There is often confusion between the concepts of State, Nation and Government. Many people believe that such expressions have the same meaning, however, they are quite different matters.
Per state is understood as the administrative unit of a territory. There is no state without territory. The State is formed by the set of public institutions that represent, organize and respond (at least in theory) to the needs of the population that inhabits its territory. Among these institutions, we can mention the government, schools, prisons, public hospitals, the army, among others.
Thus, the government it would be just one of the institutions that make up the State, with the function of administering it. Governments are transitory and have different forms, which vary from place to place, while States are permanent (at least as long as the current capitalist system lasts).
THE Nation, on the other hand, has its concept linked to identity, culture and historical aspects. By nation we mean a grouping or organization of a society that shares the same customs, characteristics, language, culture and that already has a certain historical tradition.
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Some authors even claim that the State would be the institutionalization of the Nation. However, there is the existence of States with many nations – or multinationals – and some nations without a constituted State.
An example of a multinational state is Brazil, which has inhabitants of different customs and ethnicities, such as the indigenous peoples and the inhabitants of the pampa region of Rio Grande do Sul (who inhabit southern Brazil and parts of Argentina and the Uruguay). Among the stateless nations, the situation of the Kurds stands out, a people who inhabit regions of the Middle East and who do not have their own territory, that is, their constituted State.
By Rodolfo Alves Pena
Graduated in Geography
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PENA, Rodolfo F. Alves. "State, Nation and Government"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/estado-nacao-governo.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
