What Makes A Country A Country

Singled-out territorial body or political entity

A land is a distinct territorial trunk or political entity.^[1] It may exist an independent sovereign state or part of a larger country,^[2] as a not-sovereign or formerly sovereign political sectionalisation, a physical territory with a authorities, or a geographic region associated with sets of previously independent or differently associated peoples with distinct political characteristics. It is not inherently sovereign.

The largest country in the earth by geographical surface area is Russia, while the most populous is China. The smallest and the to the lowest degree populous is the microstate Vatican City.^[3]

Etymology and usage [edit]

The word country comes from Old French contrée , which derives from Vulgar Latin ( terra ) contrata ("(land) lying opposite"; "(land) spread before"), derived from contra ("against, opposite"). It most likely entered the English language after the Franco-Norman invasion during the 11th century.

In English the word has increasingly go associated with political divisions, then that one sense, associated with the indefinite article – "a land" – through misuse and subsequent conflation is now a synonym for country, or a former sovereign state, in the sense of sovereign territory or "district, native land".^[iv] Examples of these in North America include Navajo Country, Shuswap Country, Okanagan Country, Blackfoot Country, Inuit Country, the Comanche Country or Comanchería, and the Delaware Country or Lenapehoking. Areas much smaller than a political state may be chosen by names such as the West Country in England, the Blackness State (a heavily industrialised part of England), "Lawman Country" (a part of East Anglia painted past John Constable), the "big country" (used in various contexts of the American West), "coal country" (used of parts of the US and elsewhere) and many other terms.^[iv]

The equivalent terms in diverse Romance languages (e.g. the French pays ) have not carried the procedure of existence identified with sovereign political states as far every bit the English language state. These terms are derived from the Roman term pagus , which continued to be used in the Middle Ages for pocket-size geographical areas similar to the size of English language counties. In many European countries, the words are used for sub-divisions of the national territory, as in the German Bundesländer , likewise every bit a less formal term for a sovereign state. France has very many " pays " that are officially recognised at some level and are either natural regions, like the Pays de Bray, or reverberate old political or economic entities, like the Pays de la Loire.

A version of "country" can be found in modern French as contrée , derived from the Old French word cuntrée ,^[4] that is used similarly to the word pays to ascertain non-state regions, but tin also be used to depict a political state in some particular cases. The mod Italian contrada is a word with its meaning varying locally, but unremarkably meaning a ward or similar pocket-size division of a boondocks, or a village or hamlet in the countryside.

State names [edit]

Countries may be known by ii names: a protocol, formal, full, or official proper name; and a geographical, common, or short proper noun.^[5] ^[6] ^[seven] ^[eight]

Country symbols [edit]

Symbols of a country indicate cultural, religious or political symbol of any nation or race the country consists of. There are many categories of symbols which tin can exist seen in flags, coat of artillery or seals.

Flags
Coats of arms or national emblems
Seals or stamps
National mottos
National colours
National anthems

Sovereignty condition [edit]

The term "land" can refer to a sovereign land. In that location is no universal understanding on the number of "countries" in the world since a number of states have disputed sovereignty status. By one application of the declarative theory of statehood and constitutive theory of statehood,^[9] there are 206 sovereign states; of which 193 are members of the UN, 2 take observer status at the United Nations General Associates (UNGA) (the Holy See and Palestine), and 11 others are neither a member nor observer at the UNGA.

The caste of autonomy of not-sovereign countries varies widely. Some are possessions of sovereign states, as several states accept overseas territories (such as French Polynesia, or the British Virgin Islands), with citizenry at times identical and at times distinct from their own. Such territories, with the exception of distinct dependent territories, ^{[ clarify ]} are commonly listed together with sovereign states on lists of countries, merely may nevertheless be treated as a divide "country of origin" in international trade, as Hong Kong is.^[ten] ^[eleven] ^[12]

A few states consist of a union of smaller polities which are considered countries:

French republic includes French Polynesia, which has the sui generis status of pays d'outre-mer (overseas land), amongst the residue of les Outre-mer (overseas French republic), in improver to "Metropolitan France" ("the Hexagon").^[13]
The Kingdom of kingdom of the netherlands includes iv separate constituent countries (Dutch: landen): Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten.
The United Kingdom includes the four countries England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The Crown Dependencies and the Overseas Territories, which are not part of the UK itself, are as well considered countries (for example: Bermuda^[fourteen]).

