The king of the [tinny / tiny] African nation of Swaziland has changed his country's name to eSwatini. The new name [meant / means] "land of the Swazis" in the [local / locally] Swati language. King Mswati III is an [absolutely / absolute] monarch, which means he has the power to manage his country as he likes. He renamed his land on Thursday at [celebratory / celebrations] [marking / making] 50 years of Swazi independence from Britain. The day also [coincided / coincidence] with his 50th birthday. Speaking at the nation's Golden Jubilee celebrations, he said: "African countries, [as / on] getting independence, [reverted / reported] to their ancient names before they were colonized. So from now on, the country will [official / officially] be known as the Kingdom of eSwatini."
The [charge / change] of name has been talked about in official [ovals / circles] for years. The king has regularly [conferred / referred] to Swaziland as eSwatini in [addresses / address] in his country's parliament, at the United Nations General Assembly and to the African Union. Swaziland [gained / fought] independence from Britain in 1968, but [like / unlike] other former British colonies, it retained its colonial-era name. Nyasaland became Malawi, Northern Rhodesia renamed [oneself / itself] Zambia, Bechuanaland changed its name to Botswana, and Rhodesia became Zimbabwe. King Mswati said that from now [off /on] , people would not [confuse / refuse] his country with Switzerland. The UN, Google Maps and Internet companies now have to [add / plus] eSwatini to their databases.
