Nation vs. Nationality — What's the Difference?

A concept emphasizing shared traditions and values.

The legal bond granting rights and duties to individuals in a country.

A term often used interchangeably with "country" in everyday language.

A status affecting an individual’s legal identity and civic responsibilities.

An entity seeking self-governance or autonomy within or across state borders.

Determines eligibility for government protection and consular assistance.

A community that may or may not coincide with state borders.

A classification used in international law to identify persons.

A collective identity shared by people with a common culture and history.

Can be acquired through birth, descent, or naturalization.

A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a common language, history, ethnicity, a common culture and, in many cases, a shared territory. A nation is a collective identity of people.

Nationality is a legal identification of a person in international law, establishing the person as a subject, a national, of a sovereign state. It affords the state jurisdiction over the person and affords the person the protection of the state against other states.Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "Everyone has the right to a nationality," and "No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality." By international custom and conventions, it is the right of each state to determine who its nationals are.

A relatively large group of people organized under a single, usually independent government; a country.

The status of belonging to a particular nation by origin, birth, or naturalization.

The territory occupied by such a group of people

A people having common origins or traditions and often constituting a nation.

The government of a sovereign state.

Existence as a politically autonomous entity; national independence.

A people who share common customs, origins, history, and frequently language; a nationality

National character.

A federation or tribe, especially one composed of Native Americans.

Nationalism.

The territory occupied by such a federation or tribe.

National, i.e. ethnic and/or cultural, character or identity.

A historically constituted, stable community of people, formed based on a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity and/or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture.

Nationalism or patriotism.

A sovereign state.

National origin or identity; legal membership of a particular nation or state, by origin, birth, naturalization, ownership, allegiance or otherwise.

An association of students based on its members' birthplace or ethnicity.

A people sharing a common origin, culture and/or language, and possibly constituting a nation-state.

(obsolete) A great number; a great deal.

(obsolete) Political existence, independence or unity as a national entity.

(rare) Damnation.

The quality of being national, or strongly attached to one's own nation; patriotism.

Extremely, very.

The sum of the qualities which distinguish a nation; national character.

A part, or division, of the people of the earth, distinguished from the rest by common descent, language, or institutions; a race; a stock.

A race or people, as determined by common language and character, and not by political bias or divisions; a nation.

The body of inhabitants of a country, united under an independent government of their own.

Existence as a distinct or individual nation; national unity and integrity.

Family; lineage.

The state or quality of belonging to or being connected with a nation or government by nativity, character, ownership, allegiance, etc.; as, to record one's nationality on identification papers; the Soviet Union had citizens of many nationalities.

One of the divisions of university students in a classification according to nativity, formerly common in Europe.

The status of belonging to a particular nation by birth or naturalization

A great number; a great deal; - by way of emphasis; as, a nation of herbs.

A politically organized body of people under a single government;

The people who live in a nation or country;

A federation of tribes (especially native American tribes);

United States prohibitionist who raided saloons and destroyed bottles of liquor with a hatchet (1846-1911)

Yes, a nation can exist as a cultural or ethnic group without political sovereignty or formal recognition as a state.

Nationality determines an individual’s legal rights and obligations within a country, including voting, taxation, and eligibility for public office.

Yes, individuals can hold multiple nationalities, either by birth or through naturalization in multiple countries.

Yes, one can change their nationality through legal processes like naturalization or renunciation.

International laws provide guidelines on the rights of nationals and the responsibilities of states, aiming to prevent statelessness and protect individual rights.

Migration and globalization can lead to more diverse and inclusive national identities, though they also challenge traditional notions of nationhood.

Statelessness occurs when an individual is not recognized as a national by any country, leading to a lack of legal rights and protections.

Dual nationality allows individuals to be legally recognized as nationals of two countries, enjoying the rights and obligations of both.

While often used interchangeably, in some contexts, citizenship refers more specifically to the rights and duties of nationals within a country's political system.

National symbols, such as flags and anthems, play a key role in fostering a sense of identity and unity within a nation.

Ethnic nationalism defines the nation by shared heritage and ancestry, whereas civic nationalism is based on shared values and political beliefs.

No, the criteria and laws governing nationality vary from country to country.

Nations can influence global politics through diaspora communities, cultural soft power, and movements for self-determination.

Yes, in some cases, countries can revoke nationality, often in situations involving criminal activity or national security threats.

Nationality can be lost through renunciation, deprivation (in cases of fraud or treason), or automatically through acquiring another nationality in some countries.