Teaching articles is hard. Patterns are hard to find. At least
one pattern is easy to teach. Why do we say “America” but “the
United States”? The rule is: Use the if the country’s name
includes a common noun. This rule works for almost every country
(one important exception is “the Philippines”). Common nouns are
nouns that can mean ordinary things beyond the name. In our
examples, the common nouns are state and kingdom. We can say
“California is a big state” or “The princess lived in a
beautiful kingdom.” Other country names to consider: |the
Central African Republic| |the Marshall Islands| |the Republic
of Korea (but South Korea)| |the Russian Federation (but
Russia)| |the Roman Empire (but Rome)| This rule can also help
you avoid offending some people. We sometimes use the without a
common noun when describing a geographic or cultural region. For
example, the South, the Outback. If you use the with a country
whose name does not include a common noun, it sounds like you
consider the country to be just a reg