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The way I prefer to think of it, is the UK is a state comprising of several countries, and the US is a country comprising of several states. I can't promise it
by soneil 4y ago
The way I prefer to think of it, is the UK is a state comprising of several countries, and the US is a country comprising of several states.
I can't promise it's any more accurate, but it amuses me.
- School-Cotton 4y agoWhat does that mean?
- soneil 4y agoHonestly, nothing. I just enjoy the symmetry. But really - we like to think there's a sensible definition of what a country is. There isn't. What makes Scotland a country and not Montana? I'm in Ireland, the examples get even more convoluted. For some sports we field a team as a UN-recognised nation-state. For some sports we field a team as an island. If you're born on the island to parents who are citizens of the island, you can claim an Irish passport - whether or not you were born in the country of Ireland. Sometimes it's a geopolitical entity, sometimes it's a geographical entity, sometimes it's a political entity. Sometimes it's not even green. Is the UK a nation? Is the US a nation? Is the Navajo Nation a nation? Is the UK a country? Is England a country? Is Malboro Country a country? My passport says "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". But I'm not convinced Great Britain is a United Kingdom (England and Scotland legally are, Wales may be a principality depending on who and when you ask), and I'm not sure if Northern Ireland was ever a Kingdom (Ulster perhaps, otherwise it's not a kingdom, but the remains of a king's claims). Nationhood is almost as convoluted as the modern take on gender. You can self-identify as anything you like if you have an army to back you up.