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Artistic image of Earth with "THE" text inscribed at the center. Image credit Cory Price via º£½ÇÉçÇøatlas.

Countries Whose Official Names Begin With "The"

The only two countries that begin with "The" according to the U.S. Department of State are The Gambia and The Bahamas. The United Kingdom's Foreign & Commonwealth office affirms that approach, yet Canada strips "The" from "Gambia" and "Bahamas" in its official directories. Although many countries have a long form version spoken or written with "the" (like "the Republic of..."), some countries consistently avoid the article; a collection of those different country sets can be viewed below. The use of "the" has even caused controversy, such as when Ukraine is mistakenly referred to as "the Ukraine," a usage Ukrainians reject. Otherwise, countries that commonly include "the" are ones such as The Philippines, The Netherlands, and The United States/Kingdom/Emirates— the origins of those names are equally fascinating.

Countries That Officially Begin With "The"

Short Form Country Name Long Form Country Name
The Gambia Republic of The Gambia
The Bahamas

Commonwealth of The Bahamas

The Gambia

A man fishing in the River Gambia. Image credit Carlos Pereira M via Shutterstock.
A man fishing in the River Gambia. Image credit Carlos Pereira M via Shutterstock.

The Gambia is one of the few countries on Earth that officially begins with the word "the." The Gambia is located along the West African coast and is named after the River Gambia which flows directly through its territory.

The Gambia is the smallest country in continental Africa and is completely surrounded by Senegal. The Gambia does control the mouth of the Gambia River which flows out into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Gambia owes its strange borders to the colonial powers of France and Great Britain. During the 19th century, a border dispute between the two empires led to Great Britain gaining control of The Gambia, whereas France took control of Senegal.

The Bahamas

Aerial view of the harbor and lighthouse in Hope Town on Elbow Cay off the island of Abaco, Bahamas. Image credit: pics721/Shutterstock.com
Aerial view of the harbor and lighthouse in Hope Town on Elbow Cay off the island of Abaco, Bahamas. Image credit: pics721/Shutterstock.com

The second country that officially uses "the" in its title is The Bahamas. The Bahamas is an island country located in the Atlantic Ocean, although not in the Caribbean which is a common misunderstanding. The Bahamas can also be referred to as the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

The Bahamas is thought to have gotten its name from early Spanish explorers who remarked on its shallow water. In Spanish the word for this is "bajamar." There is another theory that points to the name having its origins in the indigenous Lucayan Taino language.

Since the name of The Bahamas is in direct reference to one of its geographical features, much like The Gambia, the use of the word "the" at the beginning is needed.

5 Countries That Are Commonly Written Or Spoken With "The"

Short Form Country Name Long Form Country Name
The Netherlands
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The United States of America
United States of America
The Philippines
Republic of the Philippines

The United States Of America

Busy crowds of people walk across 3rd Avenue in front of rush hour traffic in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Editorial credit: Ryan DeBerardinis / Shutterstock.com
Busy crowds of people walk across 3rd Avenue in front of rush hour traffic in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Editorial credit: Ryan DeBerardinis / Shutterstock.com

While most people, at least when referring to the United States in a formal setting, will use the word "the" at the start of its title, this is not all that common. In casual speech, or even in some formal settings, a person is much more likely to just say "America" or "the United States." America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, one of the original Italian explorers who discovered the continent.

The use of the word "America" to refer to the United States is widely accepted in the English-speaking º£½ÇÉçÇø; however, it is a source of controversy in Latin America.

Many within Latin America see themselves as Americans due to living either in North America or South America. While both are technically correct, it is unlikely that dropping the use of "America" to refer to the USA will catch on in the Anglosphere anytime soon.

The United Kingdom

The tranquil British landscape.
The tranquil British landscape.

The United Kingdom is in a similar situation as the United States. While the United Kingdom is sometimes used, the majority of English speakers, especially in casual conversation, will simply say "the UK," "Great Britain," or "Britain."

It is also common for people to refer to the countries within the United Kingdom as well. Most residents will often declare that they are from England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland rather than saying "the United Kingdom." The naming comes from the desire to link these separate kingdoms together.

The Netherlands

The famous tulips grown in the Netherlands. Image credit Focal Length-Frenweh via Shutterstock.
The famous tulips grown in the Netherlands. Image credit Focal Length-Frenweh via Shutterstock.

