Is there a difference between ラーメン and 中華そば?


Ramen is the usual word. But I've noticed some ramen places using the term
中華そば for what appears to be the same thing.

Am I correct that these are the same dish?

Why do 2 words exist?




Basically 中華そば is an old word for ラーメン. In metropolitan areas, the word ラーメン
has almost completely replaced 中華そば in daily conversations, but there are
still many restaurants that serve dishes named 中華そば, especially in rural
areas. This is basically a matter of their brand image. From what I
understand, 中華そば today typically refers to traditional ラーメン with shoyu-based
soup, like
[this](https://stock.adobe.com/jp/images/%E6%AD%A3%E6%B2%B9%E3%83%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A1%E3%83%B3/187976254?prev_url=detail).

