# is USA and UK are the same? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 19, 2005, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562 "2005-05-19T11:52:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Najee\_online](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@Najee\_online](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Najee_online)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/1 "2005-05-19T11:52:28Z")
hi dear friends is USA and UK are the same?.. i feel so! in starting british people was there in America they rule them for years, dont know how much. so i want to know are they ruling now too or are they both the same? ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/2 "2005-05-19T11:58:25Z")
USA is the United States of America. UK is the United Kingdom. It is composed of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The USA used to be ruled by England until we defeated them in the American Revolution and we formed our own nation. USA and UK are not the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/3 "2005-05-19T12:07:32Z")
Typical American downplaying of French involvement. 😃 Seriously, where has the OP been for the last 240 years? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/4 "2005-05-19T12:10:05Z")
You might as well say that Portugal and Brazil are the same thing. I’ve lived in both countries for many years, and have no trouble at all teling them apart. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/5 "2005-05-19T13:13:33Z")
Plus, you can get good Mexican in the US. Can’t say the same for the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/6 "2005-05-19T13:16:48Z")
The US broke away from the UK with the [American Revolution](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution) of 1775. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/7 "2005-05-19T13:20:22Z")
Properly speaking, many would say the Rebolution did not properly begin until the Declaration of Independance in 1776. While this act did not begin hositlities, it did formalize the goals of the colonists and unite them together. Neither previously held true. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/8 "2005-05-19T13:21:01Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > Plus, you can get good Mexican in the US. Can’t say the same for the UK. Yeah, but you can’t find decent offal in America 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/9 "2005-05-19T13:22:22Z")
Welcome, **Najee\_online**. The United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are definitely different countries. With a bit of water dividing them. 🙂 I’m guessing that you live somewhere quite far away from both of them? Oh, and Canada is a different country too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/10 "2005-05-19T13:23:19Z")
GQ answer: No. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/11 "2005-05-19T13:26:29Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > Plus, you can get good Mexican in the US. Can’t say the same for the UK. Maybe not. But you can get good curry here. > [@](#): > > are they ruling now too? No. Not ruling India, Australia or any of the West Indies any more either. > [@](#): > > are they both the same? Good heavens no. They talk funny over there. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/12 "2005-05-19T13:34:31Z")
> [@Small Clanger](#): > > But you can get good curry here. One thing that the UK and the US do have is that it’s easy to get a good curry in both countries. The South Asian diaspora is well represented both sides of the pond. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/13 "2005-05-19T15:35:00Z")
UK say tomato - US say tomato, UK say potato - US say potato, let’s call the whole thing off. The US is separated from the UK by a ‘pond’. Otherwise known as the Atlantic Ocean. The US and the UK are sometimes referred to as having a ‘special relationship’. They share the same intelligence reports on weapons, and our politicians sometimes visit their Congress. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/14 "2005-05-19T15:48:44Z")
In the UK, a fag is a cigarette. In the US, a fag is a bundle of sticks. Imagine the potential confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/15 "2005-05-19T16:13:24Z")
> [@+MDI](#): > > Yeah, but you can’t find decent offal in America 😃 Dude, that isn’t a bad thing 😉 OK you can’t get Marmite in America,… wait no… you can’t get spotted dick, … no … you can’t get Fish and Chips, yeah that’ll do, you can’t get decent Fish and Chips in America (or London ) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/16 "2005-05-19T17:11:38Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > The US broke away from the UK with the [American Revolution](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution) of 1775. Apologize for the hijack, but was it really a _revolution_? Did the colonists sail to England and kick King George off his throne? I think it’s more correct to call it a War of _Independence_… ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/17 "2005-05-19T17:16:21Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Apologize for the hijack, but was it really a _revolution_? Did the colonists sail to England and kick King George off his throne? It was a revolution because the colonists _revolted_ against their ruler. You seem to be describing a coup. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/18 "2005-05-19T17:30:37Z")
Welcome. 🙂 The US & the UK are two separate countries. However, we share a language, a very similar legal system, & many cultural traits. We are close allies, militarily & politically. Most citizens of the UK recieve a friendly welcome here, & most Americans get nive treatment when we go there. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/19 "2005-05-19T17:40:42Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > It was a revolution because the colonists _revolted_ against their ruler. You seem to be describing a coup. According to a history professor I had last year (who has tought both in the US and England) it was called the American Revolution because it’s intent was to bring things full-circle (as in the revolution of a wheel or a clock) so they would be the way they were before it started (ie: Us running our own things on this side of the pond) Revolutions didn’t come to involve dethroning kings until the French started the practice a few years later, and I seem to recall the US government and the French Revolutionary government tended not to get along very well. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562/20 "2005-05-19T17:43:14Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > most Americans get nive treatment when we go there. Was that meant to be nice or knives [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-usa-and-uk-are-the-same/304562.md?page=2)