In the UK we belong to so many clubs! We are British sometimes, other times from our particular country. Exhibit A is the Tennis Player ( sometimes ) Andy Murray. When he is winning he's British and when he's losing he's Scottish! :)

It's vastly complicated and changes in a lifetime. When I was growing up ( the 60's ) England won the World Cup and everyone in the crowd had a Union Jack. Now, of course, it's the Cross of St George Flag. I'm not sold on it, to be honest as it feels a bit "invented".

I kind of have to throw this question around back at you, just because I really have never understood this about America . . . but why is it that each state counts as being a state and not a country?

If you look at it logically each state has its own laws regarding practically everything, to whether gay couples can adopt or whether capital punishment is legal, and each has its own culture, dialect, beliefs . . . they actually seem far more independent from one another than Scotland/Wales are from England, because they are made to share some of our laws (or at least so I'm led to believe).

I guess my question is how the heck do you define a state or country, and what the hell is the difference in the scheme of things? Why isn't Texas a country, and why isn't Scotland a state?

Sorry if it's a stupid question, but it's been bugging me for a while now.

I thought this was just a stupid prejudice.. but do Americans really only know such little about the World outside of their borders?

I saw a TV show several times, where Americans answered Geographical questions and out of bunch of people only 2 could point on Germany on the world map.

If Scotland isn't a country please tell me what you think it is?


Crikey there are some real nut cases on this forum.

Type in Rick Mercer's Talking to Americans on YouTube. It's just this guy making loads of stuff about Canada!

Some mistakes earlier.

Great Britain is the name of the England, Scotland and Wales island. Britain is just a shorthand name for the UK. N.Ireland is in Britain. Though things are odd as though N.Ireland isn't on the actual island of Great Britain the country name is sometimes (e.g. the olympics) shortened to Great Britain.

Scotland is a country. It isn't however a nation. The two are different things.

What was wrong with it?
It seemed pretty clear that for instance the male bra thing was just some little niche company and not exactly representative of the whole country. The same for most of it.

Totally disagree there. I'm from 'England' but I hate the idea of England, why do the Scots and Welsh get to be their own people but such a varied and big place as England all gets lumped in together in some sort of empire of Greater Greater London?
I only ever consider myself English when there's football on TV. And there only because there isn't a Bernician national team.

Well both ways of defining it are correct I suppose. But you have to be consistent about it that's all.

State or country, whatever word you use. As long as you understand that at least in the heirarchy of their relationship... Scotland is to the UK what Texas is to the USA.

Most people in my experience, when the word country is used, they mean "fully sovereign nation state". Therefore Scotland doesn't qualify under that definition as it's not fully sovereign. The United Kingdom is though... so naturally... outsiders to the UK think of the UK as a single entity.. and considering England is by far the largest of the 4 "countries" that make up the UK... People confuse England as being synonymous with the UK simply because of the insistence of English people that England is a country.

And I think that should be understood by people that insist Scotland, N. Ireland, Wales of England is a "country".

I also wondered it
 

I've always wondered this.

I'm English myself, and absolutely Adore Japan, And would love to visit, even live there if I could afford.

but What Does japan Actually Think Of England, Or Britain?

I'd love to hear.

we hope that everything will be better

I shall show this message to my husband who is a Scot-- and see what he has to say.

I am English.