With the arrival of a fresh African nation , mapmakers just mother a small bit busier . The B. B. King of Swaziland surprised foreign powers and compatriots likewise when he latterly announced that the commonwealth ’s official name would regress toeSwatini , the name it go by prior to British colonialism .
King Mswati III , one of the few stay right-down crowned head in the human beings , announcedthe name - change conclusion during celebration marking the fiftieth anniversary of the country declaring independence from Britain .
" African countries on getting independency reverted to their ancient name before they were colonized . So from now on the country will be formally known as the Kingdom of eSwatini , ” Mswati announced to a crowd in the city of Manzini , locate about 23 miles from the capital Mbabane .
The king said there was another motivation for the name variety : to keep off being on a regular basis mistaken for Switzerland . " Whenever we go abroad , people refer to us as Switzerland , " Mswati said .
While some conceive the name variety to be a loyal move , others were critical of the conclusion , debate that the small country in southerly Africa has more pressing issues to harness , include poverty , thirstiness , and the world’shighest rateof HIV / AIDS .
Several African Nation have opted to throw off the names given to them by compound powers , including Botswana ( formerly Bechuanaland ) , Burkina Faso ( formerly Upper Volta ) , Djibouti ( formerly French Somaliland ) , and others .
How hard is it for a country to change its name , though?According toeSwatini ’s Ministry of Home Affairs , it “ wo n’t encounter overnight . ” The land will also need to file its young name with international agencies like the UN and the Commonwealth of Nations .
Adopting a new internet domain could end up being one of the more metre - consuming steps , according to theBBC . But fortunately , citizen of the country might not need to run out to get a new passport , aseSwatiniis already admit on the document in a smaller font .
[ h / tCNN ]
