What's the difference between your home country and your motherland?

Question

I'm amazed at the answers so far, because it seems to me that "motherland" is a term beloved of totalitarian regimes; the implication is that if you don't adore your motherland you're an enemy of the state.

I wonder if there's a difference here between British and American English?!

Answer 1

your motherland is where you were born
your home country is where you live, where you call home

Answer 2

I am trying to work out why you ask the question because it might help with the answer.

I do not think that there is a technically correct answer to your question because it is open to interpretation and opinion and may depend on the context in which it is posed. - My gut response , however, is that the term home country could be used in a legalistic sense to mean the current or new name given to a country that has been taken over or subsumed by another .

Motherland, however, could be used to refer nostalgically, to the same territory as above, before it was subsumed or changed in some way. ie. it has emotional connotations, a sense of longing for the way things were.

Answer 3

Your home country is the country that you were born in. The country that you aquired citizenship in by birth. Your motherland is where your acestors originally came from. Just because you are born in particular place does not make it your motherland. For example, most U.S. citizens cannot claim that the U.S. is their motherland. The only culture than can claim the U.S. as its motherland is the Native American Tribes.

Answer 4

A homeland is the concept of the territory to which one belongs; usually, the country in which a particular nationality was born.
Your parents are from Mexico in Latin America, but you were born in England, England is your Motherland,Your Ancestors
are from Mexico so Mexico is your homeland.
Motherland especially has the connotation of one's country of birth and growing up, with the country being respectfully viewed as a benign mother nurturing its citizens as her children.

Answer 5

I admit your question does require some brain power, but I'll try. My home country is the United States. By motherland you suggest to me that you are referring to my nationalities, which are numerous and can only be traced to the end of the 19th century. The one's I am made aware of are Italy, Poland, Netherlands, Ireland, American Indian, and Lithuanian.

Answer 6

Both terms refer to the same concept. They are different as far as connotations are concerned. Home country denotes a geographical area with borders. It belongs to politically terminology. Motherland denotes a sense of belonging to a community with common history and culture. It is rather emotional.

Answer 7

YOU'VE ALL GOT IT WRONG.
Russia would be a country but the UNITED empire of the Soviet Union would be so great that it would be called the 'motherland.'

Answer 8

Your Motherland is where u'r originally from.
Your Home Country is where u are currently domiciled/where u reside at any given time.

Answer 9

the implication is that if you don't adore your motherland you're an enemy of the state, would be correct.

Answer 10

The term motherland has nationalistic connotations.

Answer 11

i would think most answers are wrong and mine may be wrong to, but where i come from we refer motherland our nation and home country is where we reside in our nation, i thing in britain country home is a home away from the hustle and bustle of city life ,to the americans country home is also the place where your born , according to the singer john denvers country home is where he was born, it sounds confusing .