People from Canada are Canadians.
People from Guatemala are Guatemalans.
People from the United States OF AMERICA are Americans.

The Canadians, Guatemalans, and MOST but not all of the Americans are from North America. Those people are North Americans, an identity that no one every really takes, apart from the South Americans. Similarly, South Africans are African but not all Africans are South Africans.

Hope that clarifies it.

What about Netherlands? It's called "the" Netherlands but it's only one country. But it is also called Holland. But the people are called Dutch? I don't get it.

The point made previously by someone else was that the using the word "America" to describe the United States is not really correct. But it is used extensively even by Americans. The use of the word "American" to describe a citizen and/or person living in the US is accepted.

Holland is completly messed up. There's hundreds of names for it, but they get a bit annoyed, just like the British, l suppose if you get the wrong name.

It's known as Holland as a sort of slang amongst most Europeans, however the official name is the Netherlands. Thats another completly different matter altogether.

Has anyone but me noticed that our country doesn't really have a name?

The United States? We're united and we are a bunch of states.

The United States of America? America is the continent. For United States, see above.

America? Again, that is the name of the continent.

Why don't we have a name?

Or do I have too much time on my hands?

GoTravel

You got the point about "America" and that's something.

Why don't you start a contest to rename the USA?

Cheers.

Neil sent me!
He feels we need eddicatin' or summat!

In last year's Rugby World Cup, England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland all played as individual countries. The bloody Poms (England) took out cup away!

:(

Message: Glyn

You make the statement >>Holland is completly messed up. There's hundreds of names for it, but they get a bit annoyed, just like the British, l suppose if you get the wrong name.

It's known as Holland as a sort of slang amongst most Europeans, however the official name is the Netherlands. Thats another completly different matter altogether.<<

Glyn, you might want to get in touch with the Netherlands Board of Tourism to tell them they're wrong because when you open its website it says: Welcome to Holland. One can gain entry to the site by going through The official Holland Site - Netherlands Board of Tourism.

http://www.visitholland.com/

A slap on the wrist with a wet noodle for the Netherlands Board of Tourism and an OBE award to you for your research.

Was this thread for real? Neil sent me too although I am a Canadian.

People from Holland prefer the country to be called 'Holland' and rather it to be called The Netherlands.

The Tourism board are probably calling it Holland since that is the name most people associate with the country. The official name for it is the Netherlands, and not Holland - this is slang.

There's no point in using the Netherlands as the website, since most people call it Holland.

So l'll take that OBE thanks.

Your answer is beyond me. I give up (until I have more official word that Holland is slang."

You shouldn't give up, you should agree to my answer. Giving up is a sign of weekness, my good friend.

If you don't understand something, then you should ask.

I can't stop laughing. I know now this question and your answers are a hoax. The kind that some people post just for a reaction. Good work Glyn.

The fact that this post was misplaced on the US board is interesting. The fact that so far 94 responses have been gathered by it on the wrong board says a whole lot. My only problem is, I can't figure out exactly what that fact DOES say.

I have read all the posts on this issue. I am hoping there is no quiz to follow. I don't think I would pass. By the way..I'm an American...from Ohio.

Well if you believe that this message was posted on the wrong forum, which maybe it was, then it's proven to be more popular on here than it was on the Europe boards.

The fact can be seen in my very first message, Patrick. This is simply to raise awareness of the fact there is more in the UK than England, and that England does not consist of 4 countries. This is not trying to cause controversy, but it is simply to raise awareness of a problem that l experienced during my world travels, especially in America and Asian countries.

Hope that gives you a better understanding in the reason as to why l posted on this board.

So i may sound really stupid asking this but my friend and I keep arguing over whether england is a country or not. I say it is, but she is trying to convince me otherwise. She says that the UK is a country and england is just a part of it. Who is right???

Neil Wasn't it QEII appointed Governor General who offed Gough Whitlam. You really should become a republic In case there is ever a Labour PM again.

After the last US election there was a lot of talk about forming the United States of Canada, an amalgam of Canada and the blue states. As that hasn't happened I'm moving to Victoria, BC

A/D

I have to wonder how these Americans came to ask the question, "What part of England are you from?" That doesn't strike me as a likely first question, more likely would be something like, "Oh, are you English?" To which a staunch nationalist might respond, "I'm Welsh, actually." (Then you can explain that Wales isn't part of England. It flows nicely.)

Most Americans think "England" based on the accent, which they recognize as an "English accent." The honest mistake that even educated people make here, and that you probably encountered, is that except in the case of a really broad Scots accent, they really have no perception of variant accents from different areas of the UK. You can tell Swansea from Geordie from Oxbridge, but they generally cannot. (BTW, I didn't read the whole thread, so I didn't catch which home nation you are actually from; I'm just using Wales as an example.) If to the listener you sound English, England would seem to be a good first guess.

Can you differentiate by accent between New York and New Orleans, or tell New Mexico from Michigan? We don't expect foreign vistors to be able to accurately guess what region of the US we are from; for that reason I don't think it is realistic to expect the average American to be able to guess what region our foreign visitors are from, either.

Oh, please. Glyn neglects to point out that other Europeans also do the same thing. Speaking any kind of English in France, no matter what the accent is, and the French will assume you are "anglais." Launching into a prissy lecture about Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland will elicit an indifferent shrug, not the floods of apologies Americans will offer. Ditto for Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain, etc.
Perhaps one day the Glyn Williams of the world and their ilk will remember that Americans who come from below the Mason-Dixon line are not Yanks!

hopefully Northern Ireland someday will be part of Ireland again.

I always thought that the derisive song of the soldiers-from-across-the-water (whom we called redcoats)titled "Yankee Doodle Dandy" referred to all the colonists (e.g., including Virginians)of the original 13.