staat

Staat (German for state) is a political-legal entity that asserts ultimate authority over a defined territory and its population, and that possesses a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force. It maintains a permanent administration and a stable legal order, usually codified in a constitution or basic laws. The state is distinct from a government, which is the current leadership and its administrative apparatus, and from a nation, which denotes a people with shared identity, culture, or history that may or may not align with state borders.

Sovereignty is central to the concept: internal sovereignty refers to exclusive authority within the territory, while external sovereignty concerns recognition and independence in foreign relations. States exercise authority through institutions such as legislatures, executives, and judiciaries, and through administration of public services, security, justice, and the regulation of economy and society.

States vary in structure and regime. Common distinctions include unitary and federal states, and democratic or non-democratic regimes. Constitutional arrangements constrain state power through laws and courts, whereas non-constitutional regimes concentrate authority without robust legal limits.

In the modern era, states interact within a system of international law and organizations, which can influence sovereignty and policy. The concept of the state remains a central object of political science, public law, and history, even as globalization, regional integration, and non-state actors alter traditional forms of political authority.