Poly

To spin off another thread, what makes a geographical area a country?

What is the criteria?

Why do some Scots consider Scotland to be a country?

Iolo

A nation is what the majority in an area believe to be that thing, obviously. What else - the length of their penises or something?

Pedro

The wiki definition should be good enough!!

rysky

Ok there are lot of criteria that makes the country:

it is one, (ore more) unite ethnic community,
etnic are one common history,
there is one official language,
there are society, subordinate to country works,
administrative centre,
state apparatus,
autonomy
...this is the general points of the country definition.

Now about the Scotland,
I guess you doesnt feeled how is it to be ocupied, oure counntry- Latvia was in that situation in CCCP, I hope you know what is it.
So if you are ocupied then you dont like that youre society destiny desides some other peoples, we want to fight to oure freedom. FREEDOM FIGHTERS. And this case is also in Scotland, that ethnic is different than english. Eaven the language are different. It s no mather how large soever the freedom are that they feel from England, Scothland need to bee free in own Country.
I may call this autonomy law.
Freedom Fighter s rulls.

Poly

So if a majority of the people of the town of Paisley, Scotland believe their town to be a country, then it is?

Whatever else do you think popular belief makes factual? The composition of the moon from dairy products?

Post #3 has an interesting reference

In place of popular belief or the length of a given organ, I was thinking that the only real criteria is recognition by the UN.

civfanatic

The terms "country" and "nation" are often used interchangeably in colloquial use, but their actual definitions are quite different.

A "country" is simply any geographic territory. A country may or may not be dominated by a single nation.

A "nation" is a group of people with a shared heritage who identify with each other. A "nation" may or may not have a single country.

Poly

The USSR was a single country and didn't have a united ethnic community

The peoples of the USA have many, many ethnic histories

Switzerland has 3 official languages that I know of, Canada has 2

I'm not sure I know what you mean here

The USA has many centers of administration

The state of Georgia, USA has a state apparatus

If you mean not being subject to a higher legislature then I think you're right - critics of the EU might say the UK is subject to the European parliament on many matters though

Scotland speaks the same language (English) as England does...it does have minority languages such as Urdu (the 2nd most common language) and there is also a Celtic language
Then again there is a Celtic language spoken in England

Iolo

Yes, obviously. What else could you go by?

Poly

The last sentence of post #5

A group of people can think what they want, it doesn't change anything until other people recognize it

In the case of countries, that would be the UN

RusEvo

A country is a governmental system of a specific land area, which does not belong to a higher level governmental system. A country gains legitimate status from other countries.

There are exceptions of course.