When the European empires were dividing up Africa into colonies, and later into independent states, they created “superimposed boundaries.” “Superimposed boundaries” are political barriers drawn in an area with complete disregard for the cultural, religious, and ethnic divisions within the people living there. It occurred frequently in Africa as the era of colonialism came to an end and the European powers created independent nations recklessly, without paying attention to the cultural divisions already in existence in the region.

Antarctica is not owned by any sovereign nation, but many different countries around the world have claimed all or part of the territory in their recent history. Some of the biggest claims have been made by Norway, Russia, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Argentina, but none of these claims are internationally respected or accepted.

Hadrian’s Wall once served as the final frontier of the far northern reaches of the Roman Empire. It separated civilized Britons from the barbarian Picts and Gauls. In the years since it’s significance as a political boundary has waned and it is now located entirely within the territory of England. Because it is no longer a political boundary, but once was, it is called a “relic boundary.”

In a theocracy the government is presumed to be divinely ordained by God. The highest law of the land is the law of God (in whatever that state’s religion is). Theocracies were more common in the past, but many still exist in the world today. And, many more countries which are nominally democracies or autocracies nonetheless have elements of theocracy.

Puerto Rico came into American possession in 1898, following American victory over the Spanish in the Spanish-American War. For a time it was administered as a territory of the United States; however, in the 1950s its status was changed to that of a commonwealth territory. The meaning of this is controversial and often debated, but it essentially means that Puerto Rico retains autonomy in some areas but is under the control of the American government in other areas.

Taiwan is an island off the coast of mainland China. In 1949, following his defeat in the Chinese Civil War, the nationalist Chiang Kai-Shek established his democratic China in Taiwan. For almost three decades this was the China that was recognized by most of the western world, whereas communist mainland China was considered illegitimate. Following the normalization of relations between China and the west in the wake of the death of Mao Zedong mainland China became recognized as the “real and legitimate” China. Taiwan exists in a kind of grey area in the minds of many people, although is considered part of China by the mainland Chinese government. It is called “Chinese Taipei” by many western governments out of a sort of diplomatic necessity.

Let's begin with separate definitions of the two entities. A state is similar to a country, in that it is a sovereign, bounded territory with its own government. Meanwhile a nation is a group of people with a shared culture and history. Neither is permanent, since a state can change its borders, and a nation can adjust its identity. Furthermore, nationhood is often tied powerfully to a piece of land, just as much as a state. Similarly, a state as much a product of history and people as a nation is. Thus the best description is the closest to our primary definitions: that a state is a political determination of sovereignty defined by its boundaries, while a nation is defined by its people.