The Netherlands is in another unique situation of its own. It is often referred to by many different names. The most common name for the Netherlands is Holland which is in reference to one of its largest provinces within the country.

The name "the Netherlands" itself means lowlands in English. There are some that this means the Netherlands falls into the same category as The Gambia and The Bahamas since it describes a geographical feature, but this is an exception to the rule.

This is because the word "nether" in English is used to refer to lowlands and thus should be considered a noun rather than an adjective. It is generally accepted that the reason the use of the word "the" in the Netherlands has more to do with the end of the country's name ending in -lands rather than just -land like Iceland and Greenland.

The United Arab Emirates

City street in Dubai.
City street in Dubai.

The United Arab Emirates got its name after the country was formed by the joining of multiple Arab-speaking principalities (also known as emirates) in 1971. Since its name refers to a political union rather than a geographical feature, it falls under the same category as the United Kingdom and the United States.

The United Arab Emirates is often abbreviated to "the UAE." It is also quite common for its residents to simply refer to what city they live in within the UAE due to the small size of the country.

Places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi have risen in fame in the last decade due to the city's wealth and the lavish lifestyle that seems to be so prominent there. Thanks to plenty of international residents now residing there, these places have exploded in popularity and have ascended to become º£½ÇÉçÇø-class cities of their own.

The Philippines

Rice terraces of the Philippines.
Rice terraces of the Philippines.

Located in Southeast Asia, The Philippines is an archipelagic nation composed of over 7,600 islands, making it one of the largest archipelagos in the º£½ÇÉçÇø.

The name "Philippines" originates from the Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, who named the islands "Las Islas Filipinas" in 1542 in honor of Prince Philip of Spain, who later became King Philip II. The name was anglicized to "The Philippine Islands" during the American colonial period and eventually shortened to "The Philippines."

The use of "the" in "The Philippines" is reasonable because the name refers to a collection of islands, making it a plural noun. In official documents, the country is known as the "Republic of the Philippines," where "the" is not capitalized but is still present.

Final Thoughts

The use of the word "the" in the name of countries will likely remain the source of some minor controversy and confusion. While there are plenty of places where the use of the word "the" can be used appropriately to describe countries that get their name due to political happenstance, the only two countries in the º£½ÇÉçÇø when it is technically correct to do so, is The Gambia and The Bahamas.

Countries That Do Not Begin With "The" Even In Their Long Form Name

Short Form Country Name Long Form Country Name
Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda

Belize Belize
Grenada Grenada
Iceland Iceland
Jamaica Jamaica
Japan Japan
Montenegro Montenegro
New Zealand New Zealand
Saint Lucia Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Tuvalu Tuvalu
Ukraine Ukraine
Turkmenistan Turkmenistan

Countries Where The Long Form Name May Necessitate "The"

