Sovereign state

Short description: State having the highest authority over a territory

Not to be confused with Federated state.

A sovereign state is a state that has sovereignty, that is, the highest authority over a territory.[1] It is commonly understood that a sovereign state is independent.[2] When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may also refer to a constituent country, or a dependent territory.[3][4][5]

A sovereign state is required to have a permanent population, defined territory, a government not under the control of another, and the capacity to interact with other sovereign states.[6] In actual practice, recognition or non-recognition by other states plays an important role in determining the status of a country. Although the political existence of the sovereign state is independent of recognition by the other states, unrecognized states often have difficulty engaging in diplomatic relations with other sovereign states.[7][8]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Westphalian sovereignty
* 3 Recognition
* 3.1 Constitutive theory
* 3.2 Declarative theory
* 3.3 State recognition
* 3.4 De facto and de jure states
* 3.5 Semi-sovereign states
* 4 Relationship between state and government
* 5 State extinction
* 6 Ontological status of the state
* 6.1 The state as "quasi-abstract"
* 6.2 The state as "spiritual entity"
* 7 Trends in the number of states
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 9.1 Citations
* 9.2 Sources
* 10 Further reading
* 11 External links

## History

Since the end of the 19th century, almost the entire globe has been divided into sections (countries) with more or less defined borders assigned to different states. Previously, quite large plots of land were either unclaimed or deserted, or inhabited by nomadic peoples that were not organized into states.[citation needed] here are large remote areas, such as the Amazon's tropical forests, that are either uninhabited or inhabited exclusively or mainly by indigenous people (and some of them are still not in constant contact). Additionally, there are states where de facto control is contested or where it is not exercised over their whole area.[citation needed]

## Westphalian sovereignty

Main article: Social:Westphalian system

Westphalian sovereignty is the concept of nation-state sovereignty based on territoriality and the absence of a role for external agents in domestic structures. It is an international system of states and organizations that began with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.[9]

Sovereignty is a term that is frequently misused.[10][11] Up until the 19th century, the radicalised concept of a "standard of civilization" was routinely deployed to determine that certain people in the world were "uncivilized", and lacking organised societies. That position was reflected and constituted in the notion that their "sovereignty" was either completely lacking or at least of an inferior character when compared to that of the "civilized" people".[12] Lassa Oppenheim said, "There exists perhaps no conception the meaning of which is more controversial than that of sovereignty. It is an indisputable fact that this conception, from the moment when it was introduced into political science until the present day, has never had a meaning, which was universally agreed upon."[13] In the opinion of H. V. Evatt of the High Court of Australia, "sovereignty is neither a question of fact, nor a question of law, but a question that does not arise at all".[14]

Sovereignty has taken on a different meaning with the development of the principle of self-determination and the prohibition against the threat or use of force as jus cogens norms of modern international law. The United Nations Charter, the Draft Declaration on Rights and Duties of States, and the charters of regional international organizations express the view that all states are juridically equal and enjoy the same rights and duties based upon the mere fact of their existence as persons under international law.[15][16] The right of nations to determine their own political status and exercise permanent sovereignty within the limits of their territorial jurisdictions is widely recognized.[17][18][19]

In political science, sovereignty is usually defined as the most essential attribute of the state in the form of its complete self-sufficiency in the frames of a certain territory, that is its supremacy in the domestic policy and independence in the foreign one.[20]

Named after the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia, the Westphalian System of state sovereignty, according to Bryan Turner, "made a more or less clear separation between religion and state, and recognized the right of princes "to confessionalize" the state, that is, to determine the religious affiliation of their kingdoms on the pragmatic principle of cuius regio eius religio [whose realm, his religion]."[21]

Before 1900, sovereign states enjoyed absolute immunity from the judicial process, derived from the concepts of sovereignty and the Westphalian equality of states. First articulated by Jean Bodin, the powers of the state are considered to be suprema potestas within territorial boundaries. Based on this, the jurisprudence has developed along the lines of affording immunity from prosecution to foreign states in domestic courts. In The Schooner Exchange v. M'Faddon, Chief Justice John Marshall of the United States Supreme Court wrote that the "perfect equality and absolute independence of sovereigns" has created a class of cases where "every sovereign is understood to waive the exercise of a part of that complete exclusive territorial jurisdiction, which has been stated to be the attribute of every nation".[22][23]

Absolute sovereign immunity is no longer as widely accepted as it has been in the past, and some countries, including Australia, Canada, Singapore, South Africa, Pakistan, and the United States, have introduced restrictive immunity by statute, which explicitly limits jurisdictional immunity to public acts, but not private or commercial ones, though there is no precise definition by which public acts can easily be distinguished from private ones.[23]

## Recognition

There are debates over whether states can exist as a fact independent of recognition or whether recognition is one of the facts necessary to bring states into being.[24][25][26][27][28] A No definition is binding on all the members of the community of nations on the criteria for statehood. Some argue that the criteria are mainly political, not legal.[29][30] L.C. Green cited the recognition of the unborn Polish and Czechoslovak states in World War I and explained that "since recognition of statehood is a matter of discretion, it is open to any existing State to accept as a state any entity it wishes, regardless of the existence of territory or of an established government."[31] International lawyer Hersch Lauterpacht states that recognition is not merely a formality but an active interpretation in support of any facts. Once made however it cannot be arbitrarily revoked on account of another state's own discretion or internal politics.[24]

