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Hello! This week on "Ask a Teacher", we will answer a question about the difference between “nation” and “country”.
QUESTION: Hi VOA Learning English, Could you please help and explain what the difference is in usage between “nation” and “country”? Thanks and regards, Siyang Hao.
ANSWER: Hello Siyang! This is a great question. Often these words are used as synonyms, but there are differences. Let’s look at how we use these words and find some examples to help us understand. Let’s start with “country”.
COUNTRY
A “country” is an organized political unit. We often describe “countries” as “states,” especially when talking about politics. Joshua Keating, a former editor for the website Foreign Policy says there are several things that are needed to become a country. A country needs territory or land. Next, people living there must live there permanently.
organized political unit: unidad organizada políticamente; former editor: anterior jefe de redacción; that are needed: que son necesarias; territory or land: territorio o tierras; people living there: la gente que vive allí; must live there permanently: debe vivir allí permanentemente;
Then the international community must recognize the boundaries or borders of the country. Next, the country must have full sovereignty or the freedom of rule and be recognized by other countries. Finally, a country is ruled by a government or political body. Here are some examples of how to use “country” in a sentence:
boundaries or borders: límites o fronteras; next: a continuación; full sovereignty: plena soberanía; freedom of rule: libertad de gobierno; be recognized: ser reconocido; ruled by a government or political body: regulado por un gobierno o asociación política;
There are no countries in Antarctica, but some countries like Chile and New Zealand have claimed areas of it.
No hay países en la Antártida, pero algunos países como Chile y Nueva Zelanda han reclamado áreas de la misma.
I have been to several countries in Europe including Romania, Czechia, Estonia and Finland.
He estado en varios países de Europa, incluidos Rumania, Chequia, Estonia y Finlandia.
Even though the United States is made up of smaller units called “states,” they are not sovereign countries and are not internationally recognized as such.
Aunque Estados Unidos está formado por unidades más pequeñas llamadas "estados", no son países soberanos y no son internacionalmente reconocidos como tales.
California is a state and has the world’s 4th largest economy, but it is not a country.
California es un estado y tiene la cuarta economía más grande del mundo, pero no es un país.
We often use “country” and “state” as synonyms, especially to differentiate the other meaning of “country” as a place outside of a city that has fields, farmland, trees, or villages.
to differentiate: para distinguir; fields: campos; farmland: tierra de cultivo; trees: árboles; villages: aldeas;
Regina enjoys going to the country on the weekends to visit her family’s farm in West Virginia.
A Regina le gusta ir al campo los fines de semana para visitar la granja de su familia en West Virginia.
NATION
And now let’s move onto “nation”. “Nation” has two different meanings. Firstly, a “nation” can describe the same thing as the word “country” or “state.” Our VOA Word Book describes a “nation” as a “country” together with its political and social systems. Let’s look at an example:
let's move onto: pasemos a; together with: junto con;
There are 193 nations that make up the international organization called The United Nations.
Hay 193 naciones que componen la organización internacional llamada Las Naciones Unidas.
The nation of Argentina recently won the FIFA World Cup.
La nación de Argentina ganó recientemente la Copa Mundial de la FIFA.
“Nation” also has another meaning. It is the people of an area who are connected by a common culture or identity. Sometimes a “country” or “state” is represented by one “nation,” called a “nation-state”.
nation-state: estado-nación;
Japan, Finland, and even the United States are considered nation-states.
Japón, Finlandia e incluso los Estados Unidos se consideran estados-nación.
Not all “nations” of people have their own “country” or border of their land that is recognized internationally. Examples of “nations” of people without their own “country” include: The Kurdish people and native or indigenous people like Native Americans.
own country or border: propio país o frontera; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx;
The Kurdish nation lives throughout a region called Kurdistan, which is spread throughout five countries. Kurds have a common language and culture.
La nación kurda vive en una región llamada Kurdistán, que se extiende por cinco países. Los kurdos tienen una lengua y una cultura comunes.
First Nations people are an indigenous nation group in Canada.
Los pueblos de las Primeras Naciones son un grupo de naciones indígenas en Canadá.
And that’s "Ask a Teacher". I’m Faith Pirlo. |
