And The Czech Republic’s New English Name Is…
Do you know that France’s official English name is ‘The French Republic’? And Germany’s is ‘The Federal Republic of Germany’? In fact, a lot of countries have two names that are recognised by the UN – their official longer title and a shorter, catchier denomination. The Czech Republic, which was named after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, had yet to confirm an official English shortened name that was universally accepted – until now.
The country has chosen their official short-form and geographic English name and has started campaigning for its widespread use: introducing Czechia (pronounced CHEH-khiya). The country feels this one-word name honours the three distinct and historic regions that make up the land – Bohemia (Čechy), Moravia (Morava) and Czech Silesia (Slezsko).
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This means that, while sports teams jackets and beers bottles were once emblazoned with the word ‘Czech’, the unique phenomenon of using an adjective to describe a geographical country will now come to an end. As the Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said to the Czech News Agency: “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.”
So next time you’re thinking of exploring the worth-the-hype city of Prague or enjoying the sweet poppy seed breakfast rolls known as makový závin, go with “Czechia”. For more information on the new name, including a list of myths and facts regarding it, you can head to the Czechia Initiative website.
