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>These exceptions include collections of states (eg. the UAE, the US) and country names derived from regions Let's take these one by one: >the Netherlands Thi
by ThePowerOfFuet 4y ago
>These exceptions include collections of states (eg. the UAE, the US) and country names derived from regions
Let's take these one by one:
>the Netherlands
This is plural: the Low Countries. You are referring to a group, same as the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
>the Congo
Which one? ... Exactly.
>the Ukraine
Already discussed, referring to it as a region denies its sovereignty.
- pseudo0 4y agoThe etymology of the Netherlands is the Dutch "nederland", or "lower lands". I'd consider "the lowlands" to fall into the region category, much in the same way that the Ukraine translates to "the frontier" or "the border". > Which one? ... Exactly What can I say, English is weird. The Gambia does the same, in both cases referring to the region around a particular river.