History Main / NationsAsPeople

->''"Occasionally I idle time away by wondering what cities would be like, were they people. [[UsefulNotes/NewYork Manhattan]] is, in my head, fast-talking, untrusting, well-dressed but unshaven. UsefulNotes/{{London}} is huge and confused. UsefulNotes/{{Paris}} is elegant and attractive, older than she looks. UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco is crazy, but harmless, and very friendly. It's a foolish game: cities aren't people."''

* ''WebVideo/WelcomeToTheTable'' by comedian Ben Brainard depicts each [[UsefulNotes/TheSeveralStates US state]] as a personification based on its biggest stereotypes, particularly their response to the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusPandemic. The bulk of the videos consist of arguments between the federal government as TheStraightMan and Florida as, well, [[OnlyInFlorida Florida]], California as a BourgoisBohemian who hates everyone else, Texas as a GoodOldBoy who enjoys teasing Cali, and New York as an [[BrooklynRage irasciable jerk.]]

* Many of Ben Brainard's shorts involve himself dressed up as US states and the US Government arguing amongst themselves.Among other things, US is constantly exasperated, Florida is TheGadfly, and California hates everyone else.

* ''WebVideo/WelcomeToTheTable'' by comedian Ben Brainard depicts each [[UsefulNotes/TheSeveralStates US state]] as a personification based on its biggest stereotypes, particularly their response to the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusPandemic. The bulk of the videos consist of arguments between the federal government as TheStraightMan and Florida as, well, [[OnlyInFlorida Florida]].

* WebVideo/CGPGrey videos depict countries (as well as other political entities like states or territories and [=NGOs=] like the International Olympic Committee) as female stick figures starting from "How Many Countries Are There?" Their skirts contain the patterns of their country's flags to identify them, and some countries get other features drawn on as well: the US [[AmericansAreCowboys carries a gun holster]], monarchies like the UK wear crowns, Russia or the Soviet Union sometimes wears an ushanka, etc.

* Uncle Sam is an actual comic book superhero from the 40's (currently owned by Creator/DCComics, and best known for being the leader of the [[ComicBook/FreedomFightersDC Freedom Fighters]] superteam.) He is the [[AnthropomorphicPersonification literal embodiment]] of the Spirit of America, created by the Founding Fathers using a magical talisman. He originally took the form of a Minuteman, before becoming Brother Jonathan, then split into Billy Yank and Johnny Reb, before finally taking his current form (apart from a very brief AudienceAlienatingEra where he became some kind of star-spangled spaceman called the Patriot).

* A few of these round out the cast of [[AnthropomorphicPersonification personified geographical elements]] in ''[[Creator/MaryGrahamBonner The Magic Map]]'', and [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2023_07_19.png quite]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2023_07_19_1.png a]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2023_07_19_2.png few]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2023_07_19_3.png more]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2023_07_19_4.png show up]] in ''Magic Journeys''.

->''"Occasionally I idle time away by wondering what cities would be like, were they people. Manhattan is, in my head, fast-talking, untrusting, well-dressed but unshaven. UsefulNotes/{{London}} is huge and confused. UsefulNotes/{{Paris}} is elegant and attractive, older than she looks. UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco is crazy, but harmless, and very friendly. It's a foolish game: cities aren't people."''

[[folder:Film]]

* The album [[https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZND6FTMHL._SX195_.jpg "C'était la guerre mondiale]] ("It was world war") by Emile Bravo. It metaphorically transpose UsefulNotes/WorldWarII in the context of a school brawl. Local [[TheBully bully]] BookDumb [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany Germain]] decides to take over adults, while his schoolmates decide to either [[https://www.canalbd.net/img/couvpage/55/9782749502557_pg.jpg support, or rebel against him]]. The kids wear clothes [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience of colors reminding national flags.]] They also have meaningful names: François (France), Bertrand (Britain), Aymeric (America), Jason (Japan), Ursule (USSR), and so on.

* Cossack Mamay - Ukraine

* [[UsefulNotes/{{Cossacks}} Zaporozhian Cossacks]] are central to UsefulNotes/{{Ukraine}}'s historical identity, to the point of personifying it in some depictions.

