Renamed countries

Some renamed countries are well known in the West:

• Persia => Iran - the language is still called Persian
• Siam => Thailand - they speak Siamese or Thai
• East Pakistan => Bangladesh - formed after the partition of India, over Gandhi's protest

Others may have escaped all but the best geography students

Middle East

• Transjordan => Jordan
• Trucial States => United Arab Emirates

Africa

• Basutoland => Lesotho
• Bechuanaland => Botswana
• Burma => Myanmar
• Ceylon => Sri Lanka
• Dahomey => Benin
• German East Africa => Rwanda & Burundi & Tanzania
• Muscat & Oman => Oman
• Netherlands East Indies => Indonesia
• Northern Rhodesia => Zambia
• Nyasaland => Malawi
• Rhodesia & Southern Rhodesia => Zimbabwe
• South West Africa => Namibia
• Spanish Sahara => Western Sahara
• Upper Volta => Burkina Faso
• Zaire => Democratic Republic of Congo

Pacific

• Gilbert and Ellice Islands => Kiribati & Tuvalu
• New Hebrides => Vanuatu