State, Country, and Nation
The criteria that define a country, an independent
State, and a nation
by Liz Olson
There is a difference between the terms nation, state, and
country, even though the words are often used interchangeably.
Country
and State are synonymous terms that both apply to self-governing political
entities. A nation, however, is a group of people who share the same culture
but do not have sovereignty.
When the “s” of state is
lowercase, it constitutes a part of a whole country, such as the different
states of the United States of America.
When the “S” of State is uppercase it signifies an independent
country.
How were countries defined in the past?
In the
past, governments often used two opposing theories to define a
country—the Montevideo Convention treaty or the constitutive theory of
statehood.
In 1933, at the Montevideo Convention in Uruguay, a treaty was signed on the Rights and
Duties of States. The treaty defined a State using four criteria—a
permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and a capacity to
enter into relations with other States.
The convention also declared
that a State did not have to be recognized by other States, meaning a
country could exist even if other countries did not recognize
it.
Conversely, the constitutive theory of statehood said that a
country existed if it was recognized as sovereign by other countries.
Therefore, if other countries recognized a country as independent, it was,
even if the country did not have control of its territory or a permanent
population.
What makes an independent State or a country
today?
- Has internationally recognized land and borders even if border
disputes exist;
- Has permanent residents;
- Has sovereignty so that no other country has power over its
territory;
- Has organized economic activity that regulates foreign and domestic
trade and issues money;
- Has a transportation network for moving goods and people;
- Has an education system;
- Has recognition from other independent states
How many countries are there in the world?
Today, there
are 195 independent countries or states recognized in the world. Kosovo, which declared independence
from Serbia in February 2008 is the newest
country. Territories, such as Hong Kong, Bermuda, Puerto
Rico, and Greenland that belong to
other countries are not considered countries.
Disputes often arise
when a territory claims to be a country, but is not recognized by any other
countries. Taiwan, for example, claims to
be an independent country, but China states
that Taiwan is a part of China. Therefore, other countries that don’t
want to upset China also do not recognize Taiwan as independent.
What
are a nation and a nation-state?
A nation is a group of people who
share the same culture, language, institutions, religion, and
history—usually a group of people larger than a tribe or community.
When a nation of people has an independent State of their own it is often
called a nation-state. The Kurds are
a nation without a State, but France, Germany, and Japan are examples of nation-states.
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