* Uncle Sam is an actual comic book superhero from the 40's (currently owned by Creator/DCComics, and best known for being the leader of the [[ComicBook/FreedomFightersDC Freedom Fighters]] superteam.) He is the [[AnthropomorphicPersonification literal embodiment]] of the Spirit of America, created by the Founding Fathers using a magical talisman. He originally took the form of a Minuteman, before becoming Brother Jonathan, then split into Billy Yank and Johnny Reb, before finally taking his current form (apart from a very brief DorkAge where he became some kind of star-spangled spaceman called the Patriot).

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* Uncle Sam is an actual comic book superhero from the 40's (currently owned by Creator/DCComics, and best known for being the leader of the [[ComicBook/FreedomFightersDC Freedom Fighters]] superteam.) He is the [[AnthropomorphicPersonification literal embodiment]] of the Spirit of America, created by the Founding Fathers using a magical talisman.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1761 SCP-1761]] seems to be the personification of a country that doesn't exist. Or he may be a former human who somehow became a country. Or perhaps he is just a delusional RealityWarper who thinks he is a country.

* ''Magazine/PrivateEye'' sometimes uses them.

* Irish poetry has a genre known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aisling aisling]] (Irish Gaelic for "dream" or "vision") poetry, which features Ireland appearing before the poet in the form of a woman. She often laments the current state of the Irish people, but predicts that soon things will improve for them.

[[folder: Classic Characters of this Type]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

* Speaking of UsefulNotes/{{Ukraine}}, [[UsefulNotes/{{Cossacks}} Zaporozhian Cossacks]] are central to its historical identity, to the point of personifying it.

* This [[http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2009/11/27/national-moe/ art book]] (link is NSFW due to advertisements and thumbnails in the sidebar) depicts 74 countries as teenage girls, including North Korea.

* Marianne, the national symbol of UsefulNotes/{{France}}, often depicted as a woman with [[MsFanService disarrayed robes]] and Phrygian cap, storming the Bastille during the revolution. She used to appear on French currency in pre-Euro days but is still on the stamps. Every town hall has a bust of her, and periodically the image is refreshed by selecting an actress who is held to embody French beauty. Post-holders have included Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve.
* UsefulNotes/{{Germany}}, especially in the Imperial German era, is often depicted as Germania, a young, winged angelic maiden holding a pike with an iron cross on it, and a winged helmet. Notable depictions include the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Pillar in UsefulNotes/{{Berlin}}. Prior to the fall of UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany in [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI 1918]], she was often depicted as a LadyOfWar carrying a shield and a sword with a defiant stare (aimed at France).
* [[MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong Mother Russia]]. Exemplified at Stalingrad with a huge statue of her raising her sword to lead her children to war.
* Scotia: wears green tartan, likes mountains and rain and horses and singing.
* Bulgaria in its modern history is referred to as "Mother" or depicted as a young woman in a dress holding a sword in one hand and a banner in the other. After the initial project for its restoration was scrapped in 1878''[[labelnote:*]]with the ensuing Treaty of Berlin leaving the Bulgarian-populated sections of Thrace and Macedonia as an autonomous region within the Ottoman Empire ("Eastern Rumelia") and fully under the Empire's control, respectively[[/labelnote]]'', Thrace and Macedonia, left out of its borders, were typically depicted as "sisters" of Bulgaria proper, weaponless and dejected. Notably, a painting commemorating the 1885 union of Bulgaria with Thrace as the two sisters standing side by side, with Bulgaria wrapping her cloak around Thrace's shoulders.

* The personification of Great Britain as Britannia, a stately robed woman in Greek helmet and carrying a trident, symbolic of Britain's association with the sea. She only recently ceased to appear on the currency, something that caused angst to nationalists. Britannia goes back over two thousand years; a kingdom of northern England was called ''Brigantia'', and was corrupted to "Britannia" by the Romans. Its patron Goddess was conflated with Juna, in the way of Roman religion. And persisted.
* Marianne, the national symbol of France, often depicted as a woman with [[MsFanService disarrayed robes]] and Phrygian cap, storming the Bastille during the revolution. She used to appear on French currency in pre-Euro days but is still on the stamps. Every town hall has a bust of her, and periodically the image is refreshed by selecting an actress who is held to embody French beauty. Post-holders have included Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve.
* Germany, especially in the Imperial German era, is often depicted as Germania, a young, winged angelic maiden holding a pike with an iron cross on it, and a winged helmet. Notable depictions include the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Pillar in Berlin.