Short Form Country Name Long Form Country Name
Afghanistan Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Albania Republic of Albania
Algeria People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
Andorra Principality of Andorra
Angola Republic of Angola
Argentina Argentine Republic
Armenia Republic of Armenia
Australia Commonwealth of Australia
Austria Republic of Austria
Azerbaijan Republic of Azerbaijan
Bahrain Kingdom of Bahrain
Bangladesh People's Republic of Bangladesh
Barbados Republic of Barbados
Belarus Republic of Belarus
Belgium Kingdom of Belgium
Benin Republic of Benin République du Bénin
Bhutan Kingdom of Bhutan
Bolivia Plurinational State of Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana Republic of Botswana
Brazil Federative Republic of Brazil
Brunei Negara Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria Republic of Bulgaria
Burkina Faso People's Republic of Burkina Faso
Burundi Republic of Burundi
Cote d'Ivoire Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
Cabo Verde Republic of Cape Verde
Cambodia Kingdom of Cambodia
Cameroon Republic of Cameroon
Canada Dominion of Canada
Central African Republic Ködörösêse tî Bêafrîka
Chad Republic of Chad
Chile Republic of Chile
China People's Republic of China
Colombia Republic of Colombia
Comoros Union of the Comoros
Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) Republic of the Congo
Costa Rica Republic of Costa Rica
Croatia Republic of Croatia Republika Hrvatska
Cuba Republic of Cuba
Cyprus Republic of Cyprus
Czechia Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo
Denmark Kingdom of Denmark
Djibouti Republic of Djibouti
Dominica Commonwealth of Dominica
Dominican Republic Dominican Republic
Ecuador Republic of Ecuador
Egypt Arab Republic of Egypt
El Salvador Republic of El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea Republic of Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea State of Eritrea
Estonia Republic of Estonia
Eswatini Kingdom of Eswatini
Ethiopia Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Fiji Republic of Fiji
Finland Republic of Finland
France French Republic
Gabon Gabonese Republic
Georgia Republic of Georgia
Germany Federal Republic of Germany
Ghana Republic of Ghana
Greece Hellenic Republic
Guatemala Republic of Guatemala
Guinea Republic of Guinea
Guinea-Bissau Republic of Guinea-Bissau
Guyana Co-operative Republic of Guyana
Haiti Republic of Haiti
Holy See Vatican City State
Honduras Republic of Honduras
Hungary Hungarian Republic
India Republic of India
Indonesia Republic of Indonesia
Iran Islamic Republic of Iran
Iraq Republic of Iraq
Ireland Republic of Ireland
Israel State of Israel
Italy Italian Republic
Jordan Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Kazakhstan Republic of Kazakhstan
Kenya Republic of Kenya
Kiribati Republic of Kiribati Ribaberiki Kiribati
Kuwait State of Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyz Republic
Laos Lao People's Democratic Republic
Latvia Republic of Latvia
Lebanon Republic of Lebanon
Lesotho Kingdom of Lesotho
Liberia Republic of Liberia
Libya State of Libya
Liechtenstein Principality of Liechtenstein
Lithuania Republic of Lithuania
Luxembourg Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Madagascar Republic of Madagascar
Malawi Republic of Malawi
Malaysia Federation of Malaya
Maldives Republic of Maldives
Mali Republic of Mali
Malta Republic of Malta
Marshall Islands Republic of the Marshall Islands
Mauritania Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Mauritius Republic of Mauritius
Mexico United Mexican States
Micronesia Federated States of Micronesia
Moldova Republic of Moldova
Monaco Principality of Monaco
Mongolia Mongolian People's Republic
Morocco Kingdom of Morocco
Mozambique Republic of Mozambique
Myanmar Republic of the Union of Myanmar
Namibia Republic of Namibia
Nauru Republic of Nauru
Nepal Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
Nicaragua Republic of Nicaragua
Niger Republic of the Niger
Nigeria Federal Republic of Nigeria
North Korea Democratic People's Republic of Korea
North Macedonia Republic of North Macedonia
Norway Kingdom of Norway
Oman Sultanate of Oman
Pakistan Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Palau Republic of Palau
Palestine State of Palestine
Panama Republic of Panama
Papua New Guinea Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Paraguay Republic of Paraguay
Peru Republic of Peru
Poland Republic of Poland
Portugal Portuguese Republic
Qatar State of Qatar
Romania Republica Populară Romînă
Russia Russian Federation
Rwanda Republic of Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis
Samoa Independent State of Samoa
San Marino Republic of San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe
Saudi Arabia Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Senegal Republic of Senegal
Serbia Republic of Serbia
Seychelles Republic of Seychelles
Sierra Leone Republic of Sierra Leone
Singapore Republic of Singapore
Slovakia Slovak Republic
Slovenia Republic of Slovenia
Somalia Federal Republic of Somalia
South Africa Republic of South Africa
South Korea Republic of Korea
South Sudan Republic of South Sudan
Spain Kingdom of Spain
Sri Lanka Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Sudan Republic of the Sudan
Suriname Republic of Suriname
Sweden Kingdom of Sweden
Switzerland Swiss Confederation
Syria Syrian Arab Republic
Tajikistan Republic of Tajikistan
Tanzania United Republic of Tanzania
Thailand Kingdom of Thailand
Timor-Leste Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Togo Togolese Republic
Tonga Kingdom of Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia Republic of Tunisia
Turkey Republic of Türkiye
Uganda Republic of Uganda
Uruguay Oriental Republic of Uruguay
Uzbekistan Republic of Uzbekistan
Vanuatu Republic of Vanuatu
Venezuela Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Vietnam Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Yemen Republic of Yemen
Zambia Republic of Zambia
Zimbabwe Republic of Zimbabwe
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