Letter: Name your own country

Thursday 19 September 1996 00:02 BST

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Sir: Gerald Gilbert (TV preview, 14 September) cannot be right that Cecil Rhodes was only the second person, after Simon Bolivar, to have a country named after him.

A moment's reflection gave me Amerigo Vespucci (USA), Columbus (Colombia), Captain Cook (Cook Islands), as well as a number of religious figures of greater or lesser historical existence: Jacob renamed Israel, St Christopher (St Kitts), St Lucia. In addition, El Salvador (the Saviour) is named after Jesus.

STEPHEN R GOULD

London SW5

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Letter: Name your own country

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