I regard Britain as an "Imperial/Metric" country and Ireland as "Metric/Imperial". Imperial is still too pervasive and too much 'alive and kicking' in Britain to simply regard that country as a metric nation. Ireland is definitely further on the road.
I was in Britain again last Friday, in Newcastle, and there had been no change compared to last year.
 
When I was on the way back I was invited to visit the bridge of the ship. Apart from the nautical mile and the knot all other meaurement data were in metric. The fathommeter, for instance, did not meaure in fathoms or feet at all, making 'fathommeter' just name for an instrument that measures depth at sea. It was a digital one and it recorded a depth of about 55 m under the keel when I was on the bridge.
 
There was one person on the bridge and the ship was sailing on the automatic pilot, all on its own!
Han
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, 2004-05-19 23:28
Subject: [USMA:29877] When is a country considered to be metric?

When is a country considered a metric country?  When it officially makes a declaration to do so, or when it completes a certain amount of changes?  Anti-metric forces in the UK claim the UK is not a metric country at all because the vast majority use FFU in daily conversations and usage.  Is Canada a true metric country if Canadians use more FFU then metric?
 
Is Burma and Liberia considered FFU because they made no official change, yet their economy functions entirely metric? 
 
What is the deciding factor as to whether a country is metric or not?
 
Euric
 
 

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