### Constitutive theory

The constitutive theory of statehood defines a state as a person of international law if, and only if, it is recognised as sovereign by at least one other state. This theory of recognition was developed in the 19th century. Under it, a state was sovereign if another sovereign state recognised it as such. Because of this, new states could not immediately become part of the international community or be bound by international law, and recognised nations did not have to respect international law in their dealings with them.[32] In 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, the Final Act recognised only 39 sovereign states in the European diplomatic system, and as a result, it was firmly established that in the future new states would have to be recognised by other states, and that meant in practice recognition by one or more of the great powers.[33]

One of the major criticisms of this law is the confusion caused when some states recognise a new entity, but other states do not. Hersch Lauterpacht, one of the theory's main proponents, suggested that a state must grant recognition as a possible solution. However, a state may use any criteria when judging if they should give recognition and they have no obligation to use such criteria. Many states may only recognise another state if it is to their advantage.[32]

In 1912, L. F. L. Oppenheim said the following, regarding constitutive theory:

> International Law does not say that a State is not in existence as long as it is not recognised, but it takes no notice of it before its recognition. Through recognition only and exclusively a State becomes an International Person and a subject of International Law.[34]

Recognition or non-recognition by other states can override declarative theory criteria in cases such as Kosovo and Somaliland.[35]

### Declarative theory

By contrast, the declarative theory of statehood defines a state as a person in international law if it meets the following criteria: 1) a defined territory; 2) a permanent population; 3) a government and 4) a capacity to enter into relations with other states. According to declarative theory, an entity's statehood is independent of its recognition by other states, as long as the sovereignty was not gained by military force. The declarative model was expressed in the 1933 Montevideo Convention.[36]

A "territory" in the international law context consists of land territory, internal waters, territorial sea, and air space above the territory. There is no requirement on strictly delimited borders or minimum size of the land, but artificial installations and uninhabitable territories cannot be considered territories sufficient for statehood. The term "permanent population" defines the community that has the intention to inhabit the territory permanently and is capable of supporting the superstructure of the State, though there is no requirement for a minimum population. The government must be capable of exercising effective control over a territory and population (the requirement known in legal theory as the "effective control test") and guarantee the protection of basic human rights by legal methods and policies. The "capacity to enter into relations with other states" reflects the entity's degree of independence.[37]

Article 3 of the Montevideo Convention declares that political statehood is independent of recognition by other states, and the state is not prohibited from defending itself.[38]

A similar opinion about "the conditions on which an entity constitutes a state" is expressed by the European Economic Community Opinions of the Badinter Arbitration Committee, which found that a state was defined by having a territory, a population, government, and capacity to enter into relations with other states.[39]

The Montevideo Convention criteria do not automatically create a state because additional requirements must be met. While they play an important role, they do not determine the status of a country in all cases, such as Kosovo, Rhodesia, and Somaliland.[35]

In practice, international relations take into account the effect of recognition and non-recognition. It is the act of recognition that affirms whether a country meets the requirements for statehood and is now subject to international law in the same way that other sovereign states are.[24][40]

### State recognition

State practice relating to the recognition of states typically falls somewhere between the declaratory and constitutive approaches.[41] International law does not require a state to recognise other states.[42] Recognition is often withheld when a new state is seen as illegitimate or has come about in breach of international law. Almost universal non-recognition by the international community of Rhodesia and Northern Cyprus are good examples of this, the former only having been recognized by South Africa, and the latter only recognized by Turkey. In the case of Rhodesia, recognition was widely withheld when the white minority seized power and attempted to form a state along the lines of Apartheid South Africa, a move that the United Nations Security Council described as the creation of an "illegal racist minority régime".[43]

In the case of Northern Cyprus, recognition was withheld from a state, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TNRC), created in Northern Cyprus.[44] International law contains no prohibition on declarations of independence,[45] and the recognition of a country is a political issue.[46] On 2 July 2013, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) decided that "notwithstanding the lack of international recognition of the regime in the northern area, a de facto recognition of its acts may be rendered necessary for practical purposes. Thus the adoption by the authorities of the "TRNC" of civil, administrative or criminal law measures, and their application or enforcement within that territory, may be regarded as having a legal basis in domestic law for the purposes of the Convention".[47] On 9 October 2014, the US's Federal Court stated that "the TRNC purportedly operates as a democratic republic with a president, prime minister, legislature and judiciary".[48][49][50] On 2 September 2015, ECtHR decided that "...the court system set up in the "TRNC" was to be considered to have been "established by law" with reference to the "constitutional and legal basis" on which it operated, and it has not accepted the allegation that the "TRNC" courts as a whole lacked independence and/or impartiality".[51] On 3 February 2017, the United Kingdom's High Court stated "There was no duty in the United Kingdom law upon the Government to refrain from recognizing Northern Cyprus. The United Nations itself works with Northern Cyprus law enforcement agencies and facilitates co-operation between the two parts of the island".[52] and revealed that the co-operation between the United Kingdom police and law agencies in Northern Cyprus is legal. Turkish Cypriots gained "observer status" in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and their representatives are elected in the Assembly of Northern Cyprus.[53] As a country, Northern Cyprus became an observer member in various international organizations (the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA), etc.).

