Below is the list of tables from the database along with their columns and datatype. Need to generate an accurate SQL query for the question.
Only use the columns present in the respective table. Only use the columns which are required to generate the SQL query. Only use table joins if required and not otherwise.

### Tables ###
TABLE: CREATE TABLE table_204_291 ( id number, "rank" number, "name" text, "nation" text, "cp" number, "fp" number, "points" number, "placings" number )

### Question ###
how many times does the unites states appear in the nations column ?

### Accurate SQL ###

SELECT COUNT(*) FROM table_204_291 WHERE "nation" = 'united states'