, Romanian), Rumania or Roumania (archaic, English), Kingdom of Romania (name under monarchy, English), Regatul României (name under monarchy, Romanian), Romanian People's Republic (former Communist Romania name, English), Republica Populară Romînă (former Communist name, Romanian), Socialist Republic of Romania (former Communist name, English), Republica Socialistă România (former Communist name, Romanian) Republic of Rwanda (official, English), République du Rwanda (official, Rwanda French), Repubulika y'u Rwanda (official, Kinyarwanda), "Pays des mille collines" (poetic, French), Ruanda (former colonial name) [edit] S

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis (co-official, English), Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis (co-official, English), Saint Christopher and Nevis (alternate short-form, English), Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla Saint Kitts and (former official, English), Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla (former common, Nevis English), Saint Kitts or Saint Christopher (shorthand, English), Liamuiga and Oualie (former indigenous names of the islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, respectively) Kingdom of (common, English), KSA (initialism), Saudia (former in Saudi Arabia English, common in Arabic) Al Mumlaka Al-Arribiyyah As-saudiyyah (official, (official name in Arabic) English) Republic of Serbia (common, English), Servia (archaic, English), Srbija (common, Serbia Serbian), Republika Srbija (official, Serbian), Serbia and Montenegro (official, (former common, English), Yugoslavia (former common, English) English) Singapore (common, English), Singapura (common, Malay), Sinhapura Republic of (Sanskrit, i.e., Land of Lions), Xīnjiāpō/中中中 (common, Chinese), Singapore Ciŋkappūr/ (common, Tamil), Pulau Ujong (historical, ancient), (official, சஙகபபர Shōnan-tō/中中中 (former, Japanese occupation), little red dot (colloquial; English) originally derogatory) South Africa Azania, Mzansi (Xhosa, for South), Suid-Afrika (official, Afrikaans), Zuid- (common, Afrika (former official, Dutch) English) España (common, Spanish), Reino de España (official, Spanish), Espanya (common, Catalan), Espainia (common, Euskera), Spanish State (former name, also used now with political nuances), la piel de toro (Spanish) / la pell Spain de brau (Catalan) ("the bull hide", metaphoric name after the shape of the Iberian Peninsula), Las Batuecas (derogatory name in the works of Mariano José de Larra) Ceylon (former, English), Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (common, (official, English), Heladiva (Land of Sinhalese) (former, Sinhala), Sanskrit, Ratnadeepa (Island of Gems) (former, Sinhala), elangai (official, Tamil), English) Taprobane (one of the medieval ) Republic of Sudan (official, English), The Sudan (alternate English), Anglo- Sudan Egyptian Sudan (colonial name, English), Mahdist State (former English unofficial), Nubia (ancient name, also poetic) Suriname Dutch Guiana (former, English), Netherlands Guiana (former official, (common, English), Republic of Suriname (official, English), Republiek Suriname English) (official, Dutch), Surinam (English name until 1978) Sverige (common, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian), Konungariket Sverige Sweden (official, Swedish), Kingdom of Sweden (official, English), Svea Rike (common, (possibly former/poetical, Swedish), Thule (Latin name, also poetic), Svitjod English) (Old Norse) Switzerland (common, English), Schweiz (common, German, Danish, Swedish), Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (official, German), Suisse Swiss (common, French), Confédération suisse (official, French), Svizzera Confederation (common, Italian), Confederazione Svizzera (official, Italian), Svizra (official, (common, Romansh), Confederaziun Svizra (official, Romansh), English) Confoederatio Helvetica, Helvetia (Latin, sometimes used officially), CH (initialism) [edit] T

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Republic of China (official, English), 中中中中 (official, Chinese), 中中 (common, Chinese), ROC (initialism), Chinese Taipei/中中中中 (international designation), Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu/中中中中中中 中中中中中中中中中中中 (international designation), Taipei, China (designation used by China to imply that Taiwan is part of China), Taiwan, Province of China (UN designation), Nationalist China (obsolete), Free China (obsolete, pro-Nationalist), Formosa (former, English) United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar (former, English), United Tanzania Republic of Tanzania (official, English). Deutsch-Ostafrika, together with (common, Ruanda and Urundi (= German East Africa, colonial name until 1918). The country English) is named after Tanganyika, its mainland part, and the Zanzibar islands off its east coast. Siam (former name), Kingdom of Thailand (official, English) Pridnestrovie (official shortform name), Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Transnistria Respublica (official, longform) (official, Arabic)(common, French, English)تونس Tunisia Tunisia (official shortform name), Republic of Tunisia (official, longform), (official, Arabic) ,الجمهورية التونسية Republic of Turkey (official, English), Türkiye Cumhuriyeti (official, Turkish), Minor (geographical, English), Anatolia (geographical, English), Ottoman Turkey Empire (former, English), Turkish Empire (former unofficial, English), Porte or Sublime Porte (English descriptions of the former Ottoman state) Tuvalu (short- and long-form name, English and Tuvaluan), Ellice Islands Tuvalu (colonial name, English) [edit] U

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) United States United States of America (official), America (colloquial), the States (shortened (colloquial), US, U.S., USA, Usa, U.S.A. (initialism), Columbia (Latin, poetic) form) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (official, English), United Britain (colloquial), Great Britain (colloquial), UK (initialism), United Kingdom Kingdom (short form), Albion (poetic, Latin), Perfidious Albion if you are an (shortened old enemy of this country (mainly humorous today), Anglia (poetic, Latin, form) England), Alba (Scottish, Gaelic), Caledonia (poetic, Latin), Cymru (official, Welsh), Ulster (colloquial, Northern Ireland) United Arab United Arab Emirates (English), Trucial States (English, prior to 1971) Al Emirates Emirat Al Arrabbiyah Al Mutahidah (official, Arabic) UAE (English (shortened initialism) form) [edit] V

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) New Hebrides (former name under British and French condominium rule from Vanuatu 1906–1980, Niuhebridis (Bislama), Nouvelles Hebrides (former official name in (common) French), République de Vanuatu (French), Ripablik blong Vanuatu (Bislama), Vanuatri (jocular name used in humour)[citation needed] Champa (Sanskrit), French Indochina (former name under French colonization when united with and Cambodia, English), Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vietnam (official, English), parted in North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) (common) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) from 1954 to 1975, Cộng hòa Xã hội Chủ nghĩa Việt Nam (official, Vietnamese), Việt Nam (short form, Vietnamese) [edit] Z

Description Other name(s) or older name(s) Zambia Northern Rhodesia (former, English), Republic of Zambia (official, English) (common) Zimbabwe Rhodesia or Republic of Rhodesia (former names, English), Republic of (common) Zimbabwe (official, English), Southern Rhodesia (former, English)