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The Czech Republic is planning to adopt a snappy short-form name to ensure it has an easier time at home and around the world. It wants to be officially known by the noun 'Czechia' instead of incorrectly by the adjective 'Czech'. Government officials say this more concise name will avoid confusion over what to call the country. They are tired of being called by erroneous names such as Czecho or Czechland. A foreign office spokesperson said: "Our hope is that this step will overcome the problems we face with distorting the name and that the correct terms will dissolve into general knowledge." The government will seek a formal change in the United Nations database of country names.
The Czech Republic government said it is following the example of what many countries around the world have done for decades. A spokesman said the Commonwealth of Australia and the Republic of France are commonly known as Australia and France. The length of the three-word name, 'the Czech Republic,' already leads to short cuts being made. A leading beer maker states on its labels that its product is 'brewed in Plzen - Czech'. Some national sports teams drop the article 'the' and put just two words on their shirts - 'Czech Republic'. Foreign minister Lubomir Zaoralek said the name 'Czechia' is not widely popular but he said there seems to be no other alternative.
