# "The" Ukraine

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ukraine/682524>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 28, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ukraine/682524 "2014-02-28T17:08:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ukraine/682524/41 "2014-03-02T06:37:48Z")

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‘The’ is added to assuage the English speakers confusion at the country not being called Ukrainia.

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ukraine/682524/42 "2014-03-02T09:03:15Z")

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A couple more regions with definite articles:

[The Levant](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Levant)  
[The Palouse](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palouse)

Hmmm … Wikipedia doesn’t have definite articles on the titles for those pages, although they use them in the articles. Someone should fix that.

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**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ukraine/682524/43 "2014-03-02T09:35:25Z")

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> [@thelurkinghorror](#):
>
> Also (the Independent State of) Samoa, which covers most (but not all) of the Samoan Islands. There is also American Samoa, where the people are nationals of (but not citizens of) the USA.

> [@Sunspace](#):
>
> How does that work? What is on their passports?

> [@thelurkinghorror](#):
>
> I _think_ they’re US passports. From what I understand, they can’t vote and such, but if they go to the US they travel “without restrictions” (e.g. the normal manhandling we all get, no passport needed) and have a status sort of like a green card, making citizenship easier to get.

I believe it’s the same with citizens of Guam and Saipan. Both are unincorporated US territories.

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ukraine/682524/44 "2014-03-02T13:01:20Z")

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> [@seal\_cleaner](#):
>
> _The_ Ohio State University

No one uses the “the” except for OSU’s PR department.

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