That is a good question. I'm sure no one has the perfect answer. It all depends on how you define being metric. If for example over 50 % of your economy is metric, like the UK, despite some remnant uses, you can consider the UK to be a metric country.
Rowlett says: http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/ What countries besides the U.S. have not adopted the metric system? Many U.S. teachers think the answer is "Liberia and Burma" (make that Myanmar). Let's give Liberia and Myanmar a break! All countries have adopted the metric system, including the U.S., and most countries (but not the U.S.) have taken steps to eliminate most uses of traditional measurements. However, in nearly all countries people still use traditional units sometimes, at least in colloquial expressions. Becoming metric is not a one-time event that has either happened or not. It is a process that happens over time. Every country is somewhere in this process of going metric, some much further along than others. If you examine the Wikipedia article under gallon you find that the following countries still dispense fuel in gallons: US gallons: Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Liberia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and the United States. Imperial gallons: Antigua and Barbuda,[6] Belize,[7][8] Burma (Myanmar),[9][10][11] Cayman Islands, Grenada,[12][13] Guyana and Sierra Leone. The UAE was in the list for imperial gallons, but switched in January of this year. This list may be obsolete if some of those countries, especially in the Caribbean have changed in the past few years. Some countries may have older pumps in gallons and newer ones in litres. The metrication chart may be helpful: http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/internat.htm Some countries metrication dates coincide with their independence from Britain. They may at the time of setting up their new government decided to establish the metric system as the only legal system, but made no moves towards any change and allowed change to occur as old products wore out. Trade and development increased metric usage. I note that Sierra Leone is not on the list. Any other country not on the list may also be in the same situation as Sierra Leone. I believe Burma and Liberia are considered non-metric because they have made no official change but travelers to those countries reported mostly metric usage. The US may have an official metrication policy (or did) but the visibility of metrication is not obvious. Metric creep is only noticed by those a tuned to metrication. It is hidden from the majority. Sierra Leone only changed the law so far to indicate its intention to change. Time will tell when the actual change takes place. ________________________________ From: Howard Ressel <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]>; "Anthony O'conner" <[email protected]> Sent: Thu, July 8, 2010 9:23:00 AM Subject: Re: [USMA:48063] S.Leone goes metric after 49 years Hmm I always thought there were three non metric countries, now that Sierra Leone has gone metric, its back to three or is it? How many others are out there that are not metric that we don't know about. -- "Go for a Metric America" Howard Ressel Project Design Engineer, Region 4 (585) 272-3372 >>> On 7/7/2010 at 12:56 PM, in message <[email protected]>, "Anthony O'conner" <[email protected]> wrote: > I don't know if anyone came across this, but it seems like another country > is > giving up on British imperial. It seems people in Sierra Leone > associate imperial measurements with cheating. > > I wonder Sierra Leone's move will encourage Liberia to do the same. > > Does anyone know when Sierra Leone will begin to convert things like petrol > > pumps and grocery store scales, Weather reporting, etc? > > > Does anyone know what is already metric in Sierra Leone? > > > http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100611/wl_africa_afp/sleonelawparliamentmeasur > ement_20100611174708 > > > > S.Leone goes metric after 49 years > > > Friday, 2010-06-11, 13:47 ET > > > FREETOWN (AFP) * Sierra Leone's parliament has passed a law adopting the > metric > system of measurement after 49 years using the British imperial system, > Trade > and Industry Minister David Carew told reporters Friday. > > "The law modifies the weight and measures act of 1961 under which the > imperial > unit of measurement had been used and now adopts the universally accepted > metric system," he said. > > "The law will enable us to get the correct measurement of foodstuffs and > other > commodities since measurement terminologies like pound and mile have been > replaced with kilometres and kilograms." > > Many housewives, like Hawanatu Silla, welcomed the new law. > "It will help to reduce cheating by market women and butchers who had used > the > pound measurement to defraud customers buying meat, cups of rice and other > consumables." > The law stipulated fines ranging from 300 to 6,000 dollars for defaulters > including trade inspectors who cheat while using the metric system. > > Sierra Leone is the sole member of the three-nation economic organisation, > the > Mano River Union (MRU) which comprises Guinea and Liberia, that maintained > the > use of the imperial system of measurement, officials said. > > The metric system is the world's most common method of measuring units > although > is still not fully used by some countries, notably the United States. > > > >
