"How many countries are in this country?"
The question came from a bewildered Ted Lasso, the fictional new coach of the Tottenham Hotspurs in NBC's humorous promotional video "An American Coach in London." Lasso the Texan was hired to lead the non-fictional English soccer club all the while trying to get a grasp on the mystifying cultures of both Britain and soccer.
The correct answer to the question, of course, is four (at the 3:00 mark of the video). And if you've ever traveled to the different countries of the British Isles, you'll know it's no joke.
The HMS Caribbean Princess made her way over the Orkney Islands and into the North Sea before pulling into the Cromarty Firth, nearing our next destination of Inverness, the capital of the Scottish Highlands. While we're still in the United Kingdom, just as we were in Belfast and Kirkwall, we knew we have come to a different country the instant we were ashore.
While its population is only just over 5 million (out of 63 million for all of the UK), Scotland is fiercely independent and protective of its heritage. It enjoys virtual autonomy politically, with its own distinct cultural and legal institutions. Scotland has its own representatives in the European Union parliament and above all, has its own national soccer team and governing association.
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