THE BASE OF THE STATE

• State vs. Government: The state and government are distinct concepts. The state is a permanent entity with an ideal personality, while government is the instrumentality of political unity. Governments may change, but the state remains.
• State vs. Nation: A state is a legal and political concept, while a nation is a racial or ethnic one. A nation involves people with common language, laws, origin, and culture. A state may consist of one or more nations.
• Physical Basis of the State: The territory of a state is crucial, including land, water, seas, bays, estuaries, and islets within its boundaries. The size of state territory varies, ranging from small entities to large nations like China or the United States.
• Changes in Territory: A state's territory may change through discovery, conquest, accretion, prescription, or cession. However, the addition or loss of territory doesn't affect its status as a state as long as some territory remains for its people.
• People of a State: A state must have a population sufficient to fulfill international obligations. Changes in population size won't impact its existence unless depopulation renders governance impractical.