Ah. I read about putting "the" in front of a country's name and it has something to do with recognizing a geographical region but not a sovereign state.
Strange terms:.The China,.The United States.The France, The Netherlands, The Burma, The India, The United Kingdom, The Brazil, The Canada, The middle east, The South Pole, The Galapagos Islands, The Virgin Islands, The Bahamas, The Cuba.The Turkey. I have gone overboard with this now.