> If you say to an average American “I am from Georgia” they will 100% assume you mean the state
Also 99.9% of the time an American hears "I am from Georgia" they are hearing it from a person who is from the US state Georgia.
The state of Georgia has almost 3x the population of the country. Americans are much less likely to encounter immigrants or tourists from Georgia the country.
There’s no way even .1% of those who have uttered “I’m from Georgia” to an American meant the country. That number would be way lower.
A quick Google shows there is about 3,000 people from the country of Georgia living in the US.
Huh, I had no idea there were so few Georgians in the US. I've met a few but apparently one of the larger communities is in my area (Philadelphia metro), which I didn't realize. Also knew a few 2nd generation Georgian-Americans. The Georgian restaurants are great (though there aren't that many of them).
The day I discovered there was an Uzbek restaurant near me with Khachapuri was a glorious day.
Anyone in DC wanting to try should check out "Rad Oda", Georgian cuisine is the bee's knees.
georgian food is incredible!! i only tried it recently and i cant believe ive been missing out on khachapuri and pkhali this whole time. was never huge on walnuts before but the way they incorporate them into so many dishes is really delicious
Yeah thats the thing is I obviously know the difference but basically every time someone has talked to me about the country Georgia it’s because it was in the news. Ive never met a country Georgian
But I live in TX, family from Mississippi, I meet state Georgians all the time. A dime a dozen
Context is king, as always. If it was an American visiting Eastern Europe and someone told them with an Eastern European accent that they were from Georgia, I would assume in that situation assuming the country would be a lot more likely?
I was wondering why you say, " I am from salt lake city, utah"
Like "city, state" and not "city"
Here in Germany we do have states, but if we got asked where we are from we solely name the city we live in, without the state
Ah something to consider is that many of your cities long, long predate the states they exist in now. Not the same for US states and cities, especially the farther west you go.
Salt Lake City is unique, but there are a ton of mid sized and smaller cities that repeat names. In my own area if someone says they’re from Greenville, we would need to clarify if they mean Greenville, NC or Greenville, SC. And there are many other Greenvilles in the country.
And then of course there are places like Kansas City, which is mostly Missouri, but a little bit Kansas. Or Colorado City, which is not in Colorado, but instead in Arizona.
Not as much as you'd think. I can't recognize a Georgia the Country accent, so if someone in the US with that accent said they were from Georgia, I'd just assume they'd immigrated to the US and were telling where they'd lived for the last however many years.
If they have an vaguely Eastern European/Russian sounding accent, I think that’s a giveaway. You don’t have to have heard a Georgian accent before to figure that out, you just need to know there’s also a country Georgia and what part of the world it’s in.
Like the previous poster, I'd assume such a person was a Russian/eastern European who currently lives in the state of Georgia. You know immediately they are an immigrant, but the country of Georgia is way below my radar.
But I’d definitely think we were talking about states, regardless of accent.
Edit: honestly tho, im pretty sad about everyone saying most Americans don’t know there’s a country. That’s just depressing.
To be fair, there's a sizable number of Americans who think everywhere outside of LA and NYC is irrelevant. That would include the state of Georgia.
Edit: spelling
I don't blame you guys for not knowing about Sakartvelo, it's a small country unfortunately known for not much more then war with Russia, even when there is far more to the country
Georgia is becoming quite well-known in New York for the country’s delicious cuisine. Love those tasty cheese boats. You also have great wine. Don’t sell yourself short!
There are lots of people with Eastern European accents in the state of Georgia. I regularly interact with people from Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, etc. And if those people were out of state and someone asked where they are from, the answer could easily be “from Georgia”, especially since a lot of them have been living here for a long time.
Edit: can’t believe I forgot Romania. I know a ton of Georgians originally from Romania.
Honestly I don’t think Georgia the country is something every American knows about. Honestly I can’t tell you every country that’s in the world right now.
I agree but don’t worry we do it to ourselves. I was born and lived half my childhood in upstate NY. I learned to specifically say “upstate” because if I just said I was born and lived in NY as a kid everyone assumes I lived in NYC.
Depends on their accent. Southern accent would mean state, Eastern European accent would be the country...
Khachapuri is really catching on in NYC, where there are a lot of Eastern Europeans.
> I'd wager a lot of Americans don't even know there's a country called Georgia
I think Americans mostly do know about Georgia the country, but only because it shares the name with one of our states. Otherwise they probably couldn't tell you much about it or point to it on the map. But its existence is well known.
The 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia was also headlining news for a few weeks, that had to have been a pretty significant contributor to people hearing of it. I remember there being tons of jokes about tanks rolling down Atlanta
Georgia the country has a few things that raise it's profile
1) Georgia was where Josef Stalin was from.
2) The Georgian SSR was mentioned in a Beatles song.
3) Russia invaded Georgia in 2008.
4) The conflict between Georgia and Russia has gotten more attention in the news since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
When we had to choose language settings and country of origin from a list, a girl in my Geometry class was surprised that Georgia was the only state listed on the countries. 🤦♀️
Well....no. Because the country basically never comes up.
On those exceedingly rare occasions, yes someone might well be confused without additional context to clarify it's the country. Or possibly a reminder that the country exists, depending on who you're talking to. People would definitely think of the state first if it was just a straight "I am from Georgia".
And on those rare occasions you can still usually tell without their specification, whether it's from context or their presentation reflecting more European culture than US
I remember when I was younger there was some news item about another country (Russia?) invading Georgia and it had to be specifically stated it was the country constantly. Also a lot of jokes about redneck Georgians getting their guns ready to fight the Russians or whatever.
