Czechoslovakia is a country
An old model or guideline was retired in favor of a new one.
TaughtCzechoslovakia sits in central Europe with its capital at Prague.
NowIt split peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 1 January 1993, in what is called the Velvet Divorce. In 2016 the Czech Republic adopted Czechia as its official short name.
What actually happened
The split is remarkable mainly for how uneventful it was. There was no war, no referendum, and by most polling no majority in either republic actually wanted it. Political leaders negotiated it and it took effect on New Year's Day 1993, dividing federal assets roughly two to one by population. Both countries later joined the EU and NATO.
A second change followed: in 2016 the Czech government registered Czechia with the UN as the official short-form name, the everyday equivalent of "France" for the French Republic. Adoption has been gradual and inconsistent, so both names remain in circulation. If you graduated before 1993, one country on your map became two. If you graduated before 2016, one of those two has a name you may never have used.
Newsletter
Get new weekly revisions
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Velvet Divorcebritannica.com
- UNGEGN: World geographical namesunstats.un.org
Who was taught this
Still standard through 1993, so anyone who finished school between 1950 and 1993 learned the earlier version.