Nation and State Are Not the Same Thing
A nation is a people with a shared identity. A state is a political entity, and the two frequently do not coincide.
A nation is a large group sharing a language, culture or history. Political science keeps it separate from *state*, which is a sovereign political entity with defined borders. Most countries are not nation-states in the strict sense: many nations lack a state, and most states contain several nations. The Latin *natio* means a birth or breed.
- A people with shared identity. *The Kurdish nation.*
- A country. *A wealthy nation.*
- Nation-state — a state matching a nation. *A rare nation-state.*
- National — of a nation. *National identity.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | nation | A proud nation. |
| Plural | nations | The United Nations. |
| Adjective | national | National service. |
| Noun | nationality | Dual nationality. |
| Related | native | A native speaker. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The United Kingdom is one state and several nations.England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Nationality is legal, ethnicity cultural.They can differ.
- Nation means a birth or breed.Latin *natio*.
Nation, state and country
- Nation — a people sharing identity
- State — a sovereign political entity
- Country — the everyday word, covering both
- Nation-state — where the two coincide, which is rarer than assumed
- Stateless nation — a people without a state of their own
From Latin *natio*, a birth or race of people, from *nasci*, to be born — the same root as *native*, *nature* and *nascent*.
Nation or state?
A nation is a people; a state is a political entity. Iceland is close to a nation-state; most countries are not.
Are nature and nation related?
Yes. Both come from Latin *nasci*, to be born. Nature is what a thing is born as; a nation is a people by birth.