What is the NAME of this country? Really now?

[Tyler Durden]

What country do we live in, anyway? I think this is a perfectly legitimate question.

I have heard this country called “America” for so long now, I’m starting to doubt my on own EXTENSIVE geographic knowledge.

So I GOOGLED this phrase: “Country named America.” The closest I came to an exact hit was “See United States of America,” so I GOOGLED that. 92,000,000 hits. Know how many even MENTIONED the word “AMERICA” in the synopsis blurb in the first 5 pages?

ONE.

The name of this country is The United States. One may take literary license and call it The United States OF America if one wishes with no fear of correction, giving a slightly erroneous continental location. A more CORRECT usage would be “The United States of NORTH America.”
But when the Chief Executive says “Welcome to America,” to the Prime Minister of Great Britain, he’s supposed to know better. As are WE, by the way.

After all, there is a CENTRAL and SOUTH America as well: and they used to get miffed when WE took the “We are AMERICANS” claim like it was ours alone, although even the Canadians have stopped referring to themselves as “North Americans.” Gee, I wonder why.

Yeah, I know. This is more of Tyler’s “nit picking.” No, it’s not. As anyone can tell you, the true name of a person, a concept or a thing has POWER. When it is misused or converted to jingoism or NEWSPEAK, the power is misused to confuse issues.

The incessant litany of “AMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICA” is used for one thing only: to stir up something, and that’s nationalism, or loyalty to a cause/official, or false pride in an action, or just plain aggression. And that’s wrong. It’s also inaccurate, and beyond that, it’s stupid.

[HereSince1628]

1. United States of America is the name in the Declaration of Independence

Or at least in the copy I read as a kid.

It's better than the United States of Fespucci (sp?).

[Tyler Durden]

7. I believe the "of America" is a modifier.

The guy they named EVERYTHING after was Amerigo Vespucci. I'm married to a CALEBRESE. I get that wrong and I sleep with the fishes.

[tabasco]

2. The official long name is the United States of America

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html

[Tyler Durden]

8. And you trust a web site with "CIA" in the address???

Riiight.

I should talk, as I wear a watch that used to belong to an officer of the KGB.

[rock]

16. Actually, a "the" is required which they eschew

Wow! What a weird sentence.

[Gildor Inglorion]

3. By the way, Mr. Blair is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Great Britain is an island.

:hi:

[Tyler Durden]

6. Picky, picky.

You going for MY job around here? I think I'm the offical nit picker.

[Taxloss]

9. Yes, we have our taxonomic tangles as well.

I like in England. England is a country in its own right on the island of Britain. The three countries on the island of Britain are part of ... deep breath ... the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. (NI is part of the island of Ireland.)

Great Britain used to (imperialistically) refer to Britain and Ireland, but no longer.

[Aristus]

23. Not strictly true, but since we're nit-picking...

The island is called simply 'Britain'. Britain is comprised of England, Wales and Scotland. Great Britain is comprised of Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.

[leftofthedial]

4. this country, TODAY, is Murka

or perhaps the Nighted States of Murka

[marmar]

5. The U.S. ...

has claimed the name America, even though technically it applies to everything from the northernmost reaches of Canada to the tip of Chile.

[RaleighNCDUer]

17. It's just an outgrowth of self identification.

The nation is called the United States of America. Back when there were only 13 states, if someone asked for your nationality you'd say "I'm a New Yorker" or "I'm a Carolinan". They'd go "huh?" and you explain, "you know, in the United States of America." As the states lost their national identities we had to say something, so we said "American", because saying "United Statesian" is clumsy and just sounds bad.

Think about it. Can you come up with a better shorthand identification out of "The United States Of America"?

Maybe that's why southern self-identification has persisted for so long -- 'Confederate' is just easier to say than 'United Statesian'.

[theboss]

10. USA! USA!

That's what we cant at the Olympics...so it's good enough for me!

[Taxloss]

11. The Republic of Gilead?

Or is that later?

/Atwood

[Deep13]

12. Saudi America

[SheepyMcSheepster]

13. yes, it is embarrassing and disrespectful how people use the word "America

ignorance is king it seems these days.

[Tyler Durden]

14. I love it how * feels he can speak for almost 20% of the world.

Instead of just the approximatedly 300 million unlucky enough to live HERE at this juncture in history.

[forgethell]

15. The constitution call it the United States of America

do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America

[donkeyotay]

18. This county's name now, really?

Denialstan. I live in the Great Republic of Denialstan. Nothing bad can happen to us so long as it isn't reported on the news.

[Deep13]

19. Now the Denialstani Empire.

The Republic has been dissolved.

[donkeyotay]

20. I'll try to keep up!

I like it: The Denialstani Empire.
:)

[Orangepeel]

21. Eh, this doesn't bother me.

I usually call the country "The United States" and refer to myself as "American." But, IMO, "America" and "American" are reasonable short forms of "United States of America" and "United States of American"

Yes, there are other countries that could lay claim to the word "America" because they are located on North or South America, but none of them seriously do. People from those countries might (as is their right), express annoyance that "Americans" presume to use the term but nobody is confused by it.

Besides, why is "United States" any more uniquely descriptive than America? Couldn't the United Kingdom claim to be united states? Couldn't the Soviet Union have claimed to be united states?

Regardless, of all the things that Americans do to show insensitivity to citizens of other countries, this doesn't seem to be one of the worst.

[sweetheart]

22. It is the name of the land

Why bother with a bit of toilet paper that's been shredded in the loo?
The land will be america long after the U S of A is gone, and so
people naturally refer to the longer term name.

But to answer your question, the name is: "U.N.C.L.E."

[Occulus]

24. THANK YOU for picking this nit.

Yes, I agree: We are the United States OF America; we are NOT "America".

But, geographic knowledge has been somewhat blibbed, foiffed- I don't know, SOME coined word- for some time now.

We are the United States OF America. OF, as in, 'present in'.