### De facto and de jure states

De facto map of control of the world, May 2019

Most sovereign states are both de jure and de facto (i.e., they exist both according to law and in practice).[54] However, states which are only de jure are sometimes recognised as being the legitimate government of a territory over which they have no actual control.[55] For example, during the Second World War, governments-in-exile of several states continued to enjoy diplomatic relations with the Allies, notwithstanding that their countries were under occupation by Axis powers. Other entities may have de facto control over a territory but lack international recognition; these may be considered by the international community to be only de facto states. They are considered de jure states only according to their own law and by states that recognise them. For example, Somaliland is commonly considered to be such a state.[56][57][58][59]

Outlining the concept of a de facto state for EurasiaNet in early 2024, Laurence Broers wrote:

> De facto states can be understood as a product of the very system that excludes the possibility of their existence: the post-Second World War and post-colonial system of sovereign and equal states covering every centimeter of the globe.

> The hegemony of this system, at least until recent years, is what created the possibility of a de facto state as an anomaly existing outside of it - or in Alexander Iskandaryan's memorable phrase, as "temporary technical errors within the system of international law." The Soviet and Yugoslav collapses resulted in the emergence of numerous such entities, several of which, including Abkhazia, Transdniester, South Ossetia and the NKR, survived in the margins of international relations for decades despite non-recognition.[60]

### Semi-sovereign states

Sovereignty is most commonly conceptualised as something categorical, which is either present or absent, and the coherence of any intermediate position in that binary has been questioned, especially in the context of international law.[61] In spite of this, some authors admit the concept of a semi-sovereign state, a state which is officially acknowledged as sovereign but whose theoretical sovereignty is significantly impaired in practice, such as by being de facto subjected to a more powerful neighbour; Belarus, in its relationship with Russia, has been proposed as a contemporary example of a semi-sovereign state.[62] In a somewhat different sense, the term semi-sovereign was famously applied to West Germany by political scientist Peter Katzenstein in his 1987 book Policy and Politics in West Germany: The Growth of a Semi-sovereign State,[63] due to having a political system in which the sovereignty of the state was subject to limitations both internal (West Germany's federal system and the role of civil society) and external (membership in the European Community and reliance on its alliance with the United States and NATO for its national security).[64]

## Relationship between state and government

Although the terms "state" and "government" are often used interchangeably,[65] international law distinguishes between a non-physical state and its government; and in fact, the concept of "government-in-exile" is predicated upon that distinction.[66] States are non-physical juridical entities, not organisations of any kind.[67] However, ordinarily, only the government of a state can obligate or bind the state, for example by treaty.[66]

## State extinction

Generally speaking, states are durable entities, though they can become extinguished, either through voluntary means or outside forces, such as military conquest. Violent state abolition has virtually ceased since the end of World War II.[68] Because states are non-physical juridical entities, Robert Heath Robinson from the University of Buffalo argues that their extinction cannot be due to physical force alone.[69]

## Ontological status of the state

The ontological status of the state has been a subject of debate,[70] especially, whether or not the state, being an object that no one can see, taste, touch, or otherwise detect,[71] actually exists.

### The state as "quasi-abstract"

It has been argued that one potential reason why the existence of states has been controversial is that states do not have a place in the traditional Platonist duality of the concrete and the abstract.[72] Characteristically, concrete objects are those that have a position in time and space, which states do not have (though their territories have a spatial position, states are distinct from their territories), and abstract objects have a position in neither time nor space, which does not fit the supposed characteristics of states either, since states do have a temporal position (they can be created at certain times and then become extinct at a future time). Therefore, it has been argued that states belong to a third category, the quasi-abstract, that has recently begun to garner philosophical attention, especially in the area of Documentality, an ontological theory that seeks to understand the role of documents in understanding all of social reality. Quasi-abstract objects, such as states, can be brought into being through document acts, and can also be used to manipulate them, such as by binding them by treaty or surrendering them as the result of a war.[72]

Scholars in international relations can be broken up into two different practices, realists and pluralists, of what they believe the ontological state of the state is. Realists believe that the world is one of only states and interstate relations and the identity of the state is defined before any international relations with other states. On the other hand, pluralists believe that the state is not the only actor in international relations and interactions between states and the state is competing against many other actors.[73]

### The state as "spiritual entity"

Another theory of the ontology of the state is that the state is a spiritual,[74] or "mystical entity"[74] with its own being, distinct from the members of the state.[74] The German Idealist philosopher Georg Hegel (1770–1831) was perhaps the greatest proponent of this theory.[74] The Hegelian definition of the state is "the Divine Idea as it exists on Earth".[75]

