Image: Shutterstock
About This Quiz
When it comes to geography, you might not realize that the map has always been changing. Whether it's a new city name or country, the globe has transformed. Can you pick the new country or city name when given the old one? Let's find out!
Which Turkish city had the former name of Constantinople?
Bursa
Mardin
Istanbul
Istanbul's former name was Constantinople. Istanbul is the largest and most populous city in Turkey. It has over 14 million inhabitants.
Antalya
Which Chinese city had the former name of Peking?
Hong Kong
Shanghai
Beijing
Beijing, the capital of China, was formerly known as Peking. The city is one of the most populated in the world, housing over 21 million people.
Taipei
Which country had the former name of: Abyssinia?
Malawi
Spain
Ethiopia
Ethiopia's former name was Abyssinia. The country is located in Africa and shares borders with Kenya, Sudan, and Somalia. The capital is Addis Ababa and the country has over 100 million inhabitants.
Qatar
Advertisement
Which country had the former name of Gaul?
Maldives
Samoa
France
While Gaul also took up present-day Belgium, Switzerland, and a few smaller countries, it is most recognized for taking up modern-day France. France is located in Western Europe. Its capital is Paris.
Slovenia
Which country had the former name of Persia?
Guatemala
Samoa
Panama
Iran
Iran, a country located in Asia, was formerly known as Persia. Iran's official language is Persian. The country is listed in the top 20 of the most populous countries, with close to 80 million inhabitants.
Which state in the United States had the former name of New Amsterdam?
New Jersey
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York
New York's former name in the 17th Century was New Amsterdam. New York is the largest and most populous city in the United States.
Advertisement
Which country had the former name of Bohemia?
Czech Republic
Bohemia is a former country that now takes up more than half of the modern-day Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is located in Central Europe. Its capital is Prague and its official language is Czech.
Switzerland
Germany
Armenia
Which country had the former name of Choson?
Thailand
Korea
Choson was the former name of what is now considered North and South Korea. In 1897, the country was officially renamed Korea and Seoul was named its capital. In 1945, the country split into North and South Korea.
Indonesia
India
Which Turkish city had the former name of Angora?
Edirne
Istanbul
Bursa
Ankara
Ankara, the capital of Turkey, was formerly called Angora. Turkey is located in Eurasia and shares borders with eight countries, including Greece, Iran, and Syria.
Advertisement
Which country had the former name of Czechoslovakia?
Slovenia
Slovakia
Both the Czech Republic and Slovakia used to be one country known as Czechoslovakia. The two countries split in 1993. The former capital, Prague, is now the capital of the Czech Republic. Slovakia's capital is Bratislava.
Suriname
Swaziland
Which Vietnamese city had the former name of Saigon?
Hue
Ha Long Bay
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam. There you'll find the War Remnants Museum. Ho Chi Minh City has more than eight million inhabitants, making it the most populous city in Vietnam.
Hanoi
Which country had the former name of Burma?
Croatia
Poland
Myanmar
Myanmar was formerly known as Burma. It is located in Southeast Asia and the official language is Burmese.
Libya
Advertisement
Which country had the former name of Ceylon?
Paraguay
Romania
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon until 1972, the end of the British influence in the country. It is located in South Asia and the country has over 21 million people.
Gabon
Which country had the former name of Mesopotamia?
Hungary
Azerbaijan
Iraq
Iraq's former name was Mesopotamia. The country is located in Asia and borders Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, among others. It has two official languages, Kurdish and Arabic, and has close to 39 million inhabitants.
Montenegro
Which country had the former name of Mangi?
Portugal
Canada
China
Mangi was an ancient name for the area of South China. China is the fourth-largest country and has the world's highest population. Its capital is Beijing.
Yemen
Advertisement
Which country had the former name of Southern Rhodesia?
Norway
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's former name was Southern Rhodesia. The country is in southern Africa and borders Zambia, South Africa, Botswana, and Mozambique. It houses close to 13 million people and has 16 official languages.
Cape Verde
Spain
Which Russian city had the former name of Leningrad?
Moscow
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, Russia has had a long history with its name. Although it was originally named Saint Peterburg, it was changed to Petrograd in 1914 and to Leningrad ten years later. In1991, the original name returned.
Lake Baikal
Sochi
Which country had the former name of Siam?
