Why are they called distant relatives?

Question

Why are they called distant relatives?

Answer 1

Because of the degree of relation. 1st cousins are the sons and daughters of the sisters and brothers of your parents. The children of your cousins would be second cousins. Their children 3rd cousins. The further removed they are from being first cousins they are distant relatives.  

Answer 2

Your "close" relatives are usually your parents, children, siblings, aunts, uncles and first cousins. "Distant" is easier to say than "third cousin twice removed",  and most people don't memorize exactly what degree (3rd, 4th, 5th) or how many times removed they are from cousins that far anyway.

"Distant" doesn't have anything to do with physical location, in my experience, just "distance" in the family tree. If you lived in Argentina and your brother lived in Norway, you'd still be closely related, although you wouldn't get together for pizza and beer very often, unless you both worked for an airline.

Answer 3

because they don't live in the same house and don't fight daily like dogs.

Answer 4

they live far away from you

Answer 5

who???