State

A state is a politically organized territory with a sovereign government. The concept of the state is similar to that of country, which is the term used in popular discourse. However, the term country has other meanings (e.g., a rural landscape) and is avoided in academic writing and other circumstances where precision in meaning is necessary. At the same time, the term state is used synonymously with the term nation, which is much different in that the latter refers to a people with a common identity. The meaning of state is also obscured because a state's first level of subdivision, commonly called a province, also [Page 2686]is sometimes called a state. The United States is an example where this occurs. However, its states (from Alabama to Wyoming) do not have sovereignty. The United Nations attempts to avoid this confusion by using a capital “S” for those with sovereignty and a lowercase “s” for those without it. This practice helps distinguish the two concepts but has not been widely adopted by others. In any case, the practice works only in some written languages and not in any spoken language.

The world's political map generally consists of states. Yet among the world's states are a number of political entities (e.g., colonies, protectorates) that do not completely fulfill the requirements of a state. Similarly, other political entities (e.g., intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations [IGOs and NGOs]) also are confused with states because they share some characteristics with states. States are distinguished from these other political entities because they have all the required characteristics: government, sovereignty, territory, a permanent resident population, recognition, and organized economic, transportation, communication, and public welfare systems. Government refers to an administrative system that oversees the functions of the state. It enacts and enforces laws, manages foreign affairs, regulates the economy, organizes defense, provides some degree of health care and universal education, and designs the transportation and communication systems and ensures their proper functioning. Sovereignty is the ability of a state's government to perform these functions without interference from other forces, either internally or externally. Some political entities on the world map fail to meet these two criteria and consequently are not considered to be true states. Examples include Greenland (part of Denmark) and Puerto Rico (a territory of the United States with commonwealth status). Similarly, French Guiana (in South America), Guadeloupe, Martinique (both in the Caribbean), and Reunion (in the Indian Ocean) are considered to be among the 26 regions that constitute France as a state, while Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, and Wallis and Futuna are France's dependencies.

Recognition is important for the long-term viability of states. When states have it, other states are expected to treat them according to international norms, most notably to respect their sovereignty and territorial integrity. Those without recognition are vulnerable to infringement on their sovereignty and territorial incursions and claims by other states. Examples of entities on the political map that claim statehood but are not recognized by other states include Nagorno-Karabakh (in Azerbaijan), Somaliland (in Somalia), and Transnistria (in Moldova). Others are only recognized by a very limited number of countries. For example, in early 2010, Abkhazia and South Ossetia were recognized only by Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Nauru, while Northern Cyprus was recognized only by Turkey. Some have greater recognition. For example, Kosovo and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara) were recognized by 64 and 49 states, respectively, by early 2010, while the Republic of China (Taiwan) now has fewer than 30 states that recognize it, as many others have shifted their recognition to the People's Republic of China. Other states are recognized by most other states but still lack full recognition. For example, in early 2010, Israel had diplomatic relations with more than 150 others, and Palestine was recognized by 112, but neither country recognizes the other. Some states have almost complete recognition except by a few states. Examples include Cyprus, which is not recognized by Turkey, and North and South Korea, which do not recognize each other. Though greater recognition brings greater security, these latter cases also illustrate that states still are vulnerable to hostile neighbors that do not recognize them.

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