## Trends in the number of states

Since the end of World War II, the number of sovereign states in the international system has surged.[76] Some research suggests that the existence of international and regional organisations, the greater availability of economic aid, and greater acceptance of the norm of self-determination have increased the desire of political units to secede and can be credited for the increase in the number of states in the international system.[77][78] Harvard economist Alberto Alesina and Tufts economist Enrico Spolaore argue in their book, Size of Nations, that the increase in the number of states can partly be credited to a more peaceful world, greater free trade and international economic integration, democratisation, and the presence of international organisations that co-ordinate economic and political policies.[79]

## See also

* List of sovereign states
* Associated state
* Dependent territory
* Exclusive mandate
* Failed state
* Federated state
* List of former sovereign states
* List of sovereign states (by formation date)
* List of sovereign states and dependent territories by continent
* List of states with limited recognition
* List of historical unrecognized states
* Monetary sovereignty
* Nation-building
* Non-Aligned Movement
* Rule according to higher law
* State-building
* Stateless society
* Unitary state
* Quasi-state
* Princely state
* Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a rare example of a contemporary sovereign, non-state entity
* Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations

## References

### Citations

1. ↑ Philpott, Daniel (1995). "Sovereignty: An Introduction and Brief History". Journal of International Affairs 48 (2): 353–368.
2. ↑ See the following:
* Wheaton, Henry (1836). Elements of international law: with a sketch of the history of the science. Carey, Lea & Blanchard. p. 51. "A sovereign state is generally defined to be any nation or people, whatever may be the form of its internal constitution, which governs itself independently of foreign powers."
* "sovereign", The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Houghton Mifflin Company), 2004, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sovereign, retrieved 21 February 2010, "adj. 1. Self-governing; independent: a sovereign state."
* "sovereign", The New Oxford American Dictionary (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-19-517077-1, "adjective ... [ attrib. ] (of a nation or state) fully independent and determining its own affairs."
* Pellet, Alain (1992). "The Opinions of the Badinter Arbitration Committee A Second Breath for the Self-Determination of Peoples". European Journal of International Law 3 (1): 178–185. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.ejil.a035802. "The Committee considers [...] that the state is commonly defined as a community which consists of a territory and a population subject to an organized political authority; that such a state is characterized by sovereignty; [...]".
3. ↑ Fowler, Michael Ross; Bunck, Julie Marie (1996). "What constitutes the sovereign state?". Review of International Studies (Cambridge University Press (CUP)) 22 (4): 381–404. doi:10.1017/s0260210500118637.
4. ↑ "Countries Not in the United Nations 2024". https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-not-in-the-un.
5. ↑ Talmon, Stefan (2001). "Recognition and its Variants". Recognition of Governments in International Law. pp. 44–112. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199248391.003.0003. ISBN 978-0-19-924839-1.
6. ↑ See the following:
* Shaw, Malcolm Nathan (2003). International law. Cambridge University Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-5215-3183-2. https://archive.org/details/internationallaw00shaw_380. "Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States, 1 lays down the most widely accepted formulation of the criteria of statehood in international law. It note that the state as an international person should possess the following qualifications: '(a) a permanent population; (b) a defined territory; (c) government; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with other states'" .
* Jasentuliyana, Nandasiri, ed (1995). Perspectives on international law. Kluwer Law International. p. 20. "So far as States are concerned, the traditional definitions provided for in the Montevideo Convention remain generally accepted."
7. ↑ Visoka, Gëzim (2022). "Statehood and recognition in world politics: Towards a critical research agenda". Cooperation and Conflict 57 (2): 133–151. doi:10.1177/00108367211007876.
8. ↑ Hoch, Tomáš (2018). "Legitimization of Statehood and its Impact on Foreign Policy in De Facto States: A Case Study of Abkhazia". Iran & the Caucasus (Brill) 22 (4): 382–407. doi:10.1163/1573384X-20180406.
9. ↑ "Peace Treaty of Westphalia (1648): Consequences in International Relations" (in en). 7 November 2019. https://global-politics.eu/peace-treaty-westphalia-1648-consequences-international-relations/.
10. ↑ Krasner, Stephen D. (1999). Sovereignty: Organised Hypocrisy. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-00711-3.
11. ↑ Núñez, Jorge Emilio (2013). "About the Impossibility of Absolute State Sovereignty". International Journal for the Semiotics of Law 27 (4): 645–664. doi:10.1007/s11196-013-9333-x.
12. ↑ Wilde, Ralph (2009). "From Trusteeship to Self-Determination and Back Again: The Role of the Hague Regulations in the Evolution of International Trusteeship, and the Framework of Rights and Duties of Occupying Powers". Loy. L.A. Int'l & Comp. L. Rev. 31: 85–142 [p. 94].
13. ↑ Lassa Oppenheim, International Law 66 (Sir Arnold D. McNair ed., 4th ed. 1928)
14. ↑ Akweenda, Sackey (1997). "Sovereignty in cases of Mandated Territories". International law and the protection of Namibia's territorial integrity. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 40. ISBN 978-90-411-0412-0.
15. ↑ "Chapter IV Fundamental Rights and Duties of States". Charter of the Organization of American States. Secretariat of The Organization of American States. http://www.oas.org/dil/treaties_A-41_Charter_of_the_Organization_of_American_States.htm#ch4.
16. ↑ "Draft Declaration on Rights and Duties of States". UN Treaty Organization. 1949. http://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/draft articles/2_1_1949.pdf.
17. ↑ "General Assembly resolution 1803 (XVII) of 14 December 1962, "Permanent sovereignty over natural resources"". United Nations. http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/resources.htm.
