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A '''nation''' is a group of people sharing aspects of their
language,
culture and/or
ethnicity.
The name derives from Latin ''natio'' and originally described the colleagues in a
college or students, above all at the
University of Paris, who were all born within a ''pays'', spoke the same language and expected to be ruled by their own familiar law. In 1383 and 1384, while studying theology at Paris,
Jean Gerson was twice elected procurator for the French ''nation'' (i.e. the French-born Francophone students at the University). The Paris division of students into ''nations'' was adopted at the
University of Prague, where from its opening in 1349 the ''studium generale'' was divided among Czech, Bavarian, Saxon and Polish ''nations''.
While today many nations appear to co-incide with an
independent state (a
nation-state), this happenstance occurred comparatively rarely in pre-modern history; the rise of
nationalism in the
18th and
19th century saw the idea that each nation deserves its own state gain momentum in
Europe. Today too, however, many nations exist without a state, such as the
Kurds,
Gibraltarian and the
native American nations, whereas many states comprise several nations, such as
Belgium and
Spain. There are other cases also – until
1922 the
Irish nation was wholly within the
United Kingdom. Following a move for independence, the country was partitioned into an independent southern state (now the
Republic of Ireland), with
Northern Ireland remaining in the Union.
In common usage, terms such as ''nation,
country,
land'' and ''
state'' often appear as near-
synonyms, i.e., for a
territory under a single
sovereign government, or the inhabitants of such a territory, or the government itself; in other words, a ''
de jure'' or ''
de facto'' state.
In a somewhat more strict sense, however, ''nation'' denominates a
people in contrast to ''country'' which denominates a
territory, whereas ''
state'' expresses a legitimised administrative institution. Confusingly, the terms ''national'' and ''international'' are used as technical terms applying to ''states'', see
country.
The idea of a ''nation'' remains somewhat vague, in that there is generally no strict definition for exactly who is considered to be a member of any particular nation. Many modern states show a great diversity of cultural behaviours and ethnic backgrounds.
England may furnish a classic example: a territory which is not a state, since it has no government of its own, and which has large immigrant populations and diverse cultural behaviour, yet which is often described as a nation.
Governments of stable nation-states may address this problem by granting
nationality, sometimes distinguished from
citizenship, to those who have one or both parents already possessing nationality, or who are born within the country in question. When granting nationality to
immigrants, authorities sometimes apply language and cultural knowledge tests, but now often ignore ethnicity in order to avoid
racism and/or the accusation thereof.
Groups which are in some way culturally coherent (or who claim to be) are sometimes described as nations, despite not sharing a territory (see
diaspora). Examples of such concepts include the
Romany "nation" and the
Jewish "nation" (especially before the creation of the state of
Israel).
==Related Concepts==
*
Nationality
*
Nationalism
*
Nation-state
*
Country
*
State
*
Ethnicity
*
Ethnic group
*
Race
*
Society
*
Identity
==See also==
*
List of countries
*
Melungeon
*
Micronation
*
National emblem
==Links==
*
http://www.populationdata.net all nations around the world
ca:Naci
da:Folkeslag
de:Nation
eo:Nacio
es:Nacin
fr:Nation
ja:国民
nl:Natie
pl:Naród
pt:Nao (histria e geografia)
ru:Нация
simple:Nation
sw:Madola
zh-cn:民族
