Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How can one nation be represented by more than one state?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
state
Plato (center left) and Aristotle, detail from School of Athens, fresco by Raphael, 1508β11; in the Stanza della Segnatura, the Vatican. Plato is shown pointing to the heavens and the realm of forms, Aristotle to the earth and the realm of things.
A nation is a group of people sharing a common history, culture, language, or traditions, whereas a state is a sovereign political entity with a government and defined territory. Because these two concepts are distinct, a single nation can be represented by or divided among multiple states.1
This can occur through several historical and political processes:
- Political Division: A nation may be split into separate states due to geopolitical conflicts or external intervention. A prominent example is Korea, which existed as a unified entity for centuries before being divided into North Korea and South Korea following World War II.2
- Historical Fragmentation: In earlier periods, such as the era of the early modern principalities in Germany, a single nation was often represented by numerous smaller, contiguous states.1
- Administrative Evolution: When existing countries dissolve or are dismembered, new states may be formed based on prior internal administrative boundaries, potentially separating populations that share a national identity.3
Conversely, a single state may also encompass multiple nations, as seen historically in the Roman Empire and Austria-Hungary.1