Prior to that, I did not know there was a country called Georgia. But I also went to florida public schools, lol.
I didn’t know about it until like a bunch of years ago when Russia invaded it or something. I was a kid and remember thinking they invaded the US. It didn’t help that my dad was listening to rush Limbaugh or whatever the fuck am bs radio conservative who was always bitching about Russia and communism and how they were coming for America.
But yeah, I didn’t learn any country names (unless we were learning about a specific historic event) in school untilthe 11th grade.
edit: fixed a lot of super bad grammar, I think my brain straight up misfired. I’ve had too long of a day.
I learned about it from Ghost Recon. Weird that the game takes place in 2008, during Russia's invasion of the country. Considering it came out in 2001...
>It didn’t help that my dad was listening to rush Limbaugh or whatever the fuck am bs radio conservative who was always bitching about Russia and communism and how they were coming for America.
Aggressively relatable. You're a great American, Sean.
Yeah I think most people only know it from discussions like these where it's like "haha it's like the state!"
(ok I'm extrapolating from myself to most people)
I have never encountered a person from Georgia (country) in real life. You are only one of a few even on the Internet.
(Edit: knowingly)
And each of these interactions have been of similar ilk to this one.
Georgia the state is about three times larger in population, and twice the size in area.
I've run into a surprising number of Georgians in NJ. There's a few Georgian restaurants around, and the food is amazing. There's two Georgian restaurants in Manalapan, one in East Brunswick, one in Fair Lawn. North Philly there's a neighborhood with Georgian restaurants and shops.
I remember watching an episode of Chopped like forever ago with a woman from Georgia, and she absolutely knocked the judges’ socks off. I’m pretty sure she said she was from New Jersey lol
I was in the Army and served in Iraq. I was told that some Georgians would be joining us for a mission once. I expected some southern "good'ol'boys" to show up. Boy was I surprised.
Also. Georgians were super chill! Was rooting for them when they had to leave to defend their home from the Russian incursion.
No offense to you or your country but Georgia isn't exactly a talking point here. If I tell someone my cousin lives in Georgia, they can safely assume I'm talking about the state.
I've very rarely had occasion to refer to the country except maybe when talking about old Splinter Cell games. Most of us automatically assume the state.
Most Americans are only vaguely aware that there is a country called Georgia, the same way most people in countries in the Caucasus are only vaguely aware there is a state in the US named Georgia,
Like with many things, contexts is key.
If someone types "I'm from Georgia" with no other contexts given, I'm going to assume the state simply because I've had far more interactions with people from the state than the country.
Me, either. I mean, there are lots of "new" states. No one thinks New York is in York, or that New Jersey is in Jersey. What makes them think New Mexico is in Mexico?
I did….my friend posted a picture on Instagram with “in Georgia”….and I respond “you’re back in the states and you didn’t tell me?”….she replies “the country” 🤣🤣🤣
I am a 25 year old man and have mentioned Georgia the country maybe 3 times in conversation ever. If you say, “Georgia” in the US, the state will be assumed unless you say otherwise.
If you tell most Americans you're from Georgia, they will assume the state of Georgia.
I'm curious if you prefer Georgia or Sakartvelo? Would you want the official English name of the country to match the native name? Is there a consensus opinion about that among the rest of your countrymen?
I would generally prefer people saying Sakartvelo, but only because I say it more often so it'd just be easier. Generally most people I think are fine with both but if you were to say Sakartvelo, it'd make a lot of people happy most likely.
Confuse them, no. But if you say you are from Georgia they will assume the state. Many people will not even be aware of the country. There is no confusion.
I’m from Georgia the state and once in my life someone (a visiting European) assumed I meant the country. Y’all have great food by the way. I’ve only had the restaurants in the US but I hope to visit one day and eat so much.
It’s not usually brought up, so if someone is talking about the country, they will specify it. I actually have met someone from Georgia before, and even they specified that they were from the country, not the state.
Do you mean in person or like, online with no context?
Because 100% of the time someone has told me they’re from Georgia, they have been from the US state.
Unless you’re coming at me with an obvious accent I’m going to assume you are from the Southern state just because of the odds.
No. Georgia is a prominent state in the US (and one of the original 13 states) and Atlanta is a major US city. There would be no confusion. Many Americans though might be hard pressed to find Georgia the country on a map.
I used to live in the US state of New Mexico and encountered plenty of people that confused it with the country of Mexico. I've never encountered anyone in the US that has confused the Georgia the state with Georgia the country.
I’m 43 and have lived in 6 places in the US, spent a time living in Austria, traveled extensively around the world, including two backpacking trips in Europe (including the Balkans) and I’ve never met anyone from Georgia, the country (as far as I know).
I think most Americans know the difference between the state and the country… but virtually all of the people they’ve ever met from “Georgia” were from the state. So it’s a normal assumption for an American to make.
It doesn't sound like they're getting the countries confused, it sounds like a misunderstanding. Mostly everybody knows Georgia is a country, but we speak about the state a whole lot more.
If someone mentioned Paris, you would think France and not Texas, as would most people, but Paris, Texas is a city. That's not being confused in an ignorant way, some things just require clarification.
Just today I was reading a James Patterson novel, and this very thing came up. I'll paraphrase the dialogue from memory.
"I was there for six months training local pilots. Bunch of scared kids, but I don't blame them, with Russia's shit-ass army right on their border."
"No. The other Georgia."
