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How Foreign Names Became Common Country Names
In recent years, many countries such as the Netherlands and Turkey have changed or determined their common country names (mainly English names). In September 2023, India plans to abandon the common country name “India” and only use the Hindi country name “Bhārat” (Bharat). The reason why India does not use “India” is simple. “India” is a loanword from English and is not the inherent name of the country. Looking around the world, there are many examples in foreign languages (especially English) of referring to other countries without their existing country names (or official country names). Foreign names become country names In the Atlantic Ocean, starting from the southern tip of…