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 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',
  }
  
  
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 = {
      # Palestinian Territory
      'Palestine': 'Palestinian Territory',
      'West Bank and Gaza Strip': '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',
      # Bahamas
      'Bahamas, The': 'Bahamas',
      # Bahrain
      'Bahrain, Kingdom of': 'Bahrain',
      # Bosnia-Herzegovina
      'Bosnia': 'Bosnia and Herzegovina',
      'Bosnia-Herzegovina': 'Bosnia and Herzegovina',
      'Bosnia-Hercegovina': 'Bosnia and Herzegovina',
      # Brunei
      'Brunei Darussalam': 'Brunei',
      # Burma/Myanmar
      'Burma': 'Myanmar',
      # Cape Verde
      'Cabo Verde': 'Cape Verde',
      # Comoros/Comoro Islands
      'Comoro Islands': 'Comoros',
      'Anjouan': 'Comoros
      # Ivory Coast
      "Cote D'Ivoire": 'Ivory Coast',
      # Egypt
      'Egypt, Arab Rep.': 'Egypt',
      # Faroe Islands
      'Faeroe Islands': 'Faroe Islands',
      # Gambia
      'Gambia, The': 'Gambia',
      # Guinea-Bissau
      'Guinea Bissau': 'Guinea-Bissau',
      # The Vatican
      'Holy See (Vatican City)': 'Vatican',
      # Kyrgyzstan
      'Kyrgyz Republic': 'Kyrgyzstan',
      # Macedonia
      'Macedonia, FYR': 'Macedonia',
      # Micronesia
      'Micronesia, Fed. Sts.': 'Micronesia',
      # Republic of the Congo
      'Republic of Congo': 'Republic of the Congo',
      # Saint Kitts and Nevis
      'St. Kitts And Nevis': 'Saint Kitts and Nevis',
      # Saint Lucia
      'St. Lucia': 'Saint Lucia',
      # Saint Martin (French)
      'St. Martin (French part)': 'Saint Martin',
      # Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
      'St. Vincent And The Grenadines': 'Saint Vincent and the Grenadines',
      # Slovakia
      'Slovak Republic': 'Slovakia',
      # USSR
      'Soviet Union': 'Union of Soviet Socialist Republics',
      'USSR': 'Union of Soviet Socialist Republics',
      # Syria
      'Syrian Arab Republic': 'Syria',
      # East Timor
      'Timor-Leste': 'East Timor',
      # Virgin Islands
      'Virgin Islands': 'U.S. Virgin Islands',
      
  }
  
  
subject: Update altnames.py