What country do you come from? *POLL*

[frezal]

Just did some browsing and Puerto Rico isn't a country??

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/29/puerto-rico-statehood-congress_n_3181063.html

[MassimoV]

In a sense you could say the reverse - why DOESN'T Puerto Rico, for example, stick with the USA, seem as though they are part of the US? By choice. We have 1 Olympic Committee here.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_Puerto_Rico_have_on_Olympic_team_when_they_are_part_of_the_United_States
'Usually, a nation-state has only one Olympic team' eg GB

Just did some browsing and Puerto Rico isn't a country??
(Image removed from quote.)


If they aren't a country how do they compete by themselves?

Because:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_Puerto_Rico_have_on_Olympic_team_when_they_are_part_of_the_United_States

[Meganerdbomb]

It always has baffled me... is Great Britain an actual country? I thought it was a bunch a countries that are in the same region. It also upsets me that they compete in the olympics combined when smaller countries don't have that privilege.

Anywho I'm from Australia.

So I was correct? Either way they should be competing as single countries not as a group, or perhaps the USA could compete with all countries from the south american continent and compete under the name of America  .

You realize the U.S.A. is made up of a bunch of different states and is already far bigger than the U.K., right?

I do, that was sarcasm. I just don't like Great Britain competing at the olympics when it is essentially 3 countries in one and no one else does this to my knowledge.

The U.S. is essentially 50 countries in one.

[ianh05]

It always has baffled me... is Great Britain an actual country? I thought it was a bunch a countries that are in the same region. It also upsets me that they compete in the olympics combined when smaller countries don't have that privilege.

Anywho I'm from Australia.

So I was correct? Either way they should be competing as single countries not as a group, or perhaps the USA could compete with all countries from the south american continent and compete under the name of America  .

You realize the U.S.A. is made up of a bunch of different states and is already far bigger than the U.K., right?

I do, that was sarcasm. I just don't like Great Britain competing at the olympics when it is essentially 3 countries in one and no one else does this to my knowledge.

The U.S. is essentially 50 countries in one.

There goes the world as I knew it then lol. I always though states were different to countries  .

[frezal]

They're kind of both. States all have their own sovereignty (which is why different states have different laws), but all agree to conform to a unifying federal government, which allows us all to pool resources and share a bloated military.

[ianh05]

Apparently people still don't agree on the subject, however I pulled this from wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_area

[cephalopod]

Apparently people still don't agree on the subject, however I pulled this from wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_area

Also note how that list has United Kingdom as one country :P

[ianh05]

Apparently people still don't agree on the subject, however I pulled this from wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_area

Also note how that list has United Kingdom as one country :P

And England etc. aren't listed  .

[090901]

Apparently people still don't agree on the subject, however I pulled this from wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_area

Also note how that list has United Kingdom as one country :P

And England etc. aren't listed  .

England, Scotland, Wales, and Northen Ireland aren't considered sovereign states or dependencies.
Apparently "country" used to just be used to refer to geographic locations which explains why England etc. are called countries.

[ianh05]

So why/how do they compete in other events individually like world cups and even the commonwealth games if they aren't countries?

[090901]

So why/how do they compete in other events individually like world cups and even the commonwealth games if they aren't countries?

Well for the World Cup, it seems the FIFA allowed it with a bunch of other place that aren't actual countries. Seems a bit unfair to me but I'm not running the FIFA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_FIFA_Member_Associations#Others


Just read about the Commonwealth Games and it seems it used to be called the "British Empire and Commonwealth Games", so I think the "British Empire" part gives away the reason why they compete.

[Squirrel_Monkey]

So why/how do they compete in other events individually like world cups and even the commonwealth games if they aren't countries?

Commonwealth games are "our" games to an extent, we made the rules :P
EDIT: It's not just us anyway. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constituent_country

[123savethewhales]

It always has baffled me... is Great Britain an actual country? I thought it was a bunch a countries that are in the same region. It also upsets me that they compete in the olympics combined when smaller countries don't have that privilege.

Anywho I'm from Australia.

So I was correct? Either way they should be competing as single countries not as a group, or perhaps the USA could compete with all countries from the south american continent and compete under the name of America  .

You realize the U.S.A. is made up of a bunch of different states and is already far bigger than the U.K., right?

I do, that was sarcasm. I just don't like Great Britain competing at the olympics when it is essentially 3 countries in one and no one else does this to my knowledge.

The U.S. is essentially 50 countries in one.

In practice it's more like two.

[Meganerdbomb]

It always has baffled me... is Great Britain an actual country? I thought it was a bunch a countries that are in the same region. It also upsets me that they compete in the olympics combined when smaller countries don't have that privilege.

Anywho I'm from Australia.

So I was correct? Either way they should be competing as single countries not as a group, or perhaps the USA could compete with all countries from the south american continent and compete under the name of America  .

You realize the U.S.A. is made up of a bunch of different states and is already far bigger than the U.K., right?

I do, that was sarcasm. I just don't like Great Britain competing at the olympics when it is essentially 3 countries in one and no one else does this to my knowledge.

The U.S. is essentially 50 countries in one.

In practice it's more like two.

What two would that be?

[Merrick]

North and South.