Country classification [edit]

Several organisations seek to place trends to produce country classifications. Countries are often distinguished equally developing countries or adult countries.

The United Nations [edit]

The Un Department of Economic and Social Affairs annually produces the World Economic Situation and Prospects Report classifies states every bit developed countries, economies in transition, or developing countries. The written report classifies land development based on per capita gross national income (GNI). The UN identifies subgroups within the broad categories based on geographical location or ad hoc criteria. The UN outlines the geographical regions for developing economies like Africa, East Asia, South asia, Southwest asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The 2019 report recognises only adult countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. The majority of economies in transition and developing countries are plant in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Un additionally recognises multiple trends that touch the developmental condition of countries in the World Economic State of affairs and Prospects. The report highlights fuel-exporting and fuel-importing countries, small island developing states, and landlocked developing countries. Information technology also identifies heavily indebted developing countries.^[xv]

The newest United nations (UN) member is South Sudan.^[16] ^[17] ^{[ failed verification ]}

The World Bank [edit]

The Earth Banking company too classifies countries based on GNI per capita. The Earth Banking company Atlas method classifies countries every bit depression-income economies, lower-middle-income economies, upper-center-income economies, or loftier-income economies. For the 2020 fiscal year, the World Bank defines low-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita of $1,025 or less in 2018; lower-middle-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita betwixt $i,026 and $3,995; upper-center-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita between $iii,996 and $12,375; high-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita of $12,376 or more.^[18]

It as well identifies regional trends. The World Bank defines its regions as East Asia and Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle Eastward and Northward Africa, Northward America, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Lastly, the Earth Depository financial institution distinguishes countries based on the operational policies of the World Bank. The three categories include International Development Association (IDA) countries, International Bank for Reconstruction and Evolution (IBRD) countries, and Alloy countries.

Run across likewise [edit]

Urban center network
Constituent state
Lists of countries and territories
List of former sovereign states
List of sovereign states and dependent territories by continent
Listing of transcontinental countries
Micronation
Princely state
Quasi-state

Notes [edit]

References [edit]

^ "Definition of Country". Worlddata.info. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019.
^ Jones, J. (1964). What Makes a State? Human Events, 24(31), 14.
^ "Globe Population Clock: 7.9 Billion People (2021) - Worldometer". www.worldometers.info . Retrieved 21 September 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c John Simpson; Edmund Weiner (eds.). "land, n.". Oxford English language Dictionary (1971 meaty ed.). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN978-0-nineteen-861186-8.
^ "Publications Part – Interinstitutional Style Guide – Annex A5 – List of countries, territories and currencies". publications.europa.eu.
^ "UNGEGN World Geographical Names".
^ "FAO Land Profiles". www.fao.org.
^ "Countries: Designations and abbreviations to use".
^ "Declaratory and Constitutive Theories of State/State Recognition". LawTeacher.net. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 10 March 2015.
^ "Made In The British Crown Colony". Thuy-Tien Crampton. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014.
^ "Matchbox label, made in Hong Kong". delcampe.net. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014.
^ "Carrhart Made In Hong Kong?". ContractorTalk.
^ https://world wide web.un.org/dppa/decolonization/sites/www.un.org.dppa.decolonization/files/2018_5_nsgt_french_polynesia_prs2018c_rr_16.pdf#-mGIONjnuQJUJ%3a^{[ bare URL PDF ]}
^ "Conflicted, bourgeois Bermuda stages get-go Pride parade". Reuters. 30 August 2019.
^ "World Economic and Situation Prospects 2019" (PDF). The Un. The United Nations. Retrieved 18 Jan 2020.
^ "UN welcomes South Sudan equally 193rd Member State". 14 July 2011.
^ "Admission of New Members to the Un - Rules of Procedure". Un. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010.
^ "How does the World Bank classify countries?". The World Banking concern. The World Depository financial institution. Retrieved 18 January 2020.

External links [edit]

The CIA World Factbook
Country Studies from the United States Library of Congress
Foreign Data by State and Country & Territory Guides from GovPubs at UCB Libraries
United Nations statistics segmentation