There are a couple of countries in the world that have flags that look similar even though their meaning is dramatically different (ie Poland and Indonesia), your challenge is to come up with two countries that exist in the same world and have a similar or identical name even though they are etymologically and historically very different.
AHC: Two countries with the same name
- Thread starter Chillvillain
- Start date
USA ends up stillborn ala Gran Colombia with American Georgia becoming independent while Caucasian Georgia gains independenvr from Russia one way or another later on?
USA and Australia are both stillborn, and their respective New England regions become independent republics.
USA doesn't end up going with the name "USA", and instead favors Columbia. Queue eternal confusion with the Spanish Colombia a few decades later.
At one point, the Philippines had planned to rename itself to Malaysia, before the current country with that name became independent. Perhaps in another world, the Filipinos went through with it anyway.
An earlier and more successful Greek Revolution, which leans harder into their Byzantine heritage and names their country Rhomania, while the Romanian principalities still end up unifying later on.
There's also OTL with Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo, with each state forming from separate colonial holdings.
These technically goes against them being historically and etymologically different, though. But if so, I guess the two Galicias are technically disqualified too.
USA doesn't end up going with the name "USA", and instead favors Columbia. Queue eternal confusion with the Spanish Colombia a few decades later.
At one point, the Philippines had planned to rename itself to Malaysia, before the current country with that name became independent. Perhaps in another world, the Filipinos went through with it anyway.
An earlier and more successful Greek Revolution, which leans harder into their Byzantine heritage and names their country Rhomania, while the Romanian principalities still end up unifying later on.
There's also OTL with Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo, with each state forming from separate colonial holdings.
These technically goes against them being historically and etymologically different, though. But if so, I guess the two Galicias are technically disqualified too.
An edgy snippet on that theme I've had in mind for a while:
The Georgia Name Dispute (1975-6) was a dispute between the present-day Republic of Georgia and Caucasian Republic of Georgia stemming from their simultaneous use of of the shorter name. The dispute began on May 22, 1975, during the dissolution of the Confederation of American States, when the State of Georgia declared independence and reassumed the style "Republic of Georgia" it had used from 1934 to its accession to the CAS in 1959. During its period as a federal "State", however, the 1971 breakup of the Russian Empire along national lines saw the independence of Georgia, also under the name "Republic of Georgia". As both countries claimed priority, the dispute between the American polity and the Eurasian one received no universally accepted resolution until the former adopted its present name on March 18, 1976, amidst the Georgian Race War, rendering the issue moot.
An Azerbaijan that for some reason didn't want to define itself by Azeri identity could call itself Albania, after the Ancient name. Though that is the same etymology... but so are all the other recommendations so far.
This is pretty much real life already.
There are already two countries named Guinea and the only name difference between the two is the capital. There are also two countries called the Republic of Congo and the only reason they aren't named the exact same is that the United Nations wouldn't allow it. If French Guiana was independent, you would have two countries named Guiana/Guyana. If the state of Georgia was independent for whatever reason, you would have two countries named Georgia. There are also two different countries that call themselves the Republic of China (although only one of them has widespread recognition). There are also two countries that pretty much call themselves the Republic of Korea. How many more examples do you need?
There are already two countries named Guinea and the only name difference between the two is the capital. There are also two countries called the Republic of Congo and the only reason they aren't named the exact same is that the United Nations wouldn't allow it. If French Guiana was independent, you would have two countries named Guiana/Guyana. If the state of Georgia was independent for whatever reason, you would have two countries named Georgia. There are also two different countries that call themselves the Republic of China (although only one of them has widespread recognition). There are also two countries that pretty much call themselves the Republic of Korea. How many more examples do you need?
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Galicia and Galicia is an easy one
Iberian iberia and caucasian iberia would also be great
Iberian iberia and caucasian iberia would also be great
Stupid idea but maybe when Judah and Isreal combined they named themselves "The United Kingdom of Isreal" or just "The United Kingdom" which could have the same name as "The United Kingdom" in Europe. I just did a little research so idk if it's realistic.
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Haven't Guinea and Guinea-Bissau same etymology? So it is not quiet count as answer for challenge.
I don't think that this is quiet that what OP meant.
Oh yeah, your right, just re-read it, they would be exactly the same etymologically.
Yes, I guess there is room for several 'united kingdoms' and several 'united states' even today. Of course, the US can always go back to calling itself the US of A, as it is known in many other part of the world, but likewise can any US of X and US of Y simply go by US in it's internal parlance.
- Due to a clerical error/typo while ratifying their constitution, post WW2 Austria accidentally calls itself Australia.
- To troll mainland China after receiving threats from them, the Republic of China (Taiwan) changes it's name to the People's Republic of China.
- To troll mainland China after receiving threats from them, the Republic of China (Taiwan) changes it's name to the People's Republic of China.
Isn't (the nation of) Georgia a separate word that had the "George" etymology fitted onto it after the fact for prestige reasons?
Random idea for definitively distinct meanings: Chinese explorers cross the Pacific and colonize the Golden Gate, which they call the Shining Gate (曄門). The colony later gains independence and uses a Romanization scheme equivalent to pinyin, making its name "Yèmén".