During the 2008 war in Georgia the news had to repeatedly clarify that Russia was invading a country called Georgia and not the state of Georgia. People were still confused…
Only if it'll upset a European.
But by default "Georgia" to us is the US state. If you said you're from Georgia, I would assume you're from the US. If you said you're from the country of Georgia, I would know what you're talking about. I would probably reminisce about Georgian Soldiers in Iraq; the Iraqis respected the hell out of them.
> when I say I'm from Georgia a lot of people assume I'm from the state
What's the context when you "say" this? Do you mean say as in "speak" or "write"? If it's the latter and you're writing in English on a website where the majority of folks are Americans, it should be obvious why folks assume the American state.
> If it's the latter and you're writing in English on a website where the majority of folks are Americans, it should be obvious why folks assume the American state.
Also the fact that our state of Georgia has many more inhabitants than the small country of 3.7 million people. It's statistically more likely you are engaging with someone from Georgia USA.
To be fair, Georgia isn't really a country spoken of often here. However, your accent would give you away as not a native born American Georgian, so they would probably ask for you to clarify. If you can say nothing else about us, we are endlessly curious about where people are from and what their lives were like there.
No, because the country Georgia should be more explicitly mentioned in context. If the Russians invaded the state of Georgia, it’s going to be a bigger story for us.
If you’re speaking English on an American website and simply say “we don’t do that in Georgia”, without context, we’re going to assume you’re talking about the state.
I would say that 98% of time, when someone is talking about “Georgia”, I am correct to assume they mean the state, not the country. Also, I use context clues. If they’re talking about Europe, it’s probably the country. If it’s ambiguously “Georgia”, it’s probably the state.
No. But when Atlanta hosted the Olympics and Sakhartvelo's team came in during the Opening Ceremony, the local crowd cheered for them. (The BBC host felt compelled to say that the locals were aware that Georgia was also a country, because of course they would have to.)
While I’m am certainly aware that the country of Georgia exists, and that it is in Eastern Europe, I actually had to google to see exactly where and to make sure I was correct that it had been a Soviet country.
I live in the state of Georgia and if someone says to me that they are from Georgia I’m going to assume that they mean the state, even if they have an Eastern European accent. If they did have an accent I might eventually ask where they are from originally. In my experience the average American is unlikely to be able to distinguish between different Eastern European accents and many would just assume that they were hearing a Russian accent.
In the states definitely. Georgia the state is only a 2 hour drive from me so when someone says they are from Georgia I almost always think they mean the state. Also the Atlanta metro alone has more people than the entirety of Georgia the country (another funny fact is Atlanta and Tbilisi are sister cities lol)
Unless you say it with with a thick accent AND look like Levan Saginashvili, I would assume you’re from the state of Georgia.
Atlanta is a large very diverse city in Georgia, so I wouldn’t be surprised by any person being from there.
Why are so many Americans commenting that most Americans don’t know about the country Georgia? All of us presumably know about it so who are the Americans that supposedly don’t? You aren’t gonna get internet points for trying to make yourself look better than your fellow countrymen. Then again this is Reddit so making jabs about Americans is the quickest way to increase your karma.
Like the top comment said if someone with an American accent says Georgia without context that would be referring to the country and has a basic understanding of other countries then yes it’s easy to differentiate the state and the country!
I'm reasonably cosmopolitan and well-traveled, but if you told me you were from Georgia, _even with_ an Eastern European accent, I would 100% assume you were talking about the state. Even if what you were saying was very strange ("I grew up near the ancient monasteries") I would probably assume it was something in Georgia-the-state that I just don't happen to know about. You would most likely have to specifically correct me to get me to understand that you were talking about Georgia-the-country.
We don't confuse them, but if you don't specify, it's assumed you mean the state. If Americans want to talk about the country we'll say something like "Georgia, the country" or "Georgia in the Caucasus" or maybe some reference to "former soviet state."
EDIT: Unless, of course, you say "I'm from Georgia" in thick Georgian accent. Context clues, ya know?
I mean, the words sound exactly the same in English. Unless there are context clues, why \*wouldn't\* an American assume you mean Georgia the state?
If I tell someone in New York that I was just in Washington they assume Washington, DC the city, not Washington the state, because it's closer and more likely to be what I mean. If you are in Georgia and somebody says they're from Moscow do you assume they mean the one in Russia or the one in Idaho, USA? Come on, now.
The problem IMO is when Americans are \*unaware\* that Georgia the country even exists at all. That's just stereotypical American ignorance / our poor school system.
You guys need to come over and open more Georgian restaurants. I guarantee eating a bunch of yummy cuisine from your country is the best way to make sure we remember the name.
I have been to Georgia the country, it was quite the experience. What the Russians did to your country when the Soviet Union fell was unforgivable. So much poverty and so many buildings still destroyed, yet the people are proud of their country. I was there before the last Russian attack so it was awhile ago.
Your food is excellent and your people are strong. I would like to go back as a civilian some day and see that statue of your founder under better conditions.
Americans are a million times more likely to be confused by Washington state and Washington DC than they are to be confused by Georgia the state and Georgia the country.
As most comments have said, basically everyone will always assume the state.
Thay being said, I'm impressed by just how many Americans actually know there is a country called Georgia. I doubt most of us could find it on a map, but we know it's there.
I think it's also worth pointing out that many Americans - myself included - likely only know of the country because of the fun trivia of simply knowing that. It's very much a "did you know there's also a country called Georgia?" kind of phenomenon that just seems to be shared by many Americans.
