Many cities, states, towns, provinces, and countries in Africa have undergone a name change for a myriad of reasons. Often, this may be done for political/nationalistic reasons — to remove all traces of colonial rule, or to reflect the ideology of the government in power. In other instances, place names have been changed for purely commemorative reasons – perhaps to honour great leaders or important events in the country’s history.
Here is a look at six African countries that have undergone a name change at some point in their recent existence.
