Written by A state is an independent politically organized group of people living in a geographical area, and who also has a sovereign government.
It is any group of people who are politically organized and who have a defined area, a known population, and a well-functioning governing body.
Four things defined a state: Government, territory, population, and sovereignty.
USA, France, Nigeria, UK, are among the better-known examples of a state.
Features of a state
1. Definite territory: This is one of the most important features of a state.
A state must have a definite territory that is acknowledged by other nations on an international level.
In other words, a state should have an internationally recognized borders and a well defined land mass.
It should be noted that the territory of a state can change over time as a result of conflict or the acquisition of new territory.
For example, Mexico lose about a third of its land to USA, following the Mexican_American war. Similarly, Russia sold Alaska to USA for just $7.2 million.
2. Government: A state must have a government because it is that institution that oversee the affairs of the state.
Government organizes and regulates the activities of everyone in the state. Government makes, enforces, and interprets laws.
3. Population: This describes the total number of people living in a particular state.
A state is not a physical structure. Instead, it consists of two groups of people: those in power (the government) and those who are being ruled (citizens).
A state’s population is made up of both its citizens and its government.
4. Sovereignty: This entails that the state must have complete control over all activities inside its borders.
In essence, a state should be free from any external control by other states.
Sovereignty is one of the essential feature of a state, because without it, a state cannot enact laws or create foreign policies that its citizens will adhere to.
Sovereignty ensures that the state can maintain make laws and implement them without the interference of other states.
5. Permanence: A state ought to have a fair amount of permanence.In other words, it ought to last for a long time.
As long as there is no state partition or secession, the government may change but the state will continue to exist.
The permanent nature of the state ensures that the political system of the state can develop more rapidly.
6. International recognition: A state cannot exist by itself. It needs to interact and communicate with other states.
For this reason, other states must acknowledge the existence of a state’s.
International agencies such as United Nation Organization must recognized the existence of the state, as evidence in granting of membership to the state.
The international recognition of a state will ensure that the other states support it when another state tries to evade it.
7. Law: This is another important feature of a state.
There should be laws that governed the activities of every one in the state.
These law may be written or unwritten.
What matters is that there should be laws to regulate how the government and its citizens should behave and act.
Without laws, there may be anarchy, which is obviously not good for any state.
8. Head of government and head of government: A state should not only have a government. The government of a state must also have a political head.
Similarly, a state should have a head of state.
The office of head of state and head of government are normally held by the same person under a presidential form of government, but in a parliamentary system, the two positions are typically held by different people.
In any case, a state should always have a head of state and head of government.
9. Political capital: A state typically has a capital that serves as the political hub for most governmental operations.
For instance, London is the political capital of the United Kingdom, Abuja is the political capital of Nigeria, and Washington, D.C is the capital of US.
Most governmental decisions are decided in the state’s political capital, which is typically where the executive branch’s office is located.