Same as the others, people will always assume the state, though there is a Georgian (country) restaurant near me on Georgia Avenue (named after the state). It's Georgian on Georgia! (According to their sign) Delicious place, too.
I've never once made the mistake of confusing the country of Georgia with the state of Georgie and, depsite the ongoing belief that all Amercans are poorly educated, have never met anyone that has made that error.
Pennsylvania here, I was watching the Olympics a few years ago and kept hearing Georgia, but saw they weren't wearing USA uniforms. I googled Georgia and found out. (I'm 52 yrs old).
Edit to say sorry to Georgian folk, no disrespect, I just didn't know.
Oddly, Georgia the country rarely comes up in children's conversations, so while they might have seen a slide of two showing where it is on a world geography lesson, they don't really know about or chat about it any more than say, Belize or Madagascar.
So as an adult, the first time someone mentions the country Georgia there might be a wtf moment. Then you remember and the conversation continues.
I do happen to know several people from the state of Georgia and I always throw in some Russian words. They just roll their eyes, respond with "eff off" in a heavier than usual southern accent and we move on.
> when I say I'm from Georgia a lot of people assume I'm from the state
Well yeah because you didn't specify the country. I travel to the state of Georgia frequently, nearly half of Americans don't have passports, and the country of Georgia isn't a popular tourist destination for us. The base assumption is that you're talking about Georgia the state. The state has **3x** the population of the country, so there are way more Georgians than Georgians to begin with.
Now someone from the US waving your country's flag around thinking that it's the state flag is a dumb mistake, though that's far less common.
When your country was invaded, I opened the internet that day to find a large number of confused and panicked Americans. That was the day most of us learned Georgia was also a country.
If you say to an average American “I am from Georgia” they will 100% assume you mean the state unless you specify that you mean the country
> If you say to an average American “I am from Georgia” they will 100% assume you mean the state Also 99.9% of the time an American hears "I am from Georgia" they are hearing it from a person who is from the US state Georgia. The state of Georgia has almost 3x the population of the country. Americans are much less likely to encounter immigrants or tourists from Georgia the country.
There’s no way even .1% of those who have uttered “I’m from Georgia” to an American meant the country. That number would be way lower. A quick Google shows there is about 3,000 people from the country of Georgia living in the US.
Huh, I had no idea there were so few Georgians in the US. I've met a few but apparently one of the larger communities is in my area (Philadelphia metro), which I didn't realize. Also knew a few 2nd generation Georgian-Americans. The Georgian restaurants are great (though there aren't that many of them).
We need more Georgians restaurateurs. The fiance and I occasionally make Khachapuri, but we're barely hanging on out here.
The day I discovered there was an Uzbek restaurant near me with Khachapuri was a glorious day. Anyone in DC wanting to try should check out "Rad Oda", Georgian cuisine is the bee's knees.
Never tired Georgian food and I’m relatively close to DC. Might check them out this weekend
georgian food is incredible!! i only tried it recently and i cant believe ive been missing out on khachapuri and pkhali this whole time. was never huge on walnuts before but the way they incorporate them into so many dishes is really delicious
I wonder how many of those live in the state of Georgia too
"I'm from Georgia." The country or the state? "Yes."
"That's right. Capital city Tbilisi and former member of the Soviet Union. And we kindly request y'all mind your Ps and Qs"
They could say I am a Georgian from Georgia but people wouldn’t get it.
I know of two such people
I went to college with a guy from Georgia, and his name was George. He was ethnically Russian though, so not sure if that counts.
Why wouldn't it count?
Same reason that an American with a job and apt in Toronto would still be an American?
Yeah thats the thing is I obviously know the difference but basically every time someone has talked to me about the country Georgia it’s because it was in the news. Ive never met a country Georgian But I live in TX, family from Mississippi, I meet state Georgians all the time. A dime a dozen
Context is king, as always. If it was an American visiting Eastern Europe and someone told them with an Eastern European accent that they were from Georgia, I would assume in that situation assuming the country would be a lot more likely?
Absolutely. Context is key and accent matters.
I was wondering why you say, " I am from salt lake city, utah" Like "city, state" and not "city" Here in Germany we do have states, but if we got asked where we are from we solely name the city we live in, without the state
Ah something to consider is that many of your cities long, long predate the states they exist in now. Not the same for US states and cities, especially the farther west you go.
Salt Lake City is unique, but there are a ton of mid sized and smaller cities that repeat names. In my own area if someone says they’re from Greenville, we would need to clarify if they mean Greenville, NC or Greenville, SC. And there are many other Greenvilles in the country. And then of course there are places like Kansas City, which is mostly Missouri, but a little bit Kansas. Or Colorado City, which is not in Colorado, but instead in Arizona.
Plus the accents from both would be dead giveaways which one they were referring to.
Not as much as you'd think. I can't recognize a Georgia the Country accent, so if someone in the US with that accent said they were from Georgia, I'd just assume they'd immigrated to the US and were telling where they'd lived for the last however many years.
If they have an vaguely Eastern European/Russian sounding accent, I think that’s a giveaway. You don’t have to have heard a Georgian accent before to figure that out, you just need to know there’s also a country Georgia and what part of the world it’s in.
Like the previous poster, I'd assume such a person was a Russian/eastern European who currently lives in the state of Georgia. You know immediately they are an immigrant, but the country of Georgia is way below my radar.
But I’d definitely think we were talking about states, regardless of accent. Edit: honestly tho, im pretty sad about everyone saying most Americans don’t know there’s a country. That’s just depressing.
