The name of a country on this planet is what we consider a proper noun. Usually, a proper noun — a person’s name, for example — is not preceded by an article (a, an, or the) . However, you can’t mention these countries without the article “the“:
- the United States of America, or the United States, or the States, or the USA, or the US
- the United Kingdom, or the UK
- the Philippines
- the Netherlands
- the Gambia
- the Maldives
- the Bahamas
- the Congo
Some regions also require “the” before their names:
- the Caribbean
- the Marianas
- the Carolines
Typically, when a country or region is named after an important river (sea) or consists of multiple islands (territories), it’s likely to start with “the.”
