The Republic of Nauru is not alone: the countries that rebranded themselves

An article reviewing countries that changed their official names, including Myanmar, Eswatini, Sri Lanka, North Macedonia, and others. The reasons range from shedding colonial past to geopolitical changes. Nauru changed its name to the Republic of Nauru last month.

The article reviews a global phenomenon of countries changing their names, focusing on historical and recent examples. Nauru, a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean, changed its name last month to the Republic of Nauru, aiming to shed its colonial past and reflect the original pronunciation in the official language. The article presents a list of other countries that made similar changes: Burma became Myanmar in 1989 by the military junta; Swaziland became Eswatini in 2018 by royal decree; Ceylon became Sri Lanka in 1972 upon becoming a republic; Zaire reverted to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997; Macedonia became North Macedonia in 2019 after an agreement with Greece; Kampuchea reverted to Cambodia after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime; Upper Volta became Burkina Faso in 1984; the Netherlands rebranded to the Netherlands in 2020; Siam became Thailand; Rhodesia became Zimbabwe in 1980; and Cape Verde became Cabo Verde in 2013. The reasons for the changes are diverse and include shedding colonial past, reflecting national identity, political changes, and rebranding.