"Spiv" wrote in message
...



France is NOT repeat NOT a geographical territory. Its
a political construct who's geographical boundaries have changed at
least 3 times since 1870. French Guiana is also a department of France
like any other but geographically it happens to lie in
Central America. Its citizens hold French passports, they
use the Euro, Jacques Chirac is their president etc.

Nation states are not synonymous with the real estate they
sit on. Denmark like the United Kingdom , Germany and
Poland is a POLITICAL entity NOT a geographical one.

We can look at it the other way. The Isle of Man is not in the EU and has
some strange binding, non-binding link wit the UK. It is right in the
middle of the UK with the UK either side of it. It means nothing as it IS
a
part of the UK by proximity.


It is NOT part of the UK
It is part of the British Isles

One is a poltical entity the other goegraphical

La Reunion, Greenland, Gib, Falklands, Puerto Rico, Greenland etc are NOT
a
part of their mother countries (the country that has sovereignty over
them).

SOME are , having the same sovereignty is what defines a nation state.

La Reunion , Guiana and a part of the European continent make up the
country called France.

England is a geographical entity that is part of
the political entity called England and Wales

England and Wales are in turn part of that political enity
called the United Kingdom. The UK IS a nation state,
Scotland, NI, Wales and England are not at present but have been
in the past.

Countries change even when geography is static.
The territiry known as AlsaceLorraine has at various times
in the past century been both part of France and part of
Germany.

They are separate entities, irrespective of what they are politically
called.

Please TRY and understand that political entities and geographical entities
are not the same thing. One describes the topology of the planet and
the other the political system under which it is ruled.


Keith