State vs. Nation — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Published on September 28, 2023
A state refers to a political entity with defined borders and governance, while a nation pertains to a group of people sharing culture, history, or ethnicity.
Difference Between State and Nation
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A state is essentially a political construct. It consists of a specific region defined by recognized borders, governed by a set structure, often with its own set of laws and a system of governance. On the other hand, a nation embodies a group of people, typically with shared characteristics such as language, culture, history, or common descent. A nation might not have its own governing territory, but its people feel a sense of collective identity.
It is possible for a nation to have its own state, which we refer to as a nation-state. Here, the political entity (the state) aligns with the cultural entity (the nation). Yet, not all states are nation-states. Some states might encompass multiple nations within their borders, leading to a multi-national state. Similarly, a single nation could be spread across several states.
When you hear of state power or state legislation, the reference is to the political apparatus of the state and its capacity to govern and enact laws. Nation, conversely, emphasizes the community aspect, focusing on the people, their shared heritage, and their collective identity. This identity often transcends political borders.
Diplomatically, when states interact, they do so as political entities with recognized sovereignty. Nations, although they might not possess the same formal recognition or political clout as states, can exert cultural and social influence beyond their borders, through diaspora communities or cultural exports.
Comparison Chart
Definition
A political entity with defined borders and governance.
A group of people with shared culture, history, or ethnicity.
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Based On
Governance, territory
Shared identity
Can It Have Multiple Varieties?
Yes, like city-state, nation-state
Yes, like multi-nation state
Diplomatic Recognition
Typically recognized as sovereign entities
Might not have formal political recognition
Borders
Defined borders
May not have defined borders
Compare with Definitions
State
A political entity governed by an authority.
California is one of the fifty states in the USA.
Nation
A group of people with shared culture or ancestry.
The Navajo Nation spans parts of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico.
State
A condition or mode of being, as with regard to circumstances
The office was in a state of confusion.
Nation
The citizens of a particular state.
The nation awaited the president's address.
State
A condition of being in a stage or form, as of structure, growth, or development
The fetal state.
Nation
A community of people with a shared identity.
The idea of a global nation is becoming more prevalent.
State
A mental or emotional condition
In a manic state.
Nation
A collective with a shared history and customs.
The indigenous nations have rich traditions and histories.
State
(Informal) A condition of excitement or distress
Was in a state over going to the prom.
Nation
A large body of people united by common descent, culture, or language.
The nation celebrated its cultural heritage during the festival.
State
Social position or rank.
Nation
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.
State
(Physics) The condition of a physical system with regard to phase, form, composition, or structure
Ice is the solid state of water.
Nation
A relatively large group of people organized under a single, usually independent government; a country.
State
Ceremony; pomp
Foreign leaders dining in state at the White House.
Nation
The territory occupied by such a group of people
All across the nation, people are voting their representatives out.
State
The supreme public power within a sovereign political entity
The state intervening in the economy.
Nation
The government of a sovereign state.
State
The sphere of supreme civil power within a given polity
Matters of state.
Nation
A people who share common customs, origins, history, and frequently language; a nationality
"Historically the Ukrainians are an ancient nation which has persisted and survived through terrible calamity" (Robert Conquest).
State
A specific kind of government
The socialist state.
Nation
A federation or tribe, especially one composed of Native Americans.
State
A body politic, especially one constituting a nation
The states of Eastern Europe.
Nation
The territory occupied by such a federation or tribe.
State
One of the more or less internally autonomous territorial and political units composing a federation under a sovereign government
The 48 contiguous states of the Union.
Nation
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.
The Roma are a nation without a country.
State
Of or relating to a body politic or to an internally autonomous territorial or political unit constituting a federation under one government
A monarch dealing with state matters.
The department that handles state security.
Nation
A sovereign state.
Though legally single nations, many states comprise several distinct cultural or ethnic groups.
State
Owned and operated by a state
State universities.
Nation
An association of students based on its members' birthplace or ethnicity.
Once widespread across Europe in medieval times, nations are now largely restricted to the ancient universities of Sweden and Finland.
State
To set forth in words; declare.
