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Dictionary:

country

  (kŭn'trē) pronunciation
n., pl. -tries.
    1. A nation or state.
    2. The territory of a nation or state; land.
    3. The people of a nation or state; populace: The whole country will profit from the new economic reforms.
  2. The land of a person's birth or citizenship: Foreign travel is restricted in his country.
  3. A region, territory, or large tract of land distinguishable by features of topography, biology, or culture: hill country; Bible country.
  4. An area or expanse outside cities and towns; a rural area: a vacation in the country.
  5. Law. A jury.
  6. Informal. Country music.
adj.
  1. Of, relating to, or typical of the country: a country road; country cooking.
  2. Of or relating to country music.
idiom:

in country

  1. In Vietnam during the period of U.S. military operations there: “He'd been in country a month longer than the other four” (Nelson DeMille).

[Middle English countre, from Old French contree, from Vulgar Latin *(terra) contrāta, (land) opposite, before, from Latin contrā, opposite.]


 
 
Thesaurus: country

noun

  1. An organized geopolitical unit: body politic, land, nation, polity, state. See politics, territory.
  2. A particular area used for or associated with a specific individual or activity: district, region, terrain, territory. Slang turf. See territory.
  3. A rural area: countryside, God's country. See urban/rural.

adjective

    Of or relating to the countryside: arcadian, bucolic, campestral, pastoral, provincial, rural, rustic. Informal hick. See urban/rural.

 
Antonyms: country

adj

Definition: rural, pastoral
Antonyms: city, metropolitan, urban

n

Definition: rural area; area away from city
Antonyms: city, metropolis, urbanity

 
Word Tutor: country
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: An area of wooded land. Also: the whole land of a nation.

pronunciation Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather what you can do for your country. — Cicero (106-43 BC).

Tutor's tip: John F. Kennedy made this line famous in our times.

 
Quotes About: Country

Quotes:

"It began in mystery, and it will end in mystery, but what a savage and beautiful country lies in between." - Diane Ackerman

"Colonies do not cease to be colonies because they are independent." - Benjamin Disraeli

"It may be true that you can't fool all the people all the time, but you can fool enough of them to rule a large country." - William J. Durant

"Shall we then judge a country by the majority, or by the minority? By the minority, surely. 'Tis pedantry to estimate nations by the census, or by square miles of land, or other than by their importance to the mind of the time." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Mahatma Gandhi

"My country is the world; my countrymen are mankind." - William Lloyd Garrison

See more famous quotes about Country

 
Wikipedia: country

In political geography and international politics, a country is a political division of a geographical entity, a sovereign territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation and government.

In common usage, the term is used casually in the sense of both "nation" (a cultural entity; see below) and "state" (a political entity; see below). Definitions may vary. It is sometimes used to refer to both states and some other political entities.[1], while in some occasions it refers only to state.[2] It is not uncommon for general information or statistical publications to adopt the wider definition for purposes such as illustration and comparison.[3]

There are dozens of non-sovereign territories (subnational entities, another form of political division or Administrative division within the expanse [realm or scope] of a larger nation-state) which constitute cohesive geographical entities, some of which are former countries, but which are not sovereign states. Most of these nowadays even have a great deal of autonomy and local governments but such do not constitute a nation as they are possessions of such states — as several states have overseas dependencies, with territory and citizenry separate from their own. Such dependencies are sometimes listed together with states on lists of countries.[3]

Types

State

Main article: State

A state is an independent territory with a government, a population, and sovereignty over these. The entire landmass of the Earth (excluding Antarctica), along with coastal seas is considered to be divided among such countries. There are currently 193 states recognized by the United Nations — its 192 members and Vatican City. The Republic of China (Taiwan) is the only sovereign state that is no longer a member of the United Nations.[4]

In addition to these, there are other non-sovereign territories which, under the philosophy of self-determination, wish to be considered countries in this sense. Some of these have de facto control over their population and territory, such as Abkhazia, but are not considered states as they are not recognised as having sovereignty. On the other hand, in some internationally-recognised states, there is no functioning central government or there are several de facto states and governments. These are internationally not considered to constitute separate states, but rather to exist on the territory of the internationally recognised state.

Nation

Main article: Nation

A nation is a 'set of people with a common identity who have formed a nation-state or usually aspire to do so' (Viotti and Kauppi, 2001). In this sense of country, the reference is more likely to be to a group that supposedly shares a common ethnic origin, language, religion, or history (real or illusory).

