Constituent country

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Constituent country is a phrase used, often by official institutions, in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping. The term constituent country does not have any defined legal meaning. It can only be given its meaning in plain English: a country which is a part (i.e. a constituent) of something else, for example a federation.[1]

Contents

[edit] Use by International bodies

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an example of a body that has used the phrase constituent countries, notably in reference to:

European institutions such as the Council of Europe sometimes use the expression in reference to the sovereign member states of the European Union.[3]

[edit] United Kingdom

Main articles: Countries of the United Kingdom and Subdivisions of the United Kingdom
A map of the constituent countries of the UK White = England Yellow = Northern Ireland Blue = Scotland Red = Wales
A map of the constituent countries of the UK
White = England
Yellow = Northern Ireland
Blue = Scotland
Red = Wales

The constituent countries of the United Kingdom are:[4]


The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are not part of the United Kingdom and are not represented in the United Kingdom Parliament. They are rather direct dependencies of the British Crown, not constituent countries.

[edit] Background

The word country does not necessarily connote political independence, so it may, according to context, be used to refer either to the UK or one of its constituents. Thus, for example, the British Prime Minister's website refers to "countries within a country", stating "The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."[5] This article discusses the use of the phrase 'constituent countries' within that context, but it should be remembered that the phrase necessarily takes its meaning from its surrounding context which may be different.[6]

Although the term 'constituent countries' is sometimes used by official government bodies in the UK, such as the Office for National Statistics, it is rarely used otherwise. Far more frequently, they are simply referred to as countries; thus the 2001 British Census asked residents of the UK their "country of birth" with tick box options of: Wales; Scotland; Northern Ireland; England; Republic of Ireland and Elsewhere;[7] and the Office for National Statistics states authoritatively in its glossary that "In the context of the UK, each of the four main subdivisions (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) is referred to as a country".[8]

The British Embassy in the United States uses the word 'countries' on its website, rather than constituent countries: "The United Kingdom is made up of the countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland."[9]

Historically, Ireland (between 1801 and 1921) and subsequently for a brief period, Southern Ireland (between 1921 and 1922) were what could be regarded today as constituent countries. However, use of the phrase constituent country is a relatively recent evolution and was not applied to those territories. Use of the term constituent country is sometimes regarded as inappropriate when applied to Northern Ireland because some do not regard it as a country. Instead, some regard it as a province of the UK while others regard it as part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland.

[edit] Alternative terms

The phrase 'component countries' is also occasionally used.[10] The overlapping, but not identical, term Home Nations is also occasionally used by government bodies, but is almost exclusively used in sporting contexts, particularly rugby union; this term more frequently means England, Scotland, Ireland (as a whole), and Wales.

Sometimes the four countries are described as 'constituent parts'.[11][12]

[edit] Citizenship

All citizens, from whichever constituent country, are entitled to citizenship of the United Kingdom.

[edit] Kingdom of the Netherlands

The constituent countries (landen) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands are:

[edit] Distinctive status

Each of the three constituent parts has its own constitution: the Constitution of the Netherlands (Grondwet van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden), the Constitution of the Netherlands Antilles (Staatsregeling van de Nederlandse Antillen), and the Constitution of Aruba (Staatsregeling van Aruba). Each of the three constituent parts also has its own administration and parliament. Together, they form a federacy under a monarch as a single head of state.

[edit] Citizenship

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a member of the European Union. However the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are not considered part of the EU, but rather have the status of OCTs (overseas countries and territories; in Dutch LGO's, landen en gebiedsdelen overzee). Since citizenship is handled by the kingdom, and not distinguished for the three constituent countries, citizens from all three constituent countries are also EU citizens, although residents of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are not eligible to vote in the elections for the European Parliament.

[edit] Currency

The three countries do not have the same currency. The Netherlands uses the Euro, Aruba the Aruban florin and the Netherlands Antilles the Netherlands Antillean guilder.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Grammatically, constituent is the adjective in phrase while country is the noun the adjective describes
  2. ^ Definition
  3. ^ example
  4. ^ countries within a country[1].
  5. ^ Number 10
  6. ^ Term used by British and Irish Governments and British media.
  7. ^ 2001 British Census.
  8. ^ Office for National Statistics.
  9. ^ British Embassy in the United States of America.
  10. ^ House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 28 Feb 2000 (pt 35)
  11. ^ "Constituent parts" used by US government.
  12. ^ "Constituent parts" used by British government.

[edit] See also

For the United Kingdom's constituent countries:

For the Netherlands' constituent countries:

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