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Despite the fact that the phrases country, nation, and state are sometimes used interchangeably, there is a distinction between them.
Both the phrases “country” and “state” refer to sovereign political entities. However, a nation is a group of people who are culturally similar but do not have sovereign power.
Nation
A nation is a group of people united by a variety of shared characteristics, including language, history, ethnicity, culture, and/or geography. Thus, a nation is the collective identity of a people group that is thought to be characterised by those characteristics. A nation has been said to as “a fully organised or structured ethnic group,” and is typically more overtly political as compared to an ethnic group.
State
A state is a type of centralised political entity that establishes and upholds laws over a population within a given region. A state’s definition is open to debate. Although different meanings of the term “state” are not uncommon, a “state” is typically defined as a polity that upholds a monopoly on the legal use of force. Since there are stateless governments such as the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, a state is not the same as a government.
Nation-State
The nation state is a type of state that considers itself to be a sovereign geographical unit for a country, from which it derives its political legitimacy. The nation is a cultural and/or ethnic entity; the state is a geopolitical and political entity. The phrase “nation state” indicates that their locations are similar. Although nation states have emerged as the most common type of state organisation, they were formed at various points in history and in various locations on the planet.
Characteristics of a Nation-State
Nation states have unique traits that set them apart from pre-national states. To begin with, they view their land differently than dynastic regimes do: as semisacred and non-transferable. No country would cede land to another. They have a unique border that is essentially determined only by the national group’s settlement region, however several nation governments also sought natural frontiers (rivers, mountain ranges).
The most obvious characteristic is how much a nation state uses the state as a tool of national unification in its social, economic, and cultural spheres.
The nation state encouraged economic unification by getting rid of internal taxes and customs. The Zollverein’s formation in Germany came before official national unification. In order to facilitate trade and travel, nation states frequently have a strategy of building and maintaining a national transportation infrastructure. The development of the rail transportation networks in 19th-century Europe was initially primarily a concern for private railroad firms but gradually fell under the control of the national governments. With its main lines extending from Paris to every region of France, the French rail system is frequently considered as a mirror of the highly centralised French nation state that oversaw its creation. Nation states continue to construct, for example, specialised national highway systems.
Nation-State Example
An excellent nation-state is Egypt. Egypt’s position and lengthy history are factors in its status as a nation-state. Arabic is the common language among Egyptians, who also have a variety of cultural traditions. Despite changes that led to diverse perceptions of Egypt, the country is now linked by a shared language, history, and culture. Egypt, as a nation-state, engages in politics that are structured under a system of multi-party and a system of semi – presidential government, where the Prime Minister as well as the President divides the executive commands. Egypt has multi-party parliamentary elections for the People’s Assembly, Consultative Council, and Parliament of Egypt.
One of the biggest and best-equipped military that allows Egypt to exercise its self-rule. Egypt was one of the first Arab nations to establish diplomatic ties with Israel when it came to international affairs, and it has been instrumental in resolving disputes between other Arab nations, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Different ethnic groups make up the population of Egypt as a nation-state. Egypt’s lands are located in Northern Africa, and is bordered to the west by Libya, to the east by Israel and the Gaza Strip, and to the south by Sudan.
Difference Between State and Country
Country | State |
An area of land which is controlled by its own government | one of the parts of a country with a federal government |
A region or area with its own government. | A region or territory which may have its own ruling or governing body, but which is typically a part of a larger region and is governed by the bigger region. |
It has an independent governing body | It has both independent as well as dependent governing body |
The state’s area is less than that of a nation or an independent state. In a smaller area, there are definitely fewer residents. | The overall area is larger than a state. |
Goa, Delhi, Punjab and more. | India, China, USA and more. |
Conclusion
A nation-state is a particular kind of political entity which is controlled by a cultural entity and obtains its legitimacy by providing for its people. Having a population that resides on the same piece of land, having an official language, being independent and sovereign, and having clearly delineated borders are the primary features of a nation state. Egypt is one example of a nation state, where Arabic is the predominant national tongue.
A country is a territory having clearly defined borders, whereas a state is a subdivision of that territory or perhaps a smaller area within a country. This is the major distinction between the country and the state.
