Eli5: Why is “The” used for some countries (The Netherlands, The UK, The USA, The Congo) while most every other country does not? (Kenya, Japan, Canada, etc)

Question

Grammatically the countries seem identical and baffled why these few countries have “the” especially since it’s not like there are many other Netherlands/USA/Congo out there which then demands an article to clarify we are taking about THE USA not just USA.

In: 5344

Answer 1

In German, names of countries that are plural or feminine get a definitive article (“the”). And I imagine English has or had a similar unspoken rule.