Geek Weekend: "The" in proper names

Your favorite topic in the whole wide world, I'm sure. Articles. I'm not going to retell your grammar book. Yes, the USA, the UK, the Netherlands, the Pacific Ocean, the Black Sea, the Danube river, the Andes, but America, England, Holland, Rome, Mount Everest.

Here is your pop quiz, though.

1. Think of two countries with singular one-word names that take an article "the". 
2. Name two cities with an article "the". 

As always, the answers are after the break. 

The answers. 

1. The Gambia and the Vatican. 
2. The Hague and the Bronx (technically, it's a borough of New York City). 

By the way, it's high time we dropped "the" from Ukraine. I heard they take offence.