The rebranding campaign, which is now going through final approval by Parliament before being officially added to the UN database of names, refers to the informal, geographic name of the country. While the old name will stay in place for official and administrative matters, the new, shorter moniker will be used to represent the country abroad.
Mainly a marketing move, officials are hoping that the shortened name will be easier to print on sports jerseys and promotional products, and that it will roll off the English-speaking tongue more easily than the cumbersome Czech Republic.
A shorter name has been on the table since the Czech Republic was born in 1993, after splitting from the former nation of Czechoslovakia. Pro-rebranders argue that "Czech Republic" only captures about two decades worth of political history, while Czechia would more accurately encompass 1,200 years of culture.