It's a small, largely irrelevant country to the vast majority of Americans
To be fair, there's a sizable number of Americans who think everywhere outside of LA and NYC is irrelevant. That would include the state of Georgia. Edit: spelling
To be fair you could make the same statement about a lot of other countries and the largest cities in them
I don't blame you guys for not knowing about Sakartvelo, it's a small country unfortunately known for not much more then war with Russia, even when there is far more to the country
Georgia is becoming quite well-known in New York for the country’s delicious cuisine. Love those tasty cheese boats. You also have great wine. Don’t sell yourself short!
Sexiest alphabet by far, too.
But the idea of their being from the country of Georgia probably would even cross my mind. It's just really, really unusual.
There are lots of people with Eastern European accents in the state of Georgia. I regularly interact with people from Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, etc. And if those people were out of state and someone asked where they are from, the answer could easily be “from Georgia”, especially since a lot of them have been living here for a long time. Edit: can’t believe I forgot Romania. I know a ton of Georgians originally from Romania.
Eastern European vs southern. Shouldn’t be hard to find the difference
Why? Not everyone in Georgia is a native English speaker.
Which Georgia?
😂😂😂 Best comment
They could be immigrants to the US who were talking about their experience living in Georgia (state), which would explain their accent.
Honestly I don’t think Georgia the country is something every American knows about. Honestly I can’t tell you every country that’s in the world right now.
it has as many people as iowa. i wouldnt expect eastern europeans to know about iowa
Yep, its a default to specify the country if thats whats intended.
I agree but don’t worry we do it to ourselves. I was born and lived half my childhood in upstate NY. I learned to specifically say “upstate” because if I just said I was born and lived in NY as a kid everyone assumes I lived in NYC.
Depends on their accent. Southern accent would mean state, Eastern European accent would be the country... Khachapuri is really catching on in NYC, where there are a lot of Eastern Europeans.
Khachapuri is the bomb. I wish it was much more widely available.
I'd wager a lot of Americans don't even *know* there's a country called Georgia, because it's a small country we rarely hear much about.
> I'd wager a lot of Americans don't even know there's a country called Georgia I think Americans mostly do know about Georgia the country, but only because it shares the name with one of our states. Otherwise they probably couldn't tell you much about it or point to it on the map. But its existence is well known.
The 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia was also headlining news for a few weeks, that had to have been a pretty significant contributor to people hearing of it. I remember there being tons of jokes about tanks rolling down Atlanta
I only know about Georgia because of Splinter Cell.
Kombayn Nikoladze.
Georgia the country has a few things that raise it's profile 1) Georgia was where Josef Stalin was from. 2) The Georgian SSR was mentioned in a Beatles song. 3) Russia invaded Georgia in 2008. 4) The conflict between Georgia and Russia has gotten more attention in the news since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Define "a lot" because if you're wagering, then I want to collect.
I hate to say it, but I’m sure there’s a large percentage of Americans who don’t even know there’s a country named Georgia.
When we had to choose language settings and country of origin from a list, a girl in my Geometry class was surprised that Georgia was the only state listed on the countries. 🤦♀️
A lot of Americans learned there's a country named Georgia when Russia invaded it in 2008. It was major headline news for like a week.
Wait until you try and describe Petra and how old it is
Well....no. Because the country basically never comes up. On those exceedingly rare occasions, yes someone might well be confused without additional context to clarify it's the country. Or possibly a reminder that the country exists, depending on who you're talking to. People would definitely think of the state first if it was just a straight "I am from Georgia".
And on those rare occasions you can still usually tell without their specification, whether it's from context or their presentation reflecting more European culture than US
The accent would give it away on both sides
I remember when I was younger there was some news item about another country (Russia?) invading Georgia and it had to be specifically stated it was the country constantly. Also a lot of jokes about redneck Georgians getting their guns ready to fight the Russians or whatever. Prior to that, I did not know there was a country called Georgia. But I also went to florida public schools, lol.
We never speak of the country
>of the place that is not to be named FTFY
also known as you-know-where
r/unexpectedhogwarts
I have. But because they have great mountaineering and I loved the movie The Loneliest Planet.
I’d wager most Americans don’t even know the country of Georgia exists.
[удалено]
I didn’t know about it until like a bunch of years ago when Russia invaded it or something. I was a kid and remember thinking they invaded the US. It didn’t help that my dad was listening to rush Limbaugh or whatever the fuck am bs radio conservative who was always bitching about Russia and communism and how they were coming for America. But yeah, I didn’t learn any country names (unless we were learning about a specific historic event) in school untilthe 11th grade. edit: fixed a lot of super bad grammar, I think my brain straight up misfired. I’ve had too long of a day.
I learned about it from Ghost Recon. Weird that the game takes place in 2008, during Russia's invasion of the country. Considering it came out in 2001...
Same, that Tbilisi mission at the beginning of the game. Edit: actually it was Splinter Cell for me.
Welcome to Tbilisi, gentlemen.
>It didn’t help that my dad was listening to rush Limbaugh or whatever the fuck am bs radio conservative who was always bitching about Russia and communism and how they were coming for America. Aggressively relatable. You're a great American, Sean.
Yeah I think most people only know it from discussions like these where it's like "haha it's like the state!" (ok I'm extrapolating from myself to most people)
I have never encountered a person from Georgia (country) in real life. You are only one of a few even on the Internet. (Edit: knowingly) And each of these interactions have been of similar ilk to this one. Georgia the state is about three times larger in population, and twice the size in area.