Nation
(obsolete) A great number; a great deal.
State
A condition; a set of circumstances applying at any given time.
A state of being
A state of emergency
Nation
(rare) Damnation.
State
(physics) A complete description of a system, consisting of parameters that determine all properties of the system.
Nation
Extremely, very.
State
A mess; disorder.
Absolute state
In a state
Nation
A part, or division, of the people of the earth, distinguished from the rest by common descent, language, or institutions; a race; a stock.
All nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.
State
(computing) The stable condition of a processor during a particular clock cycle.
In the fetch state, the address of the next instruction is placed on the address bus.
Nation
The body of inhabitants of a country, united under an independent government of their own.
A nation is the unity of a people.
Praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
State
(computing) The set of all parameters relevant to a computation.
The state here includes a set containing all names seen so far.
Nation
Family; lineage.
State
(computing) The values of all parameters at some point in a computation.
A debugger can show the state of a program at any breakpoint.
Nation
One of the divisions of university students in a classification according to nativity, formerly common in Europe.
State
(sciences) The physical property of matter as solid, liquid, gas or plasma.
Nation
A great number; a great deal; - by way of emphasis; as, a nation of herbs.
State
(obsolete) Highest and stationary condition, as that of maturity between growth and decline, or as that of crisis between the increase and the abating of a disease; height; acme.
Nation
A politically organized body of people under a single government;
The state has elected a new president
African nations
Students who had come to the nation's capitol
The country's largest manufacturer
An industrialized land
State
High social standing or circumstance.
Nation
The people who live in a nation or country;
A statement that sums up the nation's mood
The news was announced to the nation
The whole country worshipped him
State
Pomp, ceremony, or dignity.
In state
The President's body will lie in state at the Capitol.
Nation
A federation of tribes (especially native American tribes);
The Shawnee nation
State
Rank; condition; quality.
Nation
United States prohibitionist who raided saloons and destroyed bottles of liquor with a hatchet (1846-1911)
State
Condition of prosperity or grandeur; wealthy or prosperous circumstances; social importance.
State
A chair with a canopy above it, often standing on a dais; a seat of dignity; also, the canopy itself.
State
(obsolete) A great person, a dignitary; a lord or prince.
State
(obsolete) Estate, possession.
State
A polity.
State
Any sovereign polity; a national or city-state government.
State
A political division of a federation retaining a notable degree of autonomy, as in the United States, Mexico, Nigeria, or India.
State
(obsolete) A form of government other than a monarchy.
State
(anthropology) A society larger than a tribe. A society large enough to form a state in the sense of a government.
State
An element of the range of the random variables that define a random process.
State
The lexical aspect (aktionsart) of verbs or predicates that do not change over time.
State
(transitive) To declare to be a fact.
He stated that he was willing to help.
State
(transitive) To make known.
State your intentions.
State
(obsolete) Stately.
State
The circumstances or condition of a being or thing at any given time.
State is a term nearly synonymous with "mode," but of a meaning more extensive, and is not exclusively limited to the mutable and contingent.
Declare the past and present state of things.
Keep the state of the question in your eye.
State
Rank; condition; quality; as, the state of honor.
Thy honor, state, and seat is due to me.
State
Condition of prosperity or grandeur; wealthy or prosperous circumstances; social importance.
She instructed him how he should keep state, and yet with a modest sense of his misfortunes.
Can this imperious lord forget to reign,Quit all his state, descend, and serve again?
State
Appearance of grandeur or dignity; pomp.
Where least of state there most of love is shown.
State
A chair with a canopy above it, often standing on a dais; a seat of dignity; also, the canopy itself.
His high throne, . . . under stateOf richest texture spread.
When he went to court, he used to kick away the state, and sit down by his prince cheek by jowl.
State
Estate; possession.
Your state, my lord, again is yours.
State
A person of high rank.
State
The principal persons in a government.
The bold designPleased highly those infernal states.
State
The bodies that constitute the legislature of a country; as, the States-general of Holland.
State
A form of government which is not monarchial, as a republic.
Well monarchies may own religion's name,But states are atheists in their very fame.
