New & Old Names of Countries and Cities | Important GK MCQs | PAKMCQs

The name was changed from Nawabshah to Shaheed Benazirabad in September 2008. This change was made to pay tribute to Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto after her assassination.

Montgomery was renamed Sahiwal in 1966. It was changed to honor the Sahi Clan (native inhabitants) and erase the colonial identity.

The city was officially renamed Istanbul on March 28, 1930. This was done by the Republic of Turkey under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to Turkify the name.

Campbellpur was renamed Attock in 1978. It was renamed to reflect the historical significance of the Attock Fort.

Pepri was renamed Bin Qasim in the 1970s. It was named after Muhammad Bin Qasim to highlight Islamic history.

Van Radha Ram was renamed Habib Kot after the partition of 1947. The government replaced the Hindu name with a Muslim one.

Shalkot was the old name of Quetta. The word is derived from Pashto "Kwatta" (Fort).

Salwan Kot is the ancient name of Sialkot. It was founded by Raja Salwan roughly 5,000 years ago.

Hindu Bagh was renamed Muslim Bagh in the late 20th century. This was done to reflect the Muslim demographics of the town.

When Sultan Mahmood Ghaznavi conquered Lahore in the 11th century, he renamed it Mahmoodpura, but the name did not last.

Dhaka was named Jehangir Nagar in 1610 by Islam Khan. It was named in honor of Emperor Jehangir.

Renamed Myanmar in 1989 by the military junta. This was done to shed colonial terminology and be more inclusive.

Mesopotamia became the Kingdom of Iraq in 1921 under the British Mandate. "Iraq" is the Arabic term officially adopted.

Batavia was renamed Jakarta in 1942 (formalized in 1949). Nationalists changed it to remove the Dutch colonial identity.

Renamed Harare in 1982 by Robert Mugabe's government. Named to honor the indigenous chief Neharawa.

Renamed Burkina Faso on August 4, 1984. It means "Land of Incorruptible People".

Became Bangladesh on December 16, 1971. The name reflects the Bengali identity ("Country of Bengal").

Named Formosa by Portuguese sailors in the 16th century. It is now known as Taiwan.

Renamed Mumbai in 1995. Named after the goddess Mumbadevi to assert Marathi identity.

Changed to Iran in 1935 by Reza Shah Pahlavi. He requested the world use the native name.

Became Zambia upon independence in 1964. Named after the Zambezi River.

Renamed Volgograd in 1961. This was part of De-Stalinization to distance the city from Joseph Stalin.

Renamed Petrograd in 1914 by Tsar Nicholas II. He wanted it to sound less German during WWI.

Renamed Ghana on March 6, 1957. The name was chosen to link the nation to the historic Empire of Ghana.

Renamed Benin in 1975. It was chosen as a more neutral name (from Bight of Benin).

Named Democratic Kampuchea (1975–1979) under the Khmer Rouge. It was a communist effort to restore a local identity.

Renamed Djibouti upon independence in 1977. Named after its capital city.

Renamed Malawi upon independence in 1964. "Malawi" means "flames of fire" (sunrise over the lake).

Became Indonesia formally in 1949. The name was popularized to unite the islands against the Dutch.

President Mobutu changed the name to Zaire in 1971. This was part of his "Authenticité" campaign.

Adopted Timor-Leste upon full independence in 2002. This honors Portuguese heritage.

In 2020, the government stopped using "Holland" in marketing. They standardized the name The Netherlands.

Became Botswana upon independence in 1966. The name reflects the dominant Tswana ethnic group.

Lutetia was the Roman name for Paris. It was later named after the local Parisii tribe.

Renamed Belize in 1973. This was done to reflect local identity rather than colonial status.

Renamed Ankara in 1930 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. This was done to remove European spellings like Angora.

Renamed Mali upon independence in 1960. Chosen to revive the history of the ancient Mali Empire.

Renamed New York in 1664 by the British. It was named in honor of the Duke of York.

Helvetia is the Latin name for Switzerland. It is used on stamps to remain neutral regarding languages.

Renamed Malaysia on September 16, 1963. This happened when Malaya merged with Singapore, Sabah, and Sarawak.

Renamed Mozambique upon independence in 1975. Derived from the Island of Mozambique.

Renamed Oslo in 1925. This was done to reclaim the medieval name and remove the Danish royal name.

Tripolitania united with other regions to form the Kingdom of Libya in 1951. It was under King Idris.

Wien is the German name for Vienna. The name comes from the Roman Vindobona.

Prussia was abolished in 1947 after WWII. Its land was divided between Germany and Poland.

Nippon is the Japanese name for Japan. It means "Origin of the Sun".

Caledonia was the Roman name for modern-day Scotland (north of Hadrian's Wall).

"Timor Loro Sa'e" is the indigenous name for East Timor. It means "Rising Sun".

Adopted Kalaallit Nunaat in 1979 under Home Rule. This emphasizes Inuit heritage over the Danish name.

Renamed Suriname upon independence in 1975. Named after the indigenous Surinen people.

Became Guyana upon independence in 1966. It is an Amerindian word meaning "Land of Many Waters".

Merged in 1964 to form Tanzania. The name combines Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

Renamed Sri Lanka in 1972 when it became a republic. This signified a break from British colonial status.

Southern Rhodesia was renamed Zimbabwe upon independence in April 1980. The name is derived from the "Great Zimbabwe" ruins.

After the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924, the Soviet government renamed Petrograd to Leningrad.

Renamed Zaire in 1971 by Mobutu. In 1997, after Mobutu was overthrown, the name was restored to Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The term "Portuguese East Africa" refers to the territory that became the independent nation of Mozambique in 1975.

While historically referred to as Guiana, the independent country officially adopted the spelling Guyana in 1966.