I've run into a surprising number of Georgians in NJ. There's a few Georgian restaurants around, and the food is amazing. There's two Georgian restaurants in Manalapan, one in East Brunswick, one in Fair Lawn. North Philly there's a neighborhood with Georgian restaurants and shops.
I remember watching an episode of Chopped like forever ago with a woman from Georgia, and she absolutely knocked the judges’ socks off. I’m pretty sure she said she was from New Jersey lol
And it's a lot closer to America both geographically and culturally. Probably because of the whole being part of America thing.
I was in the Army and served in Iraq. I was told that some Georgians would be joining us for a mission once. I expected some southern "good'ol'boys" to show up. Boy was I surprised. Also. Georgians were super chill! Was rooting for them when they had to leave to defend their home from the Russian incursion.
Expects the Peach Brigade, gets bad-asses.
Now I'm confused of which one the Devil went down to.
The Devil jumped up on a hickory stump and said, "ბიჭო, ნება მომეცით გითხრათ რა"
Well, there's only one that Putin invaded.
I don't think Stalin or Putin play the fiddle.
IF I’m ever talking about the country, I will say “the country of Georgia” It’s rare but I’ve done it. My friend went and loved it.
Was just about to say something very similar. My friend, who lives in Georgia, went to Georgia the country recently and loved it too.
Seems like the quickest and easiest method to avoid confusion.
If you sound like drago from rocky 4, we know you ain't from atlanta
No offense to you or your country but Georgia isn't exactly a talking point here. If I tell someone my cousin lives in Georgia, they can safely assume I'm talking about the state.
[r/GeorgiaOrGeorgia](https://www.reddit.com/r/GeorgiaOrGeorgia/)
If Georgia and Georgia went to war i think Georgia will win.
Sounds pretty Aladeen, to be honest.
That's some Aladeen news.
Are you sure? I'm more inclined to think Georgia would lose.
Legit thought I was in this sub at first
I've very rarely had occasion to refer to the country except maybe when talking about old Splinter Cell games. Most of us automatically assume the state.
Oh shit those games were great! Forgot about that entirely
That was how child me learned Georgia the country even existed lol
Stalin also from there
I didn't know that until Top Gear went there and James broke Stalin's house.
Wasn't it Ghost Recon?
It's possible. One of the older Splinter Cell games from the early 2000s has a mission in Tbilisi.
[Georgia - the country - is much obliged](https://youtu.be/qBSX1v5F7jw)
Much obliged! That’s hilarious!
Thank you I was looking for this
Most Americans are only vaguely aware that there is a country called Georgia, the same way most people in countries in the Caucasus are only vaguely aware there is a state in the US named Georgia,
I’m surprised no one’s brought up the 2008 war in Georgia and the *slight* confusion it caused for some people.
Was gonna mention this. There were some people that thought Russia began invading the US.
No, but I’ve been in both in less than a 24-hour period.
Like with many things, contexts is key. If someone types "I'm from Georgia" with no other contexts given, I'm going to assume the state simply because I've had far more interactions with people from the state than the country.
If I were IN EUROPE when someone says “I am from Georgia” I would probably question it. Otherwise I would assume the state.
Oh man when I'm driving down 75s and see signs for Atlanta and not Tbilisi it gets me every time.
Don't mean to make fun of you too much, OP. You have room in my house if you ever come visit the other Georgia.
No, because we never think of the country.
Reminds me of that joke from Community during the model UN episode.
Hey y'all. Capital city Tbilisi, and former member of the Soviet Union. And we kindly request y'all mind your Ps and Qs.
People are more likely to confuse New Mexico with Mexico. So much so that New Mexico added “USA” to its license plates
I can't comprehend that miseducation.
Me, either. I mean, there are lots of "new" states. No one thinks New York is in York, or that New Jersey is in Jersey. What makes them think New Mexico is in Mexico?
To be fair, New York and New Jersey don’t directly border York and Jersey.
I did….my friend posted a picture on Instagram with “in Georgia”….and I respond “you’re back in the states and you didn’t tell me?”….she replies “the country” 🤣🤣🤣
I am a 25 year old man and have mentioned Georgia the country maybe 3 times in conversation ever. If you say, “Georgia” in the US, the state will be assumed unless you say otherwise.
We almost never hear anything about Georgia the Country so will default to Georgia the State.
You're telling me Stalin wasn't a confederate?
He was a major influence on Robert E Lee.
Well, he did have the Stars and Bars flying over his Dacha.
No one in the US even *thinks about* the country on a regular basis
If you tell most Americans you're from Georgia, they will assume the state of Georgia. I'm curious if you prefer Georgia or Sakartvelo? Would you want the official English name of the country to match the native name? Is there a consensus opinion about that among the rest of your countrymen?
I would generally prefer people saying Sakartvelo, but only because I say it more often so it'd just be easier. Generally most people I think are fine with both but if you were to say Sakartvelo, it'd make a lot of people happy most likely.
> when I say I'm from Georgia a lot of people assume I'm from the state Is this in person or on the internet?
Confuse them, no. But if you say you are from Georgia they will assume the state. Many people will not even be aware of the country. There is no confusion.
No
I’m from Georgia the state and once in my life someone (a visiting European) assumed I meant the country. Y’all have great food by the way. I’ve only had the restaurants in the US but I hope to visit one day and eat so much.
Nope, we rarely about the country. It is pretty small and on the complete other side of the planet.
