old_contents: # alternate names, e.g. for historic places
  
  # dictionary of placenames that should be looked up or geocoded
  # as a different value
  
  alternate_names = {
      'Palestine': 'Palestinian Territory',
      'West Bank and Gaza': 'Palestinian Territory',
      # Venezuela
      'Venezuela, RB': 'Venezuela',
      # USSR now handled separately (added old country code to geonames data)
      # 'Soviet Union': 'Russia',
      'Zaire': 'Democratic Republic of the Congo',
      'South Vietnam': 'Vietnam',
      'North Vietnam': 'Vietnam',
      # map historic german states to Germany proper because there are
      # no contemporary equivalents close enough to be accurate
      'Hesse, Electorate': 'Germany',
      'Hesse, Grand Duchy': 'Germany',
      'Baden': 'Germany',
      'Bavaria': 'Germany',
      'Hanover': 'Germany',
      'Mecklenburg': 'Germany',
      'Prussia': 'Germany',
      'Saxony': 'Germany',
      'Wurttemberg': 'Germany',
      # code pre-unification Italian states at the country level as well
      'Modena': 'Italy',
      'Papal States': 'Italy',
      'Parma': 'Italy',
      'Sardinia': 'Italy',
      'Two Sicilies': 'Italy',
      'Tuscany': 'Italy',
      # map variant names of the Habsburg Empire to current-day Austria
      'Austria-Hungary': 'Austria',
      'Austrian Empire': 'Austria',
      # map East Germany and variants thereof to Germany
      'German Democratic Republic': 'Germany',
      'East Germany': 'Germany',
      # map West Germany and variants thereof to Germany
      'Federal Republic of Germany': 'Germany',
      'West Germany': 'Germany',
  }
  
  
new_contents: # alternate names, e.g. for historic places
  
  # dictionary of placenames that should be looked up or geocoded
  # as a different value
  
  alternate_names = {
      'Palestine': 'Palestinian Territory',
      'West Bank and Gaza Strip': 'Palestinian Territory',
      # Venezuela
      'Venezuela, RB': 'Venezuela',
      # USSR now handled separately (added old country code to geonames data)
      # 'Soviet Union': 'Russia',
      'Zaire': 'Democratic Republic of the Congo',
      'South Vietnam': 'Vietnam',
      'North Vietnam': 'Vietnam',
      # map historic german states to Germany proper because there are
      # no contemporary equivalents close enough to be accurate
      'Hesse, Electorate': 'Germany',
      'Hesse, Grand Duchy': 'Germany',
      'Baden': 'Germany',
      'Bavaria': 'Germany',
      'Hanover': 'Germany',
      'Mecklenburg': 'Germany',
      'Prussia': 'Germany',
      'Saxony': 'Germany',
      'Wurttemberg': 'Germany',
      # code pre-unification Italian states at the country level as well
      'Modena': 'Italy',
      'Papal States': 'Italy',
      'Parma': 'Italy',
      'Sardinia': 'Italy',
      'Two Sicilies': 'Italy',
      'Tuscany': 'Italy',
      # map variant names of the Habsburg Empire to current-day Austria
      'Austria-Hungary': 'Austria',
      'Austrian Empire': 'Austria',
      # map East Germany and variants thereof to Germany
      'German Democratic Republic': 'Germany',
      'East Germany': 'Germany',
      # map West Germany and variants thereof to Germany
      'Federal Republic of Germany': 'Germany',
      'West Germany': 'Germany',
  }
  
  
subject: Update altnames.py