The term has become synonymous with 'country' where nations without sovereignty (that is, nations that are not states) have aimed to identify themselves on the same terms as sovereign states. Others, including nationalists, may consider their single nation (or country) to be divided between different states.

Nation, country and state: a comparison

The casual use of 'country', 'state' and 'nation' as synonyms leads to confusion. Confounding this is the often confused official use: for example, the United Nations is actually a body made of 'states'; and the countries constituting the United Kingdom are sometimes called the home nations.

The United Kingdom is an internationally recognised sovereign state, which is also referred to as a country and whose inhabitants have British nationality. The terminology can be further complicated by the use of the word state to mean a non-sovereign sub-entity of a sovereign state, as is done in the United States of America and Australia. In most English-speaking countries when the terms state, nation and country are used internally, they are understood by the context in which they are used and are not controversial. However, when these terms are used to describe the statehood aspirations of a people who do not currently live in the internationally recognised independent State they would like to dominate, these terms can be controversial and open to misunderstanding.

In reality, there is often a rough correspondence between both senses of country - this is the concept of the nation-state. It is one that many governments have attempted to encourage, in order to provide legitimacy to their control over a territory. However, because of historical and modern migration, ethnically homogeneous communities are rare or non-existent - Iceland and Japan being the most commonly quoted exceptions (and even this ignores minority aboriginal groups, such as the Ainu and Ryūkyūans, in the case of Japan.) However, nations may also be defined by culture instead of ethnicity.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/aia1901230/s22.html, http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/disp.pl/au/cases/cth/federal%5fct/1997/912.html, http://foia.state.gov/masterdocs/09fam/0941104X1.pdf http://www.economist.com/theworldin/international/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3372495&d=2005 http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/84411.pdf
  2. ^ About.com:"Geography: Country, State, and Nation".
  3. ^ a b countryreports.org, cia.gov, guinnessworldrecords.com, guinnessworldrecords.com
  4. ^ This is primarily due to the People's Republic Of China's "One-China" policy, which requires states to give no official recognition to the ROC (Taiwan) as a condition of maintaining diplomatic relations with the PRC. Despite this, the island nation of the ROC (Taiwan) is recognized as a sovereign independent state by 24 states, including the Holy See of Vatican City.
  • Anderson, Benedict; 'Imagined Communities: Reflections On the origin and Spread of Nationalism'; London, Verso; 1991
  • Viotti, Paul R. and Kauppi, Mark V.; 'International Relations and World Politics - Security, Economy, Identity'; Second Edition; New Jersey, Prentice Hall; 2001
  • Mires, Stuart and Addison-Scott, Alexandra

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
Misspellings: country

Common misspelling(s) of country

  • ocuntry

 
Translations: Translations for: Country

Dansk (Danish)
n. - land, rige, stat, fædreland, område, lands befolkning
adj. - land-, provins-

idioms:

  • country and western music    country og westernmusik
  • country club    selskabelig klub
  • country cousin    slægtning fra bøhlandet
  • country gentleman    godsejer
  • country house    gods, landhus
  • country seat    landsted, herresæde
  • go to the country    udskrive valg

Nederlands (Dutch)
land, platteland, vaderland, -gebied, de kiezers, countrymuziek, landelijk/rustiek, boeren-, land-

Français (French)
n. - pays, campagne, région, (Mus) country
adj. - rural

idioms:

  • country and western music    musique country et western
  • country club    country club, club de loisirs
  • country cousin    personne qui débarque de la campagne (péj ou hum)
  • country gentleman    gentilhomme campagnard
  • country house    manoir
  • country seat    domaine
  • go to the country    appeler le pays aux urnes

Deutsch (German)
n. - Land, Volk, Landschaft
adj. - Land-

idioms:

  • country and western music    Country-music (amerikanische Cowboy Musik)
  • country club    gesellschaftlicher Klub auf dem Lande
  • country cousin    Unschuld vom Lande
  • country gentleman    Landbesitzer
  • country house    Landhaus
  • country seat    Landsitz
  • go to the country    die Entscheidung der Wähler einholen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - χώρα, κράτος, πατρίδα, ύπαιθρος (χώρα), εξοχή, "βασίλειο", επικράτεια, (μτφ.) (ο) λαός, το εκλογικό σώμα
adj. - αγροτικός, εξοχικός, επαρχιώτικος

idioms:

