státu

A state is a political and legal entity that holds a defined territory, a permanent population, and a government capable of enforcing laws and administering services. It exercises sovereignty, meaning it has supreme authority within its borders and can enter into relations with other states. Core functions typically include maintaining public order, defending against external threats, administering justice, and providing public goods and services such as education, health care, and infrastructure. A state’s legitimacy is usually grounded in a constitution or equivalent legal framework and recognition by other states.

The term is used across languages with related meanings. In Czech, the word stát gives the general sense of “state” and státu is the genitive singular form of the noun. The concept has historical roots in medieval polities but took on its modern meaning in the early modern period, and was further developed in international law after the Peace of Westphalia (1648), which established the framework of sovereign states.

States vary in structure. Unitary states concentrate power in a central government, while federal states allocate powers to regional units. Constitutional states limit government action by a constitution. Welfare states pursue broad social programs financed by taxation. States also differ in forms of government, such as republics and monarchies, but all maintain formal sovereignty and engage in diplomacy under international law.

Although closely related to the notions of nations and national identity, a state is primarily a legal-political construct defined by sovereignty, territory, and institutions. The international system today comprises hundreds of states, whose interactions shape security, trade, and global governance.