My understanding
DCH
2011-08-31 19:17:34
( reads)
America is the abbreviation of "The United States of America"
Just as China is the short expression of "The People's Republic of China".
The Vatican is a special case and is not an abbreviation.
beautifulwind
2011-08-31 19:29:02不错。那其他的国家前一般也不加the，如jennea所说。