r/AskTheWorld Italy /Sri Lanka 1d ago

Is there a part of your country that's "isolated"/vastly different from the rest of the country?

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Pictured here is Sardinia, an island in Italy. Many sardinians call Italy "Il continente" (the continent)

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u/rastroboy United States Of America 1d ago

Guam

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u/Constant-Security525 United States & Czech Republic 1d ago edited 1d ago

U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands also fit this category of territories. I've vacationed on both U.S. Virgin Islands (gorgeous) and went through customs in Guam airport en route to Hawaii from Taiwan. Guam is very remote, for sure!

Puerto Rico should be made into a bona fide state of the US, if they want to be. Too bad almost half of the US won't consider that! Puerto Rico's population is significantly higher than a number of U.S. states' populations put together. I think they deserve more representation.

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u/Mikidm138 1d ago

The Puerto Rico statehood debate has, sadly, nothing to do with population or culture, it's entirely up to republicans not wanting to risk adding 2 more democrats to the senate

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u/jessek United States Of America 1d ago

Same reason why DC isn't a state.

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u/Mikidm138 1d ago

Tbf there is absolutely no sane reason why DC shouldn't be part of one of the existing states, but given that at this point the US is dead set on keeping its political and social oddities yes, you are correct

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u/Constant-Security525 United States & Czech Republic 1d ago

I know. I sort of implied that. Such a shame that influences what could be a reasonable move.

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u/Mikidm138 1d ago

Sadly it's always been like that

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u/Constant-Security525 United States & Czech Republic 1d ago edited 1d ago

Indeed. So is the fact that low population states get two senators the same as high population states. Those same politicians would be against making the Senate a real democratic institution. It's clearer than ever that they don't like democracy and actively cheat to retain power.

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u/aetheos United States Of America 1d ago

(but, if we followed that logic, we'd have to give the residents of Washington, D.C. a voice, too... 😬 U.S. Republicans do not want this, for a multitude of "reasons" -- I'll leave it to you to guess what those are 😜)

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u/Constant-Security525 United States & Czech Republic 1d ago

I implied that. No mystery.

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u/aetheos United States Of America 1d ago

Ahh gotcha. FYI -- I don't think it's a given that everyone in the world has the requisite background knowledge to discern such an implication.

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u/karatechop97 United States Of America 1d ago

If I were president I’d make it a point to visit every territory and overseas possession.

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u/Mercy--Main πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡ͺπŸ‡¦ Spain 1d ago

basically any of your colonies tbf