  • back country    απομακρυσμένο και αραιοκατοικημένο μέρος
  • country and western music    μουσική κάντρι
  • country club    εξοχική λέσχη (με αθλητικές εγκαταστάσεις, εντευκτήριο κ.λπ.)
  • country cousin    (καθομ.) επαρχιώτης
  • country gentleman    γαιοκτήμονας
  • country house    εξοχικό (σπίτι)
  • country seat    έπαυλη, βίλα, αρχοντικό γαιοκτήμονα
  • go to the country    κηρύσσω (γενικές) εκλογές
  • the old country    γενέτειρα, πατρίδα, πατρίδα μετανάστη

Italiano (Italian)
paese, campagna, patria, rurale

idioms:

  • across country    da una parte all'altra del paese
  • country and western music    musica country e western
  • country club    circolo d'élite
  • country cousin    provinciale, rozzo e ignorante
  • country gentleman    proprietario terriero
  • country house/seat    residenza rurale
  • go to the country    andare in campagna

Português (Portuguese)
n. - país (m), pátria (f), terra (f), terreno (m), território (m), roça (f)
adj. - do campo, grosseiro, nativo (coloq.)

idioms:

  • across country    através de uma região, através dos campos
  • country and western music    música (f) sertaneja
  • country club    clube (m) de campo
  • country cousin    caipira
  • country gentleman    senhor (m) rural
  • country house/seat    casa (f) de campo
  • go to the country    atrair o público para uma eleição geral pelo direito de formar um governo
  • mother country    mãe-pátria (f), metrópole (f)

Русский (Russian)
страна, родина, деревня

idioms:

  • across country    поперек деревни, вне дороги
  • country and western music    музыка кантри
  • country club    загородный клуб
  • country cousin    деревенщина
  • country gentleman    помещик
  • country house/seat    поместье
  • go to the country    объявить о роспуске парламента
  • mother country    родина

Español (Spanish)
n. - país, campo, campaña, campiña, patria
adj. - rural, campestre

idioms:

  • country and western music    música country
  • country club    club campestre
  • country cousin    provinciano, pueblerino
  • country gentleman    caballero de provincia, dueño de una finca o hacienda
  • country house    quinta, finca, casa solariega
  • country seat    quinta, finca, casa solariega
  • go to the country    convocar elecciones, consultar al electorado

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - land, rike, fosterland, landsbygd, landsort, område, terräng
adj. - lantlig, land(-s)-, lant-

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
国家, 祖国, 国土, 故乡, 乡村, 乡下的, 祖国的, 乡村的

idioms:

  • country and western music    乡村与西部音乐
  • country club    乡间俱乐部
  • country cousin    不习惯城市生活之乡巴佬
  • country gentleman    乡绅
  • country house    别墅
  • country seat    乡间邸宅, 庄园
  • go to the country    举行大选

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 國家, 祖國, 國土, 故鄉, 鄉村
adj. - 鄉下的, 祖國的, 鄉村的

idioms:

  • country and western music    鄉村與西部音樂
  • country club    鄉村俱樂部
  • country cousin    不習慣城市生活之鄉巴佬
  • country gentleman    鄉紳
  • country house    別墅
  • country seat    鄉間邸宅, 莊園
  • go to the country    舉行大選

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 국가, 조국, 시골
adj. - 시골의, 시골풍의, 조야한

idioms:

  • go to the country    (의회를 해산하여) 민의를 묻다, 총선거를 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 国, 国家, 祖国, 故郷, 田舎, 田舎風の, 国民, 地帯

idioms:

  • country and western music    カントリーミュージック
  • country club    カントリークラブ
  • country cousin    お上りさん
  • country gentleman    地方の大地主
  • country house/seat    田舎の広壮な本邸, 別荘
  • developed country    先進国
  • developing country    発展途上国
  • go to the country    国民の信を問う

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) دوله, بلد, قطر, أرض, ريف (صفه) ريفي, قطري‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מדינה, עם, ארץ, אדמה, שטח, טריטוריה שיש לה עם שפה ותרבות משלה, טריטוריה של עם עצמאי, איזורים כפריים, ארץ הלידה של אדם או הארץ בה הוא אזרח, טריטוריה לא קטנה המאופיינת ע"י טופוגרפיה מסוימת, שטח בעל זהות שאינה קשורה לגבולות מדיניים או גיאוגרפיים, מולדת, מחוז, אוכלוסיה של ארץ או מח‬
adj. - ‮של כפר, כפרי, מארץ מסוימת, של ארץ, אופייני לארץ‬

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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