Geographical renaming

Geographical renaming

       Just in my lifetime (born in 1948) many location names have changed.

            Often, names are changed back to older and often historic names. Sometimes the present names are more ethnic or local.  It also depends on how far back in time one wants to go as to names and pronunciations. And often present and former names are still both used. Many Oriental names and pronunciations have changed just because the "dictionaries" have changed. Last human politics during my lifetime has often got involved. Even governments have gotten involved, too.

            I suspect many other names are also changing,  and may even change back to some earlier name and pronunciation in the future. The US Geological Survey (USGS) has naming conventions to guide the process in the USA, mostly at the local level, like what to name or rename a "hollow", for example.

            So here is just part of my personal list of things I have seen change in my lifetime.

                        Present Name                                                 Former Name

                        Mumbai                                                          Bombay

                        Sri Lanka                                                         Ceylon

                        Myanmar                                                        Burma

                        Zimbabwe                                                       Rhodesia

                        Yekaterinburg/Ekaterinburg                       Sverdlovsk

                        Volgograd                                                       Stalingrad

                        St. Petersburg                                                 Leningrad

                        Beijing                                                             Peking/Peiping

                        Istanbul                                                          Constantinople

                        Ho Chi Minh City                                           Saigon

                        Taiwan                                                            Formosa

                        Busan                                                              Pusan

                        Yemen                                                             Aden

                        Namibia                                                          German South West  Africa

                        Arabian Gulf                                                   Persian Gulf

                        Verble Falls                                                     Roaring Falls

                        Summerville Heights                                     Hemlocks

                        Lott Creek                                                       Bill's Branch

                        Charlotte Falls                                                Unnamed

                        Cold Pool                                                        There are two spring fed pools

                        World War I                                                    The Great War

                        Burkina Faso                                                   Republic of Upper Volta

 

            Last, here is a wiki link on the subject:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_name_changes