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AIBU?

to ask you how many states you think there are in the USA?

141 replies

MuttonWasAGoose · 05/12/2015 12:40

I was just in a grocery store and this (loud) employee was talking to another employee about how stupid he thought the USA was. Whatever. Not my business. But then he said "Well, there are 52 different states and then the Federal government..." Since I was standing one foot away from him I said, "Actually, there are 50 states."

(Yes, I know that I was butting into a conversation and for that I WBVU.)

He looked at me with disdain (probably because I butted in, so understandable). Then he said very snarkily, "No, there are FIFTY TWO states!" He said it in a tone that implied that I was very stupid. Perhaps he assumed that someone with an American accent should know better.

I said, "Well, Alaskans talk about 'the lower 48' and then you add Hawaii that's fifty." and he just snapped, "You are mistaken!"

I figured arguing with strangers in a supermarket would only compound my idiocy for having butted in. What was I going to do, whip out my phone and Google it or something?

But I got home and Googled "how many states are there" because I wondered how commonly people thought this... and it turns out there are a LOT. Hundreds of people insisting they were taught that there were 52, and dozens more saying they thought it was 51. Mostly from people outside the US, but some from within. This may be down to confusion over Puerto Rico and Washington DC.

I have lived here ten years and I honestly have no idea how many MPs there are. I also don't know how many states are in Mexico or provinces in Canada. I wouldn't expect foreigners to know, but I'm curious - if you have ever been told how many states there are, what number was it?

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UterusUterusGhali · 08/12/2015 00:05

I thought 52.

I don't know how many counties in the uk.

HopeClearwater · 07/12/2015 23:56

52 weeks in the year. 52 cards in the pack. Maybe people get mixed up with these ?

Tink06 · 07/12/2015 23:33

I thought 52.

riverboat1 · 07/12/2015 20:51

I used to be able to name all 50 states - for some reason I just decided to memorise them one day. I can still recite most of them, alphabetically, but I always miss out one or two M states...there are so many of them.

I find it quite therapeutic to recite the list in my head while swimming lengths...

hedgehogsdontbite · 07/12/2015 19:25

I'm all discombobulated by this thread. I know there are 50 states, what with Britain sometimes being referred to as the 51st state. But my first answer was 52 and my brain won't accept 50 as the right answer even though I know it to be true.

originalmavis · 07/12/2015 19:17

Really? I haven't heard it since vinyl!

DoreenLethal · 07/12/2015 18:11

I'd never heard of the song by The The.

Steve Lamac just played it. He must be a mumsnetter, surely?

SenecaFalls · 07/12/2015 16:17

Commonwealth has no legal significance, however. Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts are still states.

WhatchaMaCalllit · 07/12/2015 15:29

There is actually 46 states and 4 Commonwealths (learned that from QI so I did) :)

NinjaLeprechaun · 07/12/2015 15:16

I've never heard that (or any) mnemonic for the provinces/territories, I just have them memorized.

When my parents decided to emigrate from England to the US they nearly went to Canada instead, and I'm so annoyed that they didn't.

SenecaFalls · 07/12/2015 15:00

Oh good, Cheerful. PEI is lovely, too. [maple leaf emoticon]

CheerfulYank · 07/12/2015 14:36

Yes I know there are territories but I haven't learned the mnemonic for them yet :o

Seneca I'm going with PEI if they'll have me.

SenecaFalls · 07/12/2015 14:30

I am presently studying up on Canadian provinces to decide where to move to in case Donald Trump is elected president. I'm leaning toward Nova Scotia.

NinjaLeprechaun · 07/12/2015 13:48

"And ten Canadian provinces."
Plus three territories - Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. They're properly part of Canada, unlike US territories.
(Also, they changed the province name from Newfoundland to Newfoundland and Labrador a few years ago. )

WeShouldOpenABar · 07/12/2015 13:01

I always thought the misconception comes from a basic maths issue,

you know in your head its 50 then you also know that hawaii and alaska joined late so you add them on and get to 52 even though they are already counted in the 50, Hawaii 5-0 innit

CheerfulYank · 07/12/2015 12:19

There are definitely 50 here :)

And ten Canadian provinces. Billy And Sally Made Our Queen Nervous Playing Near Needles= British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia.

Rhythmisadancer · 07/12/2015 12:07

yes 50, because the New Model Army song says this is the 51st state of America. And about 647 MPs I think. It goes up and down a bit when there's a bye-election pending.

redstrawberry10 · 07/12/2015 10:58

That's my point Timri. The four countries in the UK are more akin to states than the counties are.

that's a hard comparison to make. Both Canada and US have constitutions, where the powers of the state/province and federal governments are clearly spelled out. That's just not true here with counties.

BikeRunSki · 07/12/2015 09:44

50! I went to school in Houston for about 3 months when I was 9 and had to lean them all, their capitals and state flower.

SoupDragon · 07/12/2015 09:31

I thought there were 52 but only because I thought that was the number i'd been told, no confusion about Puerto Rico or Washington DC.

ClancyMoped · 07/12/2015 09:17

What an interesting thread. I'm afraid I thought it was 52 and I used to live in the US.
I could, probably, name them all but I'd need a lot of time to think.

One of our road trip games was naming state capitals, state flowers or state birds.

I haven't a clue how many uk counties there are.

Joskar · 07/12/2015 08:50

That's my point Timri. The four countries in the UK are more akin to states than the counties are.

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carrie74 · 07/12/2015 08:40

I knew 50 as I lived in the US until I was 10, and like others, had to learn each state and its capital at school (except I only got up to the Ms before leaving for the UK, and have forgotten most of the capitals for that first half).

No idea how many counties there are in the UK, nor would I be able to name them all (despite having now lived here for 30 years!).

Timri · 07/12/2015 03:40

Joskar
Lots of people argue about whether the UK has four countries or not. Some people say that the 4 countries are essentially 'states' of the one country of the U.K. (Or is it the 1 country of GB? With NI being a province?) because we only have a British passport, not English, Scottish or Welsh.
Something to do with the differences of countries and sovereign states?

Joskar · 07/12/2015 03:35

A county and a state are not the same thing though. A foreigner (and probably 99% of natives!) maybe wouldn't know how many counties there are in the UK but they would (hopefully) know that there are four countries.

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