# Americans Have Statue of Liberty; The English Have White Cliffs of Dover; What Else? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 21, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334 "2009-01-21T18:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![evilhomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/43a26b/32.png) [@evilhomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhomer)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/21 "2009-01-22T14:27:30Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > One of the problems of having an enormous country: Ontario landmarks mean very little to the Western provinces and (I imagine) the Atlantic provinces; and while the Parliament Buildings are visible from the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, I doubt that the CN Tower would mean much to a Quebecer. > > I’d suggest a Mountie. They patrol from coast to coast, and even in the provinces that don’t use them as provincial police force, the Mounties still have a presence in certain federal buildings and installations. No matter where I enter Canada, when I see a Mountie, I know I’m home (even though I may still have 3000 miles to travel). A Mountie is a good one. Like you said, with bigger countries having one landmark is pretty much impossible. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/22 "2009-01-22T14:42:43Z")
> [@Queen of Town](#): > > No, silly. Canada only has igloos. and polar bears. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/23 "2009-01-22T14:53:38Z")
Iceland has [lava fields](http://www.kjolur.com/ktmllite/images/uploads/hraun.jpg). Yeah, that (and a lack of trees) is what most people comment on when they arrive. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/24 "2009-01-22T16:08:44Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > How about The Queen? No respect for Elton John around here? I think it’s a little offensive to refer to him that way. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/25 "2009-01-22T16:14:23Z")
The netherlands has windmills (mostly out in the country), and lots of bikes (mostly in the cities). Judging from google images, the windmills are the most typical. ---
**Author:** ![MeDrewNotYou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@MeDrewNotYou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeDrewNotYou)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/26 "2009-01-22T16:17:38Z")
Hmm. How about the Acropolis for Greece? More of an identifying mark than a ‘I’m finally home,’ but of all the stuff there, its arguably the most famous and one of the coolest. When I think of Germany, I think Brandenburg Gate. But were I a German, I think I’d know I was home once I saw the Autobahn. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/27 "2009-01-22T16:23:36Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > One of the problems of having an enormous country: Ontario landmarks mean very little to the Western provinces and (I imagine) the Atlantic provinces; and while the Parliament Buildings are visible from the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, I doubt that the CN Tower would mean much to a Quebecer. > > I’d suggest a Mountie. They patrol from coast to coast, and even in the provinces that don’t use them as provincial police force, the Mounties still have a presence in certain federal buildings and installations. No matter where I enter Canada, when I see a Mountie, I know I’m home (even though I may still have 3000 miles to travel). Once I see the patchwork quilt of farmland from the plane, I know I’m almost home! ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/28 "2009-01-22T17:02:33Z")
Venice has a dude rowing a gondola in a canal. Scotland has steep rolling green hills near a gloomy loch with lots of sheep running around and bagpipe music playing in the background. Kuala Lupur has the Patronas Towers ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/29 "2009-01-22T17:44:49Z")
Norway has the Fjords. Taj Mahal for India. Christ the Redeemer for Brazil. Machu Pichu for Peru. A mountain of cocaine for Colombia. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/30 "2009-01-22T18:08:20Z")
Knowing you’re in England depends on your age: 60+ = sipping a cup of tea watching cricket 40+ = discussing Premiership League football and mortgages 20+ = playing Texas Hold’em whilst texting your mates Teenagers will either be studying for endless exams sipping energy drinks or getting drunk in front of CCTV cameras… ---
