Czech Republic’s new name Czechia is now officially recognised by the UK
Have you been calling the Czech Republic, the Czech Republic? You're so behind the times.
Prague is now officially the capital of Czechia. The change of name came about in April this year to make it easier for businesses to use the country's name on products.
This month, the UK has officially recognised the English alternative name for the Czech Republic.
The country, which was established when Czechoslovakia was broken into Slovakia and the Czech Republic in 1993, now has a "simpler counterpart to the official country name" – according to the UK government's Permanent Committee on Geographical Names.
The name Czechia has now been added to PCGN’s list of country names (yes, there exists a list like that).
Read more: Czech mate: Tank beer brewers drink to growing success in London
Foreign minister Lubomir Zaoralek argued in July that the country must make it easier for foreigners to pronounce its name.
“It is not good if a country does not have clearly defined symbols or if it even does not clearly say what its name is,” he told the Czech News Agency.
While the name might go down well with English speakers some Czechs aren't happy.
A survey by news website idnes.cz from earlier this year found more than 22,000 people don't like the name compared with just 7,000 people who did.
Did nobody bother to Czech with the Czechs before changing the country's name? We wonder.
| You've changed, man: A history of geographical name changes |
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