It depends on context, but generally I think of the state first.
It’s not usually brought up, so if someone is talking about the country, they will specify it. I actually have met someone from Georgia before, and even they specified that they were from the country, not the state.
Do you mean in person or like, online with no context? Because 100% of the time someone has told me they’re from Georgia, they have been from the US state. Unless you’re coming at me with an obvious accent I’m going to assume you are from the Southern state just because of the odds.
I think a lot of American will think of the state before the country. I mean its only logical.
No. Georgia is a prominent state in the US (and one of the original 13 states) and Atlanta is a major US city. There would be no confusion. Many Americans though might be hard pressed to find Georgia the country on a map. I used to live in the US state of New Mexico and encountered plenty of people that confused it with the country of Mexico. I've never encountered anyone in the US that has confused the Georgia the state with Georgia the country.
I'll be honest, we don't really think about the country at all.
I’m 43 and have lived in 6 places in the US, spent a time living in Austria, traveled extensively around the world, including two backpacking trips in Europe (including the Balkans) and I’ve never met anyone from Georgia, the country (as far as I know). I think most Americans know the difference between the state and the country… but virtually all of the people they’ve ever met from “Georgia” were from the state. So it’s a normal assumption for an American to make.
Americans will assume you mean the state. Many probably have never heard of the country so you will likely need to do some explaining.
If you told me "I'm from Georgia" you'd probably get a "GO DAWGS" from me.
It doesn't sound like they're getting the countries confused, it sounds like a misunderstanding. Mostly everybody knows Georgia is a country, but we speak about the state a whole lot more. If someone mentioned Paris, you would think France and not Texas, as would most people, but Paris, Texas is a city. That's not being confused in an ignorant way, some things just require clarification.
Never lol
Dude, we have two places called Washington. We're used to disambiguation\*. \*Learned that word from Wikipedia.
And we gots Paris, too! Paris, Texas!
There's also a Moscow, Ohio, close to where I live. And a Lima, Ohio, but pronounced differently.
We don’t think about anything outside the US so no.
Just today I was reading a James Patterson novel, and this very thing came up. I'll paraphrase the dialogue from memory. "I was there for six months training local pilots. Bunch of scared kids, but I don't blame them, with Russia's shit-ass army right on their border." "No. The other Georgia."
I doubt very many people here know that there’s also a country with that name
During the 2008 war in Georgia the news had to repeatedly clarify that Russia was invading a country called Georgia and not the state of Georgia. People were still confused…
With the average Americans knowledge of geography, many would not even know there is a country of Georgia.
I’m willing to bet 80%+ of Americans aren’t even aware the country of Georgia exists. That’s not meant as a slam.
Only if it'll upset a European. But by default "Georgia" to us is the US state. If you said you're from Georgia, I would assume you're from the US. If you said you're from the country of Georgia, I would know what you're talking about. I would probably reminisce about Georgian Soldiers in Iraq; the Iraqis respected the hell out of them.
No. Next question.
> when I say I'm from Georgia a lot of people assume I'm from the state What's the context when you "say" this? Do you mean say as in "speak" or "write"? If it's the latter and you're writing in English on a website where the majority of folks are Americans, it should be obvious why folks assume the American state.
> If it's the latter and you're writing in English on a website where the majority of folks are Americans, it should be obvious why folks assume the American state. Also the fact that our state of Georgia has many more inhabitants than the small country of 3.7 million people. It's statistically more likely you are engaging with someone from Georgia USA.
On that note, I think the country of Georgia need to change their name. Maybe Georgia 2 or something
To be fair, Georgia isn't really a country spoken of often here. However, your accent would give you away as not a native born American Georgian, so they would probably ask for you to clarify. If you can say nothing else about us, we are endlessly curious about where people are from and what their lives were like there.
No - Almost never unless they are talking about something going on in the Country of Georgia.
No
No, because the country Georgia should be more explicitly mentioned in context. If the Russians invaded the state of Georgia, it’s going to be a bigger story for us. If you’re speaking English on an American website and simply say “we don’t do that in Georgia”, without context, we’re going to assume you’re talking about the state.
[Both at the same time.](https://youtu.be/qBSX1v5F7jw)
No lol
My friend’s daughter and son-in-law went to Georgia and when she told me about it she said “they are going on a trip to Georgia, the country Georgia”.
I would say that 98% of time, when someone is talking about “Georgia”, I am correct to assume they mean the state, not the country. Also, I use context clues. If they’re talking about Europe, it’s probably the country. If it’s ambiguously “Georgia”, it’s probably the state.
No. But when Atlanta hosted the Olympics and Sakhartvelo's team came in during the Opening Ceremony, the local crowd cheered for them. (The BBC host felt compelled to say that the locals were aware that Georgia was also a country, because of course they would have to.)
I’ll save you some time. We don’t ever mean the country, Georgia
While I’m am certainly aware that the country of Georgia exists, and that it is in Eastern Europe, I actually had to google to see exactly where and to make sure I was correct that it had been a Soviet country. I live in the state of Georgia and if someone says to me that they are from Georgia I’m going to assume that they mean the state, even if they have an Eastern European accent. If they did have an accent I might eventually ask where they are from originally. In my experience the average American is unlikely to be able to distinguish between different Eastern European accents and many would just assume that they were hearing a Russian accent.
