Geographical renaming is the act of changing the name of a geographical feature or area. This can range from the uncontroversial change of a street name to a highly disputed change to the name of a country. Some names are changed locally but are not recognised by other countries, especially when there is a difference in language. Other names may not be officially recognised but remain in common use.
There are many reasons to undertake renaming, with political motivation being the primary cause, such as reverting to the original names of cities that were renamed to honour Stalin. (See de-Stalinization.) One of the most common reasons for a country changing its name is newly acquired independence. When borders are changed, sometimes due to a country splitting or two countries joining together, the name of the areas can change. This, however, is more the creation of a different entity than an act of geographical renaming.
Other more unusual reasons for renaming have included:
Iran – also known as Persia before 1979 (both names were used in the mid-20th century)
Ireland (state) – before 1937 the Irish Free State. Was at one time referred to as Éire and is sometimes referred to by its description of the Republic of Ireland. Some British media still persist in usage of these two names.
Beijing – named Peiping from 1927 to 1949, during which time Nanking was the national capital. In English-speaking countries, Beijing was generally known as Peking before its name change, but following the Communist takeover and the introduction of the pinyin transcription scheme, Beijing was adopted.
Bogotá – Changed to Santafé de Bogotá D.C. (Distrito Capital) in 1991 from Bogotá D.E. (Distrito Especial). Changed back to the simplified Bogotá D.C. (Distrito Capital) in 2000.
Busan – named Dongrae until 1910, during 6·25 War was the temporary capital. 1920 renamed to Busan.
Heraklion in Crete, Greece: Its ancient name was Heraklion. After the Arab conquest in 824 it was named "Handaq" (The Moat) from which derived the Greek name "Chandax" in Byzantine times (961-1204) and later the Italian "Candia" during the Venetian period (1212-1669) when Candia eventually became the name of the whole island of Crete. In Turkish times (1669-1898) it was called "Kandiye" by the Ottomans but from the locals "Megalo Kastro" (Great Castle) or simply "Kastro". During the time of the autonomous Cretan State (1898-1913) scholars proposed to reuse the ancient name "Heraklion" which eventually was accepted by the locals.
Kimchaek in North Korea, formerly known as Songjin. Renamed during the Korean War after the chief of staff of the North Korean army killed during the war.
Pretoria to Tshwane – set to be changed to sound more African with local government approval in 2005 but yet to be ratified by the central government [1]
Wrocław– in German Breslau, when part of Germany, until 1945.
Yangon– in 1988, back to this original name after a period 1852 - 1988, when known as Rangoon. Still known as 'Rangoon' in many English-speaking countries
Yugoslavia ("Land of the South Slavs"), originally Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, was created by joining various regions (Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro) got its name in 1929 and then split in the said several different states in the years 1992-2006.
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, formerly Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk, negotiated a deal with the heirs of athlete Jim Thorpe to become the site of his tomb in a bid to increase tourism.
Ismay, Montana, unofficially took the name of "Joe, Montana", after the NFL quarterback Joe Montana, as part of a 1993 publicity stunt
Buffalo, Texas, temporarily renamed itself "Blue Star, Texas" in 1993 and 1994 when the Dallas Cowboys faced the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl, and later renamed itself "Green Star, Texas" in 1999 when the Dallas Stars faced the Buffalo Sabres in the Stanley Cup Finals (Buffalo is approximately 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Dallas; in all three instances the supportive name change proved successful for the Dallas-area team)
Eastpointe, Michigan, incorporated as the village of Halfway in December 1924 and reincorporated as the City of East Detroit in January 1929. The city changed its name to "Eastpointe" after a vote in 1992; the name change had been proposed to reduce its association with the adjacent city of Detroit (a move that offended many Detroit residents), and the "-pointe" is intended to associate the city with the exclusive communities of the Grosse Pointes. The school district that serves most of the city was unaffected by the municipal name change, and still uses the name East Detroit Public Schools. In fact, the local high school is East Detroit High School.
On June 4th-9th of each year, Dublin, Texas changes its name (and even its road signs) to Dr Pepper, Texas, to commemorate the 'birthday' of the first Dr Pepper Bottling Plant, which is located there.
