A language learners’ forum

SCMT wrote:

Serpent wrote:

cjareck wrote:My first trip abroad was to Czechoslovakia - I was 12 years old, and they were not separated yet. Does it count as two?

If you went to Bratislava or somewhere else which is now Slovakia, I don't see why you shouldn't count it

How should one count Caribbean Islands? I mean, USVI might be the United States, and the Caymans might be UK, but what is Aruba? Is St. Martin France? Is St. Maarten Holland? Is St. Martin/St. Maarten just St. Maarten? Is St. Barths different?

And by the way, how should I count the parts of the UK?

I started to post a number and confused myself.

I count them individually. The UK has four constituent countries so potentially you can 'get' four more on your list if you visited the whole thing properly. The overseas territories I count as individual countries.

Bluepaint wrote: I count them individually. The UK has four constituent countries so potentially you can 'get' four more on your list if you visited the whole thing properly. The overseas territories I count as individual countries.

I agree, but if I can spill a dark secret about quite a lot of us on this side of the Atlantic who have not had the pleasure of visiting, most of us really aren't sure of what the United Kingdom actually is, what it includes, whether it is different from Britain, whether either or both may be different from Great Britain, whether the "BR" in "Brexit" refers to Britain or to the UK, and which Ireland is which.

I like the lists on mtp.travel and nomadmania.com. They include many individual regions (especially the latter).

whether either or both may be different from Great Britain

https://cdn.britannica.com/s:500x350/41 ... 9FCB25.jpg

lavengro wrote:

Bluepaint wrote: I count them individually. The UK has four constituent countries so potentially you can 'get' four more on your list if you visited the whole thing properly. The overseas territories I count as individual countries.

I agree, but if I can spill a dark secret about quite a lot of us on this side of the Atlantic who have not had the pleasure of visiting, most of us really aren't sure of what the United Kingdom actually is, what it includes, whether it is different from Britain, whether either or both may be different from Great Britain, whether the "BR" in "Brexit" refers to Britain or to the UK, and which Ireland is which.

Oh I know. I know. And the Br of Brexit is simply because Ukexit sounds rather vulgar Sidenote: There is a very flammable political joke to be made there so clap yourself on the back of you can spot it. I won't make it here as I really don't want to temporarily ban myself.

I have never understood the Ireland problem. You've the island of Ireland called Ireland. Split into Northern Ireland, where there was a spot of bother for a little while, and the Republic of Ireland, frequently known as Ireland. The brother of Ireland (the country, not the island) is sometimes know as N.I. for short, unless it is being spoken about by people who don't know geography, current affairs etc in which case it is erroneously called Ireland. Unless it is being called Ireland by a N.Irelander in which case it is not erroneous. And sometimes Ireland and N.I. are talked about together and are called Ireland due to their cultural, historical, social and economic ties. I mean really, it's so simple Having lived there, even if I hadn't lived there I guess, I say always call N.I. N.I. as it can come across as a political opinion/statement otherwise.

Oh and I am sure you know Lavengro but for anyone who is uncertain:
G.B. is Scotland, England and Wales. Add in N.Ireland and you have the UK.

Serpent wrote:https://cdn.britannica.com/s:500x350/41/193441-004-F59FCB25.jpg

Since nobody opens links

rdearman wrote:

So if I've been to England, Scotland and Ireland, that's 3 plus Britain is 4 and the UK is 5?

Just kidding!

Kinda.

No. Because Ireland isn't in the UK.

Edit: Which is something three people took time to explain and has already been explained previously in the thread.

Bluepaint wrote:No. Because Ireland isn't in the UK.

Edit: Which is something three people took time to explain and has already been explained previously in the thread.

I understand humor is sometimes difficult to convey on a message board, and that it is even more difficult to convey through cultural barriers, and those difficulties may be compounded on a site with native speakers of a multitude of languages, but my post was a small attempt at it.

Having been to the UK on several occasions, and more recently having watched the video and looked at the map in this thread, I've got a decent understanding of the political borders of the British Isles. I also wanted to make a somewhat snide but possibly interesting comment on the difficulty of neat categorization of messy political jurisdictions, such as is represented by several Caribbean Island nations and the United Kingdom. I am sure there are many more examples available in the complex political geography around the world, but those are the two regions with unclear definitions of "countries" (as found in the thread title) of which I am personally familiar.

So, to answer the original question:

US
Mexico
Canada
Bahamas
Aruba
England
Scotland
Ireland
France
Italy
Netherlands

Plus overseas territories and protectorates of the above that include:
USVI
Puerto Rico
Cayman Islands
Anguilla
St Martin, St Barths & St Maarten