Note: This article pertaining to Places With Two Combined Names in Their Official Names was originally published on Saturday, September 6, 2014 at 9:42 in the evening and has been updated.
When my mind wanders, that can be potentially dangerous.
I started to think to myself of all of the places I know which have two combined names in their official names: Turks and Caicos; Bosnia and Herzegovina, to which I have been; São Tomé and Príncipe — and Newfoundland and Labrador, which is my personal favorite.
Places With Two Combined Names in Their Official Names
On Thursday, December 6, 2001, an amendment was created to the Constitution of Canada to change the official name of the province to Newfoundland and Labrador. Before then, the name of the province was simply Newfoundland; while the region of the province on the mainland of Canada was known as Labrador — which was a part of Newfoundland.
To this day, I still do not completely understand why this region — with a clear and distinct separation of the island from the mainland carved out by the Strait of Belle Isle — was not simply divided into two separate provinces: Newfoundland for the island; and Labrador for the mainland portion.
I then thought about Carolina, Dakota and Virginia…er…I mean…North Carolina and South Carolina, North Dakota and South Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia — all of which are separate states. Should they be combined? Should they have different names? Why is Virginia not called East Virginia?
After that, I wondered about what other places in the world have two combined names in their official names — and I got more than I bargained for with this Wikipedia article.
Now, you might probably be saying, “Wikipedia?!? Come on!!!”…
…but it provoked thought for me. Sure, I already knew about such places which did not immediately come to my mind — such as Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Saint Kitts and Nevis; and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines…
…hmm…Saint Vincent and the Grenadines…that sounds like the name of that new band which has the latest number one hit song in the world.
I have not heard of Heard and McDonald Islands; but is there someplace called Seen and Burger King Islands? After all, the Sandwich Islands and South Sandwich Islands do exist; and they should be a part of Turkey — but I digress.
I have been to Senegal and I have known of Gambia; but I have never seen the name Senegambia. I knew that Czechoslovakia was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia; yet I have been to the Czech Republic but not to Slovakia, which is one of the few remaining countries in Europe which I have yet to visit.
I never realized that there were two countries with the sole name of Guinea; but that Guinea-Bissau is purportedly named that to differentiate it from the other Guinea — never mind that there is a Papua New Guinea, which itself is supposedly two names; and Equatorial Guinea.
Even places with three combined names — such as Mongmong-Toto-Maite in Guam — exist. I never heard of Mongmong-Toto-Maite; but Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington apparently counts.
Final Boarding Call
So — if I visit one of these places with two combined names, can I count that as being in two places? I suppose that the answer is: it depends. The dynamic of names of places can be quite complex, confusing, and controversial when referencing the aforementioned Wikipedia article.
Have you ever thought about — or better yet, visited — places which have two or more combined names?
Pliva Waterfall is located in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Photograph ©2022 by Brian Cohen.