Zambia
Thailand
Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia, was formerly known as Siam. It falls into the top 20 most populous countries with over 67 million inhabitants.
Venezuela
Pakistan
Advertisement
Which country had the former name of Zaire?
Ukraine
Tunisia
Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo was named Zaire from 1971-1997. Located in Central Africa, the country has a few official languages, including French and Swahili.
Fiji
Which country had the former name of United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar?
Bangladesh
Morocco
Tanzania
Tanzania's former name was the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. Tanzania is located in Eastern Africa and its capital is Dodoma. It is bordered by Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, and more.
Oman
Which country had the former name of South West Africa?
Mongolia
Croatia
Namibia
South West Africa was Namibia's former name. Namibia is located in southwest Africa and its capital is Windhoek. The country's official languages are English, Afrikaans, and Khoekhoe.
Trinidad and Tobago
Advertisement
Which country had the former name of Moldavia?
Moldova
The country of Moldova went by the name Moldavia for over 200 years. It is located in Eastern Europe and it capital is Chisinau. Moldova borders Ukraine and Romania.
Eritrea
Uzbekistan
Togo
Which country had the former name of Upper Volta?
Tuvalu
Iceland
Burkina Faso
Upper Volta is Burkina Faso's former name. This country is located in Western Africa and its capital is Ouagadougou. The country has four official languages, including French.
Kiribati
Which country had the former names of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica?
Brazil
Somalia
Argentina
Libya
At one point, Libya was broken up into three self-proclaimed countries. Although they each held their own capitals, Tripoli, which was located in the Tripolitania region, became Libya's capital when the three countries merged.
Advertisement
Which country had the former name of Northern Rhodesia?
Zambia
Zambia, which borders Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia) was formerly known as Northern Rhodesia. The country is located in Southern Africa and borders Angola, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
Malta
Peru
Uruguay
Which country had the former name of Numidia?
Algeria
Numidia was the former name of what is currently most of Algeria. The country is located in Northern Africa and is the largest country on the continent. It has two official languages, Arabic and Berber, and more than 40 million inhabitants.
Georgia
Dominica
Djibouti
Which country had the former name of Sudanese Republic?
South Sudan
Mali
The former name of the modern-day country of Mali was Sudanese Republic. Mali is located in Western Africa and is bordered by countries like Algeria, Niger, and Burkina Faso. French is its official language.
Romania
Ivory Coast
Advertisement
Which country had the former name of French Equatorial Africa?
Saudi Arabia
Chad
French Equatorial Africa consisted of several countries in Africa, including Chad, Cameroon, and Gabon. Chad is located in Central Africa and is bordered by several countries, including Sudan, Libya, and Cameroon. The country's capital is N'Djamena.
Somalia
Tajikistan
Which country had the former name of German East Africa?
Rwanda
German East Africa was a German colony that consisted of the African countries that are now Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania. Rwanda is a very small country located in East Africa and its capital is Kigali. The country has three official languages: Kinyarwanda, English, and French.
Lithuania
Laos
Botswana
Which country had the former name of Cathay?
China
Cathay was the former name for Northern China. China is the fourth largest country and has the world's largest population. Its capital is Beijing.
Latvia
Israel
Serbia
Advertisement
Which country had the former names of Tonkin, Annam, and Cochinchina?
Japan
Thailand
Vietnam
Ancient Vietnam was once broken up into three different regions: Tonkin, Annam, and Cochinchina. Vietnam is located in Southeast Asia and its capital is Hanoi.
Indonesia
Which Japanese city had the former name of Edo?
Tokyo
Tokyo was known as Edo. Tokyo is the capital of Japan and is also the country's biggest city. It is the most populous city in the world, with more than 37 million inhabitants.
Kyoto
Osaka
Hakone
Which country had the former name of Kampuchea?
Dominica
Grenada
Suriname
Cambodia
Cambodia's former name was Kampuchea. The country is located in Southeast Asia and its capital is Phnom Penh. The official language is Khmer.
Advertisement
Which country had the former name of Formosa?
Jordan
Myanmar
Taiwan
Taiwan was was formerly known as Formosa. The island is located in East Asia and its capital is Taipei. Mandarin is the official language.
Luxembourg
You Got:
/35
Shutterstock