estado

Estado is the term used in Spanish and Portuguese to denote a political and legal entity that claims sovereignty over a defined territory and a permanent population. In political science, the Estado is distinguished from its government—the current set of leaders and institutions that exercise power. The concept is closely tied to sovereignty, the ability to regulate internal affairs and to engage in international relations.

Key features commonly associated with the modern state include a defined territory, a permanent population, a government capable of enforcing laws, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. The Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States (1933) formalized these criteria. The state’s authority is often described, following Max Weber, as the monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within its borders. States typically possess institutions such as an executive, a legislature, and a judiciary, and they exercise sovereignty over taxation, legislation, and administration.

Historically, the modern state evolved from earlier political formations and consolidated after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which contributed to the contemporary system of sovereign states. States can be organized as unitary states with centralized authority or as federations that distribute power between central and regional governments. The concept is also linked to the rule of law, or estado de derecho, which emphasizes limits on governmental power through constitutional norms and legal processes.

In everyday language, estado can refer to the government in power, a country as a whole, or to subnational entities within federations. The term also appears in phrases like estado de emergencia or estado de derecho, reflecting its broad administrative and legal uses beyond strict sovereignty.