**Author:** ![Euryphaessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Euryphaessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euryphaessa)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/31 "2009-01-22T22:45:14Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > One of the problems of having an enormous country: Ontario landmarks mean very little to the Western provinces and (I imagine) the Atlantic provinces; and while the Parliament Buildings are visible from the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, I doubt that the CN Tower would mean much to a Quebecer. > > I’d suggest a Mountie. They patrol from coast to coast, and even in the provinces that don’t use them as provincial police force, the Mounties still have a presence in certain federal buildings and installations. No matter where I enter Canada, when I see a Mountie, I know I’m home (even though I may still have 3000 miles to travel). I agree about the enormous country part, the Hopewell Rocks or the Hartland Covered Bridge say “home” to me but don’t really have relevance outside of New Brunswick. But I still think there’s something to be said for Ottawa (capital city) and Toronto (largest city) landmarks (as evidenced by the fact that I thought of them, even though I hail from NB :p). However, I do find myself agreeing with you, Mounties are pretty undeniably Canadian, eh? ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/32 "2009-01-23T01:53:56Z")
**Giles** has already said but much to the annoyance of everyone not living in Sydney, shorthand for Australia pretty much means the shot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/33 "2009-01-23T03:22:22Z")
I’m confused by the question. If it’s a sight that tells people from that country that they’re home, how can it possibly be one single landmark? Even for a small- or medium-sized country one landmark can’t do the job, much less for huge countries like Canada, the US, or Australia. Or is the question just supposed to be what landmark best visually represents a country in peoples’ minds? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/34 "2009-01-23T05:28:11Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I think it’s a little offensive to refer to him that way. > > 😉 Okay then, Reginald Dwight. But seriously, he has publicly referred to himself as a Queen or a Bitch. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/35 "2009-01-23T06:56:30Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > For Canada, the best I can do is the Centre Block of Parliament. What about Montreal? I know seeing the Five Roses Farine and the skyline always make me think of Canada 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/36 "2009-01-23T13:48:06Z")
The palace in Lhasa for Tibet. The big stone at Mecca for Saudi Arabia. The Brandenburg gate for Germany. Windmills for Holland. The Acropolis for Greece. The Blue Mosque for Turkey. Jerusalem for Israel. Angkor Watt for Cambodia. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/37 "2009-01-23T13:55:49Z")
[Mannekin Pis](http://edp.org/Germany/Bruxelles/MannekinPis.jpg) for Belgium [Table Mountain](http://www.realou.co.za/absoluteig/gallery/cape_town/cape-town-table-mountain-2-large.jpg) for South Africa [The Little Mermaid](http://apostrof.eu/images/den%20lille%20havfrue.jpg) for Denmark [Plaza de Maestranza](http://www.antonioburgos.com/sevilla/sevillanos/1999/04/images/11maestranza.jpg) for Spain ---
**Author:** ![Elvis\_Chimney](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/50afbb/32.png) [@Elvis\_Chimney](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elvis_Chimney)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/38 "2009-01-23T15:01:11Z")
Coming in to land in Edinburgh the first landmark I tend to spot is The Forth Bridge. When I got back to Scotland after living abroad for a while, on my first day back I was waiting for a bus home in Edinburgh’s Princes Street and was passed by a man in a Celtic shirt shouting at the top of his voice “I WILL FIGHT ANYONE”. When I got on the bus, the man sitting next to me was drinking a can of super-strength lager. “Home sweet home”, I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/39 "2009-01-23T16:07:25Z")
What **Rodgers01** said, are we talking about “images people from a country associate with it” or “images people from outside of a country associate with it”? I know “Mounties” for Canada works for me, but I can’t distinguish La Maestranza from the arena in my own hometown (well, I can recognize the one in my hometown from the buildings surrounding it, but I wouldn’t have known that particular ring was the one in Madrid if the link hadn’t named it); since we’re not the only country with bullrings and I’m not much of a bullfighter’s fan, I don’t associate bullrings with Spain - foreigners do. An image of folks in red’n’whites mixed with bulls, or of la Sagrada Familia, or Cibeles… those, yes, those work for me. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334/40 "2009-01-23T16:27:50Z")
I’m mostly talking about visual shorthand that, say, a cinematograhper in a movie would use to quickly establish that “this is the country where this action takes place.” For example, if Bond was in Singapore, an establishing shot might show the Merlion. If he was in Italy, an establishing shot might show St. Mark’s Cathedral. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-have-statue-of-liberty-the-english-have-white-cliffs-of-dover-what-else/482334.md?page=3)