State
A political body, or body politic; the whole body of people who are united under one government, whatever may be the form of the government; a nation.
Municipal law is a rule of conduct prescribed by the supreme power in a state.
The Puritans in the reign of Mary, driven from their homes, sought an asylum in Geneva, where they found a state without a king, and a church without a bishop.
State
In the United States, one of the commonwealths, or bodies politic, the people of which make up the body of the nation, and which, under the national constitution, stand in certain specified relations with the national government, and are invested, as commonwealths, with full power in their several spheres over all matters not expressly inhibited.
State
Highest and stationary condition, as that of maturity between growth and decline, or as that of crisis between the increase and the abating of a disease; height; acme.
I do not, brother,Infer as if I thought my sister's stateSecure without all doubt or controversy.
We hoped to enjoy with ease what, in our situation, might be called the luxuries of life.
And, O, what man's condition can be worseThan his whom plenty starves and blessings curse?
State
A statement; also, a document containing a statement.
State
Stately.
State
Belonging to the state, or body politic; public.
State
To set; to settle; to establish.
I myself, though meanest stated,And in court now almost hated.
Who calls the council, states the certain day.
State
To express the particulars of; to set down in detail or in gross; to represent fully in words; to narrate; to recite; as, to state the facts of a case, one's opinion, etc.
State
The group of people comprising the government of a sovereign state;
The state has lowered its income tax
State
The territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation;
His state is in the deep south
State
A politically organized body of people under a single government;
The state has elected a new president
African nations
Students who had come to the nation's capitol
The country's largest manufacturer
An industrialized land
State
The way something is with respect to its main attributes;
The current state of knowledge
His state of health
In a weak financial state
State
The federal department in the UnitedStates that sets and maintains foreign policies;
The Department of State was created in 1789
State
The territory occupied by a nation;
He returned to the land of his birth
He visited several European countries
State
A state of depression or agitation;
He was in such a state you just couldn't reason with him
State
(chemistry) the three traditional states of matter are solids (fixed shape and volume) and liquids (fixed volume and shaped by the container) and gases (filling the container);
The solid state of water is called ice
State
Express in words;
He said that he wanted to marry her
Tell me what is bothering you
State your opinion
State your name
State
Put before;
I submit to you that the accused is guilty
State
Indicate through a symbol, formula, etc.;
Can you express this distance in kilometers?
State
A defined territory with its governance.
Many states have their own flags and symbols.
State
A division within a federation.
Each state in the union has its representation in Congress.
State
An organized political community under one government.
The state is responsible for providing basic amenities to its citizens.
State
A territory considered as an organized political community.
The state boundaries were redrawn after the agreement.
Common Curiosities
Can a state exist without being a nation?
Yes, a state can exist without corresponding to a single nation; such states might encompass multiple nations.
Is every nation recognized with its territory?
No, not every nation has its recognized territory or state.
What's a nation-state?
A nation-state is a state where the political entity and cultural entity align.
Can borders define a nation?
While states have defined borders, nations are based on shared identity and might not have specific boundaries.
Can a nation exist within multiple states?
Yes, a nation can be spread across several states or even countries.
What primarily defines a state?
A state is defined by its governance and defined borders.
What embodies the essence of a nation?
A nation is a group of people with shared culture, history, or ethnicity.
Do states have sovereignty?
Typically, states are recognized as sovereign entities with the power of self-governance.
Is a country the same as a nation?
Not necessarily; while a country might be synonymous with a state, a nation emphasizes the people and their shared identity.
What's a multi-nation state?
A state that has multiple nations within its borders.
Does every nation have a formal government?
No, while nations have a shared identity, they might not have a formal governing structure.
Is culture a defining aspect of a nation?
Yes, culture, along with history and often language, is a defining characteristic of a nation.
Can there be multiple nations within one state?
Yes, many states encompass multiple nations, leading to a diverse cultural landscape.
Do all states have their own laws?
Most states have their jurisdiction and might enact their laws, but they are also subject to federal or central laws.
Do nations have their flags or symbols like states do?
While states often have official flags or symbols, nations, especially those without territory, might not have official symbols but can have cultural emblems.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
