MEPX
Chapter 9 of 10All chapters

Chapter 9 of 10

Names and renaming

What countries call themselves.

Endonyms and exonyms

Many countries and cities are known internationally by names their inhabitants do not use: Deutschland for Germany, Nippon for Japan, Sakartvelo for Georgia.

  • Renamings such as Eswatini and Turkiye reflect national preference.
  • Spelling changes often follow a switch in transliteration system.

Why it matters

Names carry history, and using the current official form is both accurate and a matter of ordinary courtesy.