Prompt Cast
The Confusion of Country Names Explained
TLDR This episode explores why some countries have multiple names and if it matters. Examples include the United States choosing "American" as their demonym, the confusion between the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and countries like Czech Republic preferring to be called Czechia.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Some countries have multiple names that can be radically different from each other, and this episode explores why and if it matters.
01:30
The United States of America was the first independent country in the Americas, which is why they were able to choose the name "American" for their demonym, while other countries in the Americas tended to go with their colonial name.
02:52
The confusion of country names extends beyond just the United States, with examples such as the Central African Republic and South Africa, but the most confusing is distinguishing between people from the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, both of which are called Congolese.
04:13
The confusion of country names extends beyond just the United States, with examples such as the Central African Republic and South Africa, but the most confusing is distinguishing between people from the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, both of which are called Congolese.
05:33
The Czech Republic prefers to be called Czechia, Myanmar and Burma are both acceptable names for the country, and Iran used to be known as Persia.
07:03
Germany has multiple names in different languages, such as Deutschland in German, Alemania in Spanish, and Perutia in Tahitian.
08:32
The host thanks a listener for their support and suggests that they will consider doing a show on the first airborne raid in history or the origins of the parachute.