18. ↑ Schwebel, Stephen M. (1963). "The Story of the U.N.'s Declaration on Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources". American Bar Association Journal 49 (5): 463–469.
19. ↑ "International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights". 16 December 1966. https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CCPR.aspx.
20. ↑ Grinin, L. E (2008). "Globalization and Sovereignty: Why do States Abandon their Sovereign Prerogatives?". Age of Globalization (1). https://www.socionauki.ru/journal/articles/127716/.
21. ↑ Turner, Bryan S. (July 2007). "Islam, Religious Revival and the Sovereign State". The Muslim World 97 (3): 405–418. doi:10.1111/j.1478-1913.2007.00187.x.
22. ↑ Simpson, Gerry (2004). "Sovereign Equalities". Great Powers and Outlaw States: Unequal Sovereigns in the International Legal Order. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 25–61. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511494185. ISBN 978-0-521-82761-4.
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Bankas, Ernest K. (2005). The State Immunity Controversy in International Law. doi:10.1007/3-540-27883-4. ISBN 978-3-540-25695-3.
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Grant, Thomas D. (1999). "Chapter 1". The recognition of states: law and practice in debate and evolution. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger.
25. ↑ HSE University; Bratersky, Maxim; Skriba, Andrei; HSE University; Sapogova, Arina; HSE University (November 1, 2021). "The Struggle for Recognition or Enhancement of Satus: Conditions for the Stability and Development of Unrecognized States Using the Example of Eurasia". International Organisations Research Journal 16 (3): 203–219. doi:10.17323/1996-7845-2021-03-09. https://iorj.hse.ru/2021-16-3/518028442.html. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
26. ↑ Fowler, Michael Ross; Bunck, Julie Marie (1996). "What constitutes the sovereign state?". Review of International Studies (Cambridge University Press (CUP)) 22 (4): 381–404. doi:10.1017/s0260210500118637. ISSN 0260-2105.
27. ↑ Samantha Besson. "Sovereignty". Oxford Public International Law. https://opil.ouplaw.com/display/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-9780199231690-e1472.
28. ↑ Grzybowski, Janis (October 8, 2019). "The paradox of state identification:de factostates, recognition, and the (re-)production of the international". International Theory (Cambridge University Press (CUP)) 11 (3): 241–263. doi:10.1017/s1752971919000113. ISSN 1752-9719.
29. ↑ See B. Broms, "IV Recognition of States", pp 47–48 in International law: achievements and prospects, UNESCO Series, Mohammed Bedjaoui(ed), Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1991, ISBN 92-3-102716-6 [1]
30. ↑ Frederick Tse-shyang Chen. "HE MEANING OF "STATES" IN THE MEMBERSHIP PROVISIONS OF THE UNITED NATIONS CHARTER". https://mckinneylaw.iu.edu/practice/law-reviews/iiclr/pdf/vol12p25.pdf.
31. ↑ See Israel Yearbook on Human Rights, 1989, Yoram Dinstein, Mala Tabory eds., Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1990, ISBN 0-7923-0450-0, page 135–136 [2]
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Hillier, Tim (1998). Sourcebook on Public International Law. Routledge. pp. 201–2. ISBN 978-1-85941-050-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=Kr0sOuIx8q8C.
33. ↑ Kalevi Jaakko Holsti Taming the Sovereigns p. 128.
34. ↑ Lassa Oppenheim, Ronald Roxburgh (2005). International Law: A Treatise. The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.. pp. 135. ISBN 978-1-58477-609-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=vxJ1Jwmyw0EC&pg=PA135.
35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Akande, Dapo (7 August 2013). "The Importance of Legal Criteria for Statehood: A Response to Jure Vidmar" (in English). https://www.ejiltalk.org/the-importance-of-legal-criteria-for-statehood-a-response-to-jure-vidmar/.
36. ↑ Hersch Lauterpacht (2012). Recognition in International Law. Cambridge University Press. p. 419. ISBN 9781107609433. https://books.google.com/books?id=EWgEv1Qq2TwC&pg=PA419. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
37. ↑ Bachmann, Sascha Dov; Prazauskas, Martinas (19 December 2019). "The Status of Unrecognized Quasi-States and Their Responsibilities Under the Montevideo Convention". The International Lawyer 52 (3): 400–410. https://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=641117074119116071091029095088081024016073027027075062101005081022079120102112119011096100063045053098009088083101104031096022059021009023036095081099026082082087125060082063067114003111020000119012085025124069081114093080123002084107102096092069024110&EXT=pdf. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
38. ↑ "Convention on Rights and Duties of States". http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/treaties/a-40.html.
39. ↑ Castellino, Joshua (2000). International Law and Self-Determination: The Interplay of the Politics of Territorial Possession With Formulations of Post-Colonial National Identity. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 77. ISBN 978-90-411-1409-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=uGMxfj4oedEC.
40. ↑ Lauterpacht, Hersch (2012). Recognition in International Law. Cambridge University Press. pp. 64. ISBN 9781107609433. https://books.google.com/books?id=EWgEv1Qq2TwC&pg=PA64. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
41. ↑ Shaw 2003, p. 369.
42. ↑ Opinion No. 10. of the Arbitration Commission of the Conference on Yugoslavia.
43. ↑ United Nations Security Council Resolution 216
44. ↑ United Nations Security Council Resolution 541
45. ↑ BBC The President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Hisashi Owada (2010): "International law contains no prohibition on declarations of independence."
46. ↑ Oshisanya, An Almanac of Contemporary and Comperative Judicial Restatement, 2016 p.64: The ICJ maintained that ... the issue of recognition was apolitical.
47. ↑ ECtHR The decision of 02.07.2013. paragraph 29
48. ↑ Abbott, Ryan (October 13, 2014). "Property Spat Over Turk-|Controlled Cyprus Fails". https://www.courthousenews.com/property-spat-over-turk-controlled-cyprus-fails/.
49. ↑ "Michali Toumazou, Nicolas Kantzilaris and Maroulla Tompazou versus Republic of Turkey and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus". http://dockets.justia.com/docket/district-of-columbia/dcdce/1:2009cv01967/139002.