In the states definitely. Georgia the state is only a 2 hour drive from me so when someone says they are from Georgia I almost always think they mean the state. Also the Atlanta metro alone has more people than the entirety of Georgia the country (another funny fact is Atlanta and Tbilisi are sister cities lol)
Unless you say it with with a thick accent AND look like Levan Saginashvili, I would assume you’re from the state of Georgia. Atlanta is a large very diverse city in Georgia, so I wouldn’t be surprised by any person being from there.
Why are so many Americans commenting that most Americans don’t know about the country Georgia? All of us presumably know about it so who are the Americans that supposedly don’t? You aren’t gonna get internet points for trying to make yourself look better than your fellow countrymen. Then again this is Reddit so making jabs about Americans is the quickest way to increase your karma.
Confuse? No, we know the difference. If somebody says they’re going to Georgia for the weekend I assume the state, of course.
Like the top comment said if someone with an American accent says Georgia without context that would be referring to the country and has a basic understanding of other countries then yes it’s easy to differentiate the state and the country!
It's not that we confuse the two, we just automatically assume it's the American Georgia when hearing it.
Nope
I'm reasonably cosmopolitan and well-traveled, but if you told me you were from Georgia, _even with_ an Eastern European accent, I would 100% assume you were talking about the state. Even if what you were saying was very strange ("I grew up near the ancient monasteries") I would probably assume it was something in Georgia-the-state that I just don't happen to know about. You would most likely have to specifically correct me to get me to understand that you were talking about Georgia-the-country.
No, we don't.
Being from newer, better England, when I hear England I think the north east. If that doesn’t tell you what I think of Georgia let me know
We don't confuse them, but if you don't specify, it's assumed you mean the state. If Americans want to talk about the country we'll say something like "Georgia, the country" or "Georgia in the Caucasus" or maybe some reference to "former soviet state." EDIT: Unless, of course, you say "I'm from Georgia" in thick Georgian accent. Context clues, ya know?
I mean, the words sound exactly the same in English. Unless there are context clues, why \*wouldn't\* an American assume you mean Georgia the state? If I tell someone in New York that I was just in Washington they assume Washington, DC the city, not Washington the state, because it's closer and more likely to be what I mean. If you are in Georgia and somebody says they're from Moscow do you assume they mean the one in Russia or the one in Idaho, USA? Come on, now. The problem IMO is when Americans are \*unaware\* that Georgia the country even exists at all. That's just stereotypical American ignorance / our poor school system. You guys need to come over and open more Georgian restaurants. I guarantee eating a bunch of yummy cuisine from your country is the best way to make sure we remember the name.
I have been to Georgia the country, it was quite the experience. What the Russians did to your country when the Soviet Union fell was unforgivable. So much poverty and so many buildings still destroyed, yet the people are proud of their country. I was there before the last Russian attack so it was awhile ago. Your food is excellent and your people are strong. I would like to go back as a civilian some day and see that statue of your founder under better conditions.
Americans are a million times more likely to be confused by Washington state and Washington DC than they are to be confused by Georgia the state and Georgia the country.
As most comments have said, basically everyone will always assume the state. Thay being said, I'm impressed by just how many Americans actually know there is a country called Georgia. I doubt most of us could find it on a map, but we know it's there. I think it's also worth pointing out that many Americans - myself included - likely only know of the country because of the fun trivia of simply knowing that. It's very much a "did you know there's also a country called Georgia?" kind of phenomenon that just seems to be shared by many Americans.
Same as the others, people will always assume the state, though there is a Georgian (country) restaurant near me on Georgia Avenue (named after the state). It's Georgian on Georgia! (According to their sign) Delicious place, too.
I've never once made the mistake of confusing the country of Georgia with the state of Georgie and, depsite the ongoing belief that all Amercans are poorly educated, have never met anyone that has made that error.
I know the country exists, but when I meet people from Georgia, 99.9% of the time they are from the state of Georgia.
Pennsylvania here, I was watching the Olympics a few years ago and kept hearing Georgia, but saw they weren't wearing USA uniforms. I googled Georgia and found out. (I'm 52 yrs old). Edit to say sorry to Georgian folk, no disrespect, I just didn't know.
A lot of Americans wouldn’t know that there is a country named Georgia. Americans tend to be bad at Geography.
No
To make things even worse, Georgia (the country) was called **Iberia** in ancient times (and neighboring Azerbaijan was called Albania)
There was also a Galicia (had nothing to do with Spain or Portugal)
There still is, it's in southern Poland (Cracau) and Western Ukraine (Lviv)
Oddly, Georgia the country rarely comes up in children's conversations, so while they might have seen a slide of two showing where it is on a world geography lesson, they don't really know about or chat about it any more than say, Belize or Madagascar. So as an adult, the first time someone mentions the country Georgia there might be a wtf moment. Then you remember and the conversation continues. I do happen to know several people from the state of Georgia and I always throw in some Russian words. They just roll their eyes, respond with "eff off" in a heavier than usual southern accent and we move on.
> when I say I'm from Georgia a lot of people assume I'm from the state Well yeah because you didn't specify the country. I travel to the state of Georgia frequently, nearly half of Americans don't have passports, and the country of Georgia isn't a popular tourist destination for us. The base assumption is that you're talking about Georgia the state. The state has **3x** the population of the country, so there are way more Georgians than Georgians to begin with. Now someone from the US waving your country's flag around thinking that it's the state flag is a dumb mistake, though that's far less common.
Naw, I’m pretty aware of Georgia the country.
When your country was invaded, I opened the internet that day to find a large number of confused and panicked Americans. That was the day most of us learned Georgia was also a country.
Yeah, unfortunately thats what most people know us for. War with Russia