RFC3066bis: looking ahead

[jcowan at reutershealth.com]

Michael Everson scripsit:

> >But outside the diplomatic corps,
> >who needs to know that ly is the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahirya?
> 
> People translating the long names.

Recursion: see recursion.

If the long names are not needed, why is a translation of them needed?

In any case, http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2142.html
contains an unofficial but quite useful and comprehensive list.  The names
are provided in English long and short forms as promulgated by the U.S.
Board of Geographic Names, and local long and short forms in one or
more of the official languages of the country, romanized as needed.
For example the entry for Ireland says:

		conventional long form: none
		conventional short form: Ireland

and for Libya it says:

		conventional long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan
			Arab Jamahiriya
		conventional short form: Libya
		local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah
			ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma
		local short form: none

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