What is the difference between nation and state

What is a Nation State — Definition, Characteristics 3. Nation is a large body of people united by a common origin, history, culture, ethnicity, or language. To be more specific, it is a cultural-political community.

Moreover, it is the strong bond between people and common elements like ethnicity, language, and descent that keeps the nation together. Factors like a common language, common race, common culture, common history, common territory, etc. However, these are not absolute essentials. The factors or elements that result in a nation are not always constant. For instance, a nation can survive without a territory, but love for a common territory may unite the nation.

Moreover, a nation is always the result of evolution. According to this law, a state needs to fulfill certain criteria before it can be recognized as such. Among these criteria are a defined territory with defined borders, a permanent population, and a government that has effective control over the defined territory and its borders. Thus, the U. The key difference between a state and a nation is the territorial component.

A state requires territory to be recognized as such, but a nation does not. Flags of countries of the world. The terms "nation" and "state" are often used interchangeably, but are two different concepts. A nation is a group of people with common characteristics, such as a common language, ethnicity, or religion. They may or may not have a defined territory. A state is a territorial entity, with a permanent population, defined borders, and a government that effectively controls the territory.

On the contrary, a nation is a group of people who have a strong sense of unity and common consciousness. Common territory, common race, common religion, common language, common history, common culture and common political aspirations are the elements which help the formation of a nation, and yet none of these is an absolutely essential element. The elements which go to build a nation keep on changing. State is a Political Organisation while Nation is a social, cultural, psychological, emotional and political unity:.

The State is a political organisation which fulfills the security and welfare needs of its people. It is concerned with external human actions. It is a legal entity. On the other hand, a Nation is a united unit of population which is full of emotional, spiritual and psychological bonds.

A nation has little to do with the physical needs of the people. Possession of a Definite Territory is essential for the State but not for a Nation:.

It is essential for each State to possess a fixed territory. It is the physical element of the State. State is a territorial entity. But for a nation territory is not an essential requirement. A nation can survive even without a fixed territory. Love of a common motherland acts as a source of unity. For example, before the Jews were a nation even though they had no fixed territory of their own.

When, in , they secured a definite and defined territory, they established the State of Israel. Sovereignty is an essential element of the State. It is the soul of the State. In the absence of sovereignty, the State loses its existence. It is the element of sovereignty which makes the state different from all other associations of the people.

It is not essential for a nation to possess sovereignty. The basic requirement of a nation is the strong bonds of emotional unity among its people which develop due to several common social cultural elements. Before , India was a nation but not a State because it did not have sovereignty.

In reality, however, such homogeneity, never really existed. However, not all communities that are outside of the majoritarian imagination conceive of themselves as nations. So, many of them have come together in several parts of the world to form successful nation-states.