The Broncks', the borough of my childhood, fades away

[Dan Goodman]

Ukraine vs. The Ukraine:  I suspect this change is largely because the
newly-independent country declared "Ukraine" rather than "The Ukraine"
to be its official name.

In compensation, we now have "the former Yugoslavia."   A quick search
on Google brings up:  'about 1,580,000 English pages for "the former
Yugoslavia".'

My non-scholarly guess is that this is modelled on "the former Soviet
Union."

--
Dan Goodman
"I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers."
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Expire
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