What are we supposed to call you now?

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The British Empire is now known as 'Earth'

 

We've been recently dubbed old Europe.

 

I keep waiting for someone to break out the They Might be Giants song "Istanbul, not Constantinople"

 

That's just not going to work. It's either "Hong Kong" or it doesn't exist.

I was referring to *recent* name changes here people...

 

In Eastern Germany we have a city called "Chemnitz".

However, from 1953 to 1990, Chemnitz was known as "Karl-Marx-Stadt" ("Stadt" is the german word for "City").

For some reason that fact amuses my eldest sister and I to no end, and I have no idea why. (not to mention that everytime I hear "Chemnitz", I have to shout out "Captain Chemnitz!!!", because there used to be a sketch about a supposed superhero in Chemnitz in a German comedy show.)

Also, there's quite a lot of name changes in South Africa. (This list is copied from Wikipedia, because I don't actually know the new names myself. I was told about this name change by a South African friend some time ago, and just looked the details up on Wikipedia).

Pietersburg → Polokwane
Potgietersrus → Makupane
Ellisrus → Lephalale
Louis Trichart → Makhado
Messina → Musina
Phalaborwa → BaPhalaborwa
Pretoria → Tshwane

[ September 15, 2006, 11:42: Message edited by: Jazhara7 ]

 

What I love is that Zaire used to be called Congo! Ah, the transient (and sometimes cyclical) nature of cities/nations/people.

If the dwellers of a city get together and decide to call their city something else, good for them. They're just going to have to put up with the confusion for a few years before everyone gets things straight in their heads and on maps, etc.

 

Ok, so this is not recent, but Bangkok's real name is:

Krung Thep Maha Nakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udom Ratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanu Kamprasit

(The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukam.)

Thai people simply call it "Krung Thep"...

 

Baghdad is now Baldock (Where I live, originally founded by the Knights Templar)

 

Hehe, Da Rock, I remember when somebody first told me that I nearly shat myself laughing. It would be horrible to have to write that as an offical place of birth

 

As it used to be before they changed it to Kennedy.

 

Madras in India is now called Chennai. Not sure if this was mentioned earlier in the thread.

And my city in India, Bangalore is going to be changed to Bengalooru. OR something like that.

Why can't they leave things alone?? Bangalore is way cooler than Bengalooru...

 

So I will have to order Lamb Chennai now?

 

Guess what... That gave me an idea! I'm no longer posting as "Caradhras", from now on it will be "Ka'rathrass" (it's so much more accurate when you actually pronounce it).

 

Nah; that's just a nickname for Newfoundland...er, I mean "The Province of Newfoundland and Labrador"

But worse yet, my folks have a summer home in a small community called "Dildo" - I've been wondering how long it'll take for the current residents to get that one re-named.