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Ask the Times
By Times Wires
Published October 14, 2007
Why are some place-names preceded by "the," such as the Philippines, The Hague, the Ukraine? - Daniel Richardson, St. Petersburg Use of the definite article "the" is standard in German and has carried over into English use in some cases. But the Ukraine is now widely referred to as just Ukraine. We say The Hague because that is its Dutch name; it means "the counts' hedge." Most nations made up of many islands have "the" in front of their names. There are 7,000-plus islands in the Philippines. Compiled from staff and wire reports. To submit a question, e-mail answers@tampabay.com.
[Last modified October 14, 2007, 01:05:18]
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