50. ↑ "Opinion stating the reasons for the Court's Order of September 30, 2014 granting both the TRNC's and the HSBC defendants' motions to dismiss, denying the plaintiffs' motion for leave to amend, and dismissing this action with prejudice for Toumazou et al v. Republic of Turkey et al". https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/district-of-columbia/dcdce/1:2009cv01967/139002/53.
51. ↑ ECtHR The decision of 02.09.2015. paragraph 237.
52. ↑ The Telegraph 03.02.2017 Criminals fleeing British justice can no longer use Cyprus as a safe haven, judges rule, in landmark decision
53. ↑ James Ker-Lindsay (UN SG's Former Special Representative for Cyprus) The Foreign Policy of Counter Secession: Preventing the Recognition of Contested States, p.149
54. ↑ Czapliński, W.; Kleczkowska, A.; Scholar, W.N. (2019). Unrecognised Subjects in International Law. Scholar Publishing House. p. 26. ISBN 978-83-7383-964-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=XuKnDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA26. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
55. ↑ Goodwin-Gill, Guy S.; Talmon, Stefan (1999-10-14). The Reality of International LawEssays in Honour of Ian Brownlie. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198268376.003.0023. ISBN 978-0-19-826837-6.
56. ↑ Arieff, Alexis (2008). "De facto Statehood? The Strange Case of Somaliland". Yale Journal of International Affairs 3: 60–79. http://yalejournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/083206arieff.pdf. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
57. ↑ "The List: Six Reasons You May Need A New Atlas Soon". Foreign Policy Magazine. July 2007. https://foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3903.
58. ↑ "Overview of De-facto States". Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization. July 2008. http://www.unpo.org/content/view/8418/244/.
59. ↑ Wiren, Robert (April 2008). "France recognises de facto Somaliland". Les Nouvelles d'Addis Magazine. http://www.lesnouvelles.org/P10_magazine/15_grandentretien/15055_mahamudsalahnur_eng.html.
60. ↑ Broers, Laurence (2024-01-02). "The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic: The life and death of an unrecognized state". EurasiaNet. https://eurasianet.org/the-nagorno-karabakh-republic-the-life-and-death-of-an-unrecognized-state.
61. ↑ Grant, John P.; Barker, J. Craig (2009-10-02) (in en). Parry and Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law. Oxford University Press. pp. 552. ISBN 978-0-19-987491-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=Qu7QCwAAQBAJ. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
62. ↑ Hancock, Kathleen J. (April 2006). "The Semi-Sovereign State: Belarus and the Russian Neo-Empire". Foreign Policy Analysis 2 (2): 117–136. doi:10.1111/j.1743-8594.2006.00023.x.
63. ↑ Katzenstein, Peter J. (1987) (in en). Policy and Politics in West Germany: The Growth of a Semisovereign State. Temple University Press. ISBN 978-0-87722-264-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=nwBrQgAACAAJ. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
64. ↑ Padgett, Stephen; Jeffery, C.; Bulmer, Simon (2014-01-14) (in en). Rethinking Germany and Europe: Democracy and Diplomacy in a Semi-Sovereign State. Palgrave Macmillan UK. ISBN 978-1-349-58924-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=XHrQtwEACAAJ. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
65. ↑ Robinson, Edward Heath (August 2013). "The Distinction Between State and Government". Geography Compass 7 (8): 556–566. doi:10.1111/gec3.12065. Bibcode: 2013GComp...7..556R.
66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 Crawford, J. (2006). The Creation of States in International Law (2nd ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0-19-826002-8.
67. ↑ Robinson, Edward Heath (2010). "An ontological analysis of states: Organizations vs. legal persons". Applied Ontology 5 (2): 109–125. doi:10.3233/AO-2010-0077.
68. ↑ Fazal, Tanisha M. (2004). "State Death in the International System". International Organization 58 (2): 311–344. doi:10.1017/S0020818304582048.
69. ↑ Robinson, Edward Heath (2011). "The Involuntary Extinction of States: An Examination of the Destruction of States though the Application of Military Force by Foreign Powers since the Second World War". The Journal of Military Geography 1: 17–29. http://www.edwardheath.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Destruction-of-States.pdf. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
70. ↑ Ringmar, Erik (1996). "On the ontological status of the state". European Journal of International Relations 2 (4): 439–466. doi:10.1177/1354066196002004002. (full text)
71. ↑ A. James (1986). Sovereign Statehood: The Basis of International Society (London: Allen & Unwin)
72. ↑ 72.0 72.1 Robinson, Edward H. (2014). "A documentary theory of states and their existence as quasi-abstract entities". Geopolitics 19 (3): 461–489. doi:10.1080/14650045.2014.913027. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/46395762/My Articles/Documentary Theory of States.pdf. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
73. ↑ Ringmar, Erik (1996). "On the Ontological Status of the State". European Journal of International Relations 10 (2).
74. ↑ 74.0 74.1 74.2 74.3 Schmandt & Steinbicker 1956, p. 71
75. ↑ Schmandt & Steinbicker 1956, p. 71 (citing Hegel's Philosophy of History, trans. J. Sibree [New York: Wiley Book Co., 1934]); see also Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich (2012). The Philosophy of History. Courier Corporation. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-486-11900-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=bniImd3dIMkC.
76. ↑ "The SAGE Handbook of Diplomacy". SAGE Publications. pp. 294–295. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/the-sage-handbook-of-diplomacy/book242760#contents.
77. ↑ Fazal, Tanisha M.; Griffiths, Ryan D. (March 2014). "Membership Has Its Privileges: The Changing Benefits of Statehood". International Studies Review 16 (1): 79–106. doi:10.1111/misr.12099.
78. ↑ "The State of Secession in International Politics". 23 September 2016. http://www.e-ir.info/2016/09/23/the-state-of-secession-in-international-politics/.
79. ↑ Alesina, Alberto; Spolaore, Enrico (7 November 2003). The Size of Nations. MIT Press. ISBN 9780262012041. https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/size-nations. Retrieved 16 November 2016.

