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It is awkward to say "I live in the China", but not "I live in the Philippines" or "I live in The USA". The determiner 'the' of the sentences all precede a proper noun and yet is awkward when used with China. What is the rule about this?

elmer
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    There are place that just take The in their name: The Maldives, Le Havre, Da bronx. – Yosef Baskin Jan 04 '22 at 16:34
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    Or the People's Republic of China. – KillingTime Jan 04 '22 at 16:35
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    Note @Colin Fine's ' ... Some [names of regions] which were traditionally used this way are no longer: "The Argentine" is now usually replaced by "Argentina"; I believe that the government of Ukraine have specifically requested that their country not be referred to in English as "The Ukraine".' 'The rule' is no easier than 'you have to learn the exceptions that take the definite article, and notice when somebody decides to change the list'. // Comically, one famous London football club is known both as 'the Arsenal' and 'Arsenal'. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 04 '22 at 17:51
  • There seems to be a general tendency that places in the plural use "the" (the United States, the Maldives, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands) while most in the singular don't. But some singular places have traditionally done this - the Lebanon, the Gambia. And plural places with "and" like "Antigua and Barbuda" or "St Kitts and Nevis" don't, and I'm sure there will be other exceptions. – Stuart F Jan 05 '22 at 10:09

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