In political science, a “nation” refers to a group of people who feel bound into a single body by shared culture, values, folkways, religion and/or language. A “state” just refers to a patch of land with a sovereign government. States often coincide with nations (and are called “nation-states,” but not always. States that overlap multiple nations tend to have civil wars; states that exclude parts of a nation tend to have wars with the neighboring state(s) that contain the rest of the nation.

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In addition to these, there are other non-sovereign territories which, under the philosophy of self-determination, wish to be considered countries in this sense. Some of these have de facto control over their population and territory, such as Abkhazia, but are not considered states as they are not recognised as having sovereignty. On the other hand, in some internationally-recognised states, there is no functioning central government or there are several de facto states and governments. These are internationally not considered to constitute separate states, but rather to exist on the territory of the internationally recognised state.

A nation is a ‘set of people with a common identity who have formed a nation-state or usually aspire to do so’ (Viotti and Kauppi, 2001). In this sense of country, the reference is more likely to be to a group that supposedly shares a common ethnic origin, language, religion, or history (real or illusory).

The term has become synonymous with ‘country’ where nations without sovereignty (that is, nations that are not states) have aimed to identify themselves on the same terms as sovereign states. Others, including nationalists, may consider their single nation (or country) to be divided between different states.

A nation is a community of people rooted in kinship and which has grown through a process of differentiation and opposition. It is not nature or nurture – but, it is both. It is a togetherness rooted in a shared heritage, language and culture and expressed in a determined will to live in equality and in freedom. It is a political togetherness concerned both with the structure and the exercise of power in an inter-national frame.

But a nation is not a state. And it is not necessarily a state in waiting. The digital revolution is helping to forge anew the togetherness of a people -as State boundaries become increasingly porous, not only to the market but also to information, human rights and political activism – and deep rooted kinship ties are finding fresh avenues for expression

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A state refers to a legal/political entity that is comprised of the following: a) a permanent population; b) a defined territory; c) a government ; and d) the capacity to enter into relations with other states. EX- Israel