### Sources

* Schmandt, Henry J.; Steinbicker, Paul G. (1956). Fundamentals of Government (2nd printing ed.). Bruce Publishing Company. https://books.google.com/books?id=zCaLngEACAAJ. Retrieved 17 November 2017.

## Further reading

* Angie, Antony (26 April 2007). Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International Law. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-82892-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=VJuHlZ1_fbEC.
* Butcher, Charles R.; Griffiths, Ryan D. (17 January 2020). "States and their international relations since 1816: introducing version 2 of the International System(s) Dataset (ISD)". International Interactions 46 (2): 291–308. doi:10.1080/03050629.2020.1707199.
* Chen, Ti-chiang. The International Law of Recognition, with Special Reference to Practice in Great Britain and the United States. London, 1951.
* Crawford, James. The Creation of States in International Law. Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-19-825402-4, pp. 15–24.
* Dieter Grimm (21 April 2015). Sovereignty: The Origin and Future of a Political and Legal Concept. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-53930-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=PbXoBgAAQBAJ.
* Lauterpacht, Hersch (2012). Recognition in International Law. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107609433. https://books.google.com/books?id=EWgEv1Qq2TwC&pg=PA419.
* Muir, Richard (1981). Modern Political Geography (Second ed.). Macmillan International Higher Education. ISBN 9781349860760. https://books.google.com/books?id=GlBdDwAAQBAJ. * Raič, D. Statehood and the Law of Self-determination. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2002. ISBN 978-90-411-1890-5. p 29 (with reference to Oppenheim in International Law Vol. 1 1905 p110)
* Schmandt, Henry J., and Paul G. Steinbicker. Fundamentals of Government, "Part Three. The Philosophy of the State" (Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1954 [2nd printing, 1956]). 507 pgs. 23 cm. LOC classification: JA66 .S35 Fundamentals of government

## External links

* A Brief Primer on International Law With cases and commentary. Nathaniel Burney, 2007.
* What constitutes the sovereign state? by Michael Ross Fowler and Julie Marie Bunck
* Links to the best political risk websites, ipoliticalrisk.com information on tracking, evaluating and managing sovereign risk for trade and permanent investment
* Legal opinion by the Negotiations Support Unit in the Palestinian Authority on transitional sovereignty (PDF)

Template:Types of state

* v
* t
* e

Designations for types of administrative territorial entities

English terms

Common English terms1

Area|

* Insular area
* Local government area
* Protected area
* Special area
* Statistical area
* Combined statistical area
* Metropolitan statistical area
* Micropolitan statistical area
* Trade area
* Free-trade area
* Urban area

Borough|

* County borough
* Metropolitan borough

Canton|

Half-canton

Capital|

* Federal capital
* Imperial capital

City|

* Autonomous city
* Charter city
* Independent city
* Incorporated city
* Imperial city
* Free imperial city
* Royal free city

