Quiz: Do you know the present-day names of these former countries?
Istanbul was Constantinople, but what of the countries?
History shows it is quite rare for a country to change its name to the rest of the world.
Most citizens expect the country in which they were born to stay unchanged throughout their lifetime. For example, the United States of America has retained the same marker since it declared independence in 1776.
Political events, often in countries eager to make a break with the past, can turn this assumption on its head, however.
Just this week Kazakhstan, commonly associated with its fictional resident Borat, announced it would be changing its title to the (admittedly not too dissimilar) name of Qazaqstan. The change comes as it plans to adopt a new Latin alphabet, throwing off the decades-old influence of its neighbour Russia in the process.
Last year, the Czech Republic announced it was changing its name to Czechia when circumstances dictated the need for a shorter spelling. The new name has not been very popular, among even its own citizens.
The fall of the former Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia are just some recent examples of country names disappearing from modern usage.
We have put together this quiz to test your knowledge of these now-obscure country names which have been consigned to the dustbin of history.
