Nation

A nation is a large community of people who share a sense of collective identity, often based on language, culture, territory, history, or ethnicity. Nations may be associated with a defined geographic area, but national identity can also persist among diasporas without a continuous sovereign state. The term does not require political autonomy; thus a nation can exist without a state, and a state can contain multiple nations.

Historically, nations and nationalism emerged in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries and were linked to the creation of modern states that claimed legitimacy from the people rather than divine right. Nation-building sought to align political institutions with national identity through education, language standardization, symbols, and law. The concept of a nation often overlaps with the idea of a nation-state, an independent state in which the population shares a common national identity. However, many states are multinational or multicultural, and some nations are stateless, lacking their own widely recognized state.

In practice, nationalism can be a force for self-determination and civic engagement but can also produce exclusion or conflict when competing national claims arise or minority rights are curtailed. Contemporary debates address issues of sovereignty, citizenship, immigration, minority protections, and the rights of indigenous or stateless nations. International law recognizes the principle of self-determination but also emphasizes territorial integrity and minority rights.