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Some of the confusion among the posted answers causes me to add this prefatory note: There is one province called Newfoundland and Labrador. There is no province called Newfoundland and there is no province called Labrador.

"Newfoundland and Labrador is" or "Newfoundland and Labrador are"?

I think I would write "Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province in which license plates are pink with purple polka-dots" (except that they're not, AFAIK, but that's a different topic).

If I were going on vacation and intended to visit both Newfoundland and Labrador I might write "Newfoundland and Labrador are where I'm going", and if I were going to Newfoundland but not to Labrador I certainly wouldn't write that, nor "Newfoundland and Labrador is...." etc.

In this matter, are there standard conventions adhered to by all sober literate people and blessed by learned authorities and taught to children in all schools?

What other polities are called "A and B", where A and B are two disjoint geographic regions? (I seem to vaguely recall that "Serbia and Montenegro" was once a thing. Not sure I'd count "Budapest".) What do they do with "is" and "are" in other such cases?

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    Serbia and Montenegro was (is?) a single state, like Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Trinidad and Tobago. Single items take a singular verb. However, if discussing the separate islands of Trinidad and Tobago, you have two items, which need a plural verb.
    – Andrew Leach ♦
    Commented Mar 2, 2017 at 12:09
  • Another historical example: The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. So I assume you would say The Two Sicilies was ...
    – Peter Shor
    Commented Mar 2, 2017 at 15:38
  • I've sometimes wondered why the Papal States were called the Papal States instead of the Papal State. In Italian it is "Stato della Chiesa", which is singular.
    – Michael Hardy
    Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 5:25
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    Does this answer your question? Agreement With Compound Subjects Joined by And
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Jan 4, 2020 at 18:13
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    Part of the problem here is that the the two words, Newfoundland and Labrador are not only components of the name of one political entity, but also two separate names of two distinct geographic entities. When talking about one's vacation plans, one is more likely to be using them in the latter way, which is why one wouldn't speak of going to 'Newfoundland and Labrador', if one did not plan to visit Labrador.
    – jsw29
    Commented Jan 5, 2020 at 17:06

3 Answers 3

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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a multi island Anglo-Caribbean country in the Lesser Antilles island arc...

Saint Kitts and Nevis is an island country in the West Indies.

The Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina is one of the departments of Colombia.

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands,...

Carriacou and Petite Martinique, also known as the Southern Grenadines, is a dependency of Grenada,...

Antigua and Barbuda is an island sovereign state in the West Indies in the Americas

And by the way

The Papal States were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the Pope,

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    "The Archipelago is...." and "The Islands are...." seem unproblematic. The other examples are very much relevant.
    – Michael Hardy
    Commented Jan 5, 2020 at 6:47
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If they are distinct political or socio-economic regions, or if the author chooses to classify them as such for the purposes of clarity or distinction then they take a plural verb.

England and Scotland are countries within the United Kingdom.

Wessex and Northumbria are regions of England.

Bristol and Newcastle are cities within those regions.

Newfoundland and Labrador are the only provinces in which ....

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    You're completely missing the point. You need to brush up on your Canadian geography. Newfoundland and Labrador are not two provinces; Newfoundland and Labrador is one province.
    – Peter Shor
    Commented Mar 2, 2017 at 12:29
  • Ok I didn't realise that.
    – Chris M
    Commented Mar 2, 2017 at 13:49
  • @PeterShor : He also needs to brush up on what the question actually says.
    – Michael Hardy
    Commented Mar 2, 2017 at 18:28
  • No 'he' doesn't.
    – Chris M
    Commented Mar 2, 2017 at 19:38
  • @ChrisM : You're right: They need to. Or he or she needs to.
    – Michael Hardy
    Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 5:15
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Newfoundland and Labrador are two provinces in which....

Both Newfoundland and Labrador are...

Neither Newfoundland nor Labrador is...

Two or more nouns or pronouns joined by and require a plural verb. But if the nouns suggest one idea to the mind, or refer to the same person or thing, the verb can be singular.

The horse and carriage is ready.

My friend and benefactor has come.

Even when certain countries or organisations have plural names, usually they take singular verbs and pronouns.

The United States of America is...

Consolidated Fruitgrowers has just taken over Universal Foodstores.

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    You're completely missing the point. You need to brush up on your Canadian geography. Newfoundland and Labrador are not two provinces; Newfoundland and Labrador is one province.
    – Peter Shor
    Commented Mar 2, 2017 at 12:23
  • Thank you. You are right that my Canadian geography is really dusty. If they are one province and can be thought of one and the same, the verb of course can be singular.
    – mahmud k pukayoor
    Commented Mar 2, 2017 at 13:27

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