PLACE NAME CHANGES

PLACE NAMES SELDOM REMAIN THE SAME. WHAT IS CALLED NEW YORK CITY TODAY WAS ONCE NEW AMSTERDAM. THE BRITISH CITY YORK WAS ONCE CALLED EBORACUM BY THE ROMANS. YET, OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES, MAINLY AS A RESULT OF POLITICAL CHANGES, THERE HAVE BEEN A LARGE NUMBER OF "NEW" NAMES ARE ACTUALLY QUITE THE OPPOSITE. THEY ARE IN FACT THE NAMES THAT THESE PLACES WERE ONCE CALLED MANY YEARS AGO.

ONE OF THE MAIN RESONS FOR CHANGE IS TAHT MANY CITIES ARE NOW OPTING TO GO BACK TO THE NAMES THAT THEY HAD BEFORE THEY WERE COLONISED BY EUROPEAN POWERS. CONSQUENTLY, THE CAPITAL OF CHINA, WHICH FOR YEARS USED TO BE KNOWN AS PEKIN, HAS NOW REVERTED TO BEIJIN( WHICH MEANS THE CAPITAL OF THE NORTH IN CHINESE). FOR THE SAME REASON, BOMBAY IS NOW KNOWN AS MUMBAI.

YET ON OCCASIONS THE CHOICE OF A NAME CAN CAUSE MUCH TENSION WITH A COUNTRY'S NEIGHBOURS. WHEN THE STATES WHICH ONCE FORMED YUGOSLAVIA CLAIMED INDEPENDENCE, THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA CHOSE TO BE CALLED MACEDONIA. THIS, HOWEVER, WAS UNACCEPTABLE TO GREECE, WHICH HAS GOT A NORTHERN PROVINCE REFERRED TO BY THE SAME NAME. A COMPROMISE WAS REACHED WHEN THE NEW COUNTRY ACCEPTED THE TITLE OF THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA, OR FYROM.

THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR KEEPING UP-TO-DATE WITH THE CHANGES OF PLACE NAMES IN THE WORLD. FIRST OF ALL, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR POSTAL SERVICES AND COMPANIES INVOLVED IN TOURISM OR PUBLIC TRANSPORT TO BE AWARE OF NEW NAMES. IT IS ALSO ESSENTIAL FOR RESCUE WORKERS AND CHARITIES WHICH SEND AID TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO BE INFORMED OF CHANGES TO PLACE NAMES. FINALLY, FOREIGN MINISTRIES MUST BE ABLE TO AVOID SITUATIONS WHERE THE WRONG PLACE NAME IS USED, THUS CAUSING AT BEST EMBARRASSMENT OR T WORST INSULT TO THE COUNTRIES INVOLVED.