Geography and State

Geography
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Geography
A state is described as “an independent, sovereign government that exercises over an area that is defined by boundaries, with borders that are clearly defined and recognized internationally by other states” (Dahlman & Renwick, 2014). Usually, states are associated with a specific territory and regarded as an absolute ruler of that territory. Since there are clearly defined borders, the state government is mandated to defend the territory within the particular borders. The states also have bureaucracies and monopolize certain functions within their territory, with legitimate use of force, controlling money, collect taxes, controls information, and makes rules (Flint, 2016).
On the other hand, “a nation is a group of people who perceive themselves as a cohesive and coherent unit based on their shared cultural values or history” (Dahlman & Renwick, 2014). Usually, nations are understood as ‘imagined communities’ held together by ideas of unity based on race, religions, ethnic, language, or cultural practice (Dahlman & Renwick, 2014). Finally, a nation-state is based on the idea of a homogenous nation that is governed by its sovereign state, where the state contains one nation. However, ...