Why do countries like Philippines, Netherlands and USA are always being referred with 'The' as prefix?

Question

ex: Made in The Philippines(unlike Made in China)
Born in The USA (unline Born the Canada)

Answer 1

Because it is plural. Try any other country and watch what happens when you say The __________countries. ie. Europe and The European countries. Africa and The African countries.

THE is also used when something is one of a kind and you know what is being talked about ie. The sun The moon (in our own gallaxy system - A sun a moon where there are many rotating around a planet.
In daily life if I asked for THE RED BOOk on the shelf. there would be only one red book on the shelf. If there were many I'd have to add a descriptive word such as THE THICK RED BOOK or if I didn't care which book but only wanted a red cover book then I'd ask for A RED BOOK and again if it were many I'd ask either for SOME OR THE OR MANY.

In th case of the countries you mentioned since they are plural the word THE would be used. Some or many would not stop word THE from being used in referring to these countries. Just noticed that THESE (plural form) could also be used to plurel countries but adding a noun ie These European countries These United States or these USA states, these Netherland countries. Note the s tranfers to the noun from the two countries you asked about.

Answer 2

There are more examples and at least one country that has 3 names. One of which uses THE...England, Great Britain and The United Kingdom. This last name and the others you mention are all plurals. The use of the definite article THE beforehand defines a group to be considered to be a unified entity.

The Philippines is really a group of islands. The Netherlands denotes the "low" lands and The USA denotes a group of separate states with a central or federal gov't.

This is not particular to English. Other languages similarly sometimes use the definite article before the main part of the title.

Answer 3

The Philippines use to be an best buddy of the united statesA. Now they undesirable mouth the united statesA. each probability they get. they're no longer friends of the united statesA. they use the united statesA. they're attempting to kiss as much as China and that i'm hoping whilst China starts off calling interior the favors they have given to the Philippines they're going to enable the rustic to be self sustaining through fact the U.S. did. in certainty on the 2d the Philippines desires the U.S. extra suitable than the U.S. desires the Philippines. The U.S. does no longer would desire to have a base interior the Philippines from now on through long variety planes and missiles. The Philippines does little to combat international terrorism they can't even administration terrorism of their very own u . s .. a lot of human beings that bear in techniques the U.S. and Philippines relationship from international conflict II want our friendship replaced into as reliable because it replaced into an identical, yet worry as quickly as we are all long gone the extra youthful technology interior the U.S. won't supply crap for the Philippines. Getting kicked interior the teeth gets previous after a whilst even for us older persons.

Answer 4

It is the way those places became countries The Philippines are groups of island same a The Netherlands. The USA was individual state before it became a union. It is a Monolithic theory to simplify it.

Answer 5

"The Netherlands" is used and not Netherlands alone because the former is the official name of the country.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Netherlands

This goes as well with "The Philippines".

"The USA", however, is not an official name. It is just appropriately preceded by the article "the" to give more emphasis to the country's name, which is apparently, the United States of America.

Answer 6

The names are plural. Philippine, Netherland and State of America would make sense because they are singular, but since they are NOT it makes sense that THE would be placed in front of the names. Simple English lesson solved.

Answer 7

I guess because they're considered plural things--the Philippines is a BUNCH of islands, but so is Indonesia.

The Netherlands is plural because it's a bunch of areas that are below sea level.

The US of A are plural because there are plural States.

Answer 8

Because in the english language it makes more sense.

It wouldn't make sense if someone from another country said in English "I'm going to USA for vacation". I just sounds much better and makes more thense when a person says "I'm going to THE USA for vacation."

Answer 9

Because they are plural. The Argentina doesn't make any sense, now does it?