Community|

* Autonomous community
* Residential community

County|

* Administrative county
* Autonomous county
* Consolidated city-county
* Metropolitan county
* Non-metropolitan county
* Viscountcy

Country|

* Overseas country

Department|

* Overseas department

District|

* Capital district
* City district
* Congressional district
* Electoral district
* Federal district
* Indian government district
* Land district
* Metropolitan district
* Non-metropolitan district
* Military district
* Municipal district
* Police district
* Regional district
* Rural district
* Sanitary district
* Service district
* Educational service district
* Local service district
* School district
* Intermediate school district
* Special district
* in the US
* Subdistrict
* Urban district

Division|

* Census division
* Police division
* Subdivision

Municipality|

* City municipality
* County municipality
* Regional county municipality
* Direct-controlled municipality
* District municipality
* Neutral municipality
* Regional municipality
* Resort municipality
* Mountain resort municipality
* Rural municipality
* Specialized municipality

Prefecture|

* Autonomous prefecture
* Subprefecture
* Super-prefecture
* Praetorian prefecture

Province|

* Autonomous province
* Overseas province
* Roman province

Region|

* Administrative region
* Special administrative region
* Autonomous region
* Capital region
* National capital region
* Development region
* Economic region
* Mesoregion
* Microregion
* Overseas region
* Planning region
* Statistical region
* Subregion

Reserve|

* Biosphere reserve
* Ecological reserve
* Game reserve
* Indian reserve
* Nature reserve

State|

* City-state
* Federal state
* Free state
* Sovereign state

Territory|

* Capital territory
* Federal capital territory
* National capital territory
* Dependent territory
* Federal territory
* Incorporated territory
* Organized incorporated territory
* Military territory
* Overseas territory
* Union territory
* Unorganized territory

Town|

* Census town
* Market town

Township|

* Charter township
* Civil township
* Paper township
* Survey township
* Urban township

Unit|

* Administrative unit
* Local administrative unit
* Municipal unit
* Regional unit
* Territorial unit
* Autonomous territorial unit

Zone|

* Economic zone
* Exclusive economic zone
* Free economic zone
* Special economic zone
* Exclusion zone
* Military exclusion zone
* Free speech zone
* Neutral zone
* Self-administered zone
* Trade zone
* Free-trade zone

Other English terms

Current|

* Alpine resort
* Bailiwick
* Banner
* Autonomous
* Block
* Cadastre
* Circle
* Circuit
* Colony
* Commune
* Condominium
* Constituency
* Duchy
* Eldership
* Emirate
* Federal dependency
* Governorate
* Hamlet
* Ilkhanate
* Indian reservation
* Manor
* Royal
* Muftiate
* Neighbourhood
* Parish
* Periphery
* Precinct
* Principality
* Protectorate
* Quarter
* Regency
* Autonomous republic
* Riding
* Sector
* Autonomous
* Shire
* Sultanate
* Suzerainty
* Townland
* Village
* Summer
* Ward

Historical|

* Agency
* Barony
* Burgh
* Exarchate
* Hide
* Hundred
* Imperial Circle
* March
* Monthon
* Presidency
* Residency
* Roman diocese
* Seat
* Tenth
* Tithing

1 Used by ten or more countries or having derived terms. Historical derivations in italics.

Non-English or loanwords

| Current|

* Amt
* Bakhsh
* Barangay
* Bezirk
* Regierungsbezirk
* Comune
* Frazione
* Fu
* Gemeinde
* Austria
* Germany
* South Tyrol
* Switzerland
* Gemeente
* Gmina
* Județ
* Kampong
* Kommun / kunta
* Finland
* Sweden
* Län (Sweden)
* Landskap (Finland)
* Località
* Maakunta
* Megye
* Muban
* Mukim
* Oblast
* Autonomous
* Okrug
* Ostān
* Poblacion
* Purok
* Shahrestān
* Sum
* Sýsla
* Tehsil
* Vingtaine

|

Historical|

* Commote
* Gau
* Heerlijkheid
* Köping
* Län / lääni
* Landskap (Sweden)
* Landskommun
* Maalaiskunta
* Nome
* Egypt
* Greece
* Pagus
* Pargana
* Plasă
* Satrapy
* Socken
* Subah
* Syssel
* Zhou

* v
* t
* e

Arabic terms for country subdivisions

First-level|

* Muhafazah (محافظة governorate)
* Wilayah (ولاية province)
* Mintaqah (منطقة region)
* Mudiriyah (مديرية directorate)
* Imarah (إمارة emirate)
* Baladiyah (بلدية municipality)
* Shabiyah (شعبية "popularate")

Second / third-level|

* Mintaqah (منطقة region)
* Qadaa (قضاء district)
* Nahiyah (ناحية subdistrict)
* Markaz (مركز district)
* Mutamadiyah (معتمدية "delegation")
* Daerah/Daïra (دائرة circle)
* Liwa (لواء banner / sanjak)

City / township-level|

* Amanah (أمانة municipality)
* Baladiyah (بلدية municipality)
* Ḥai (حي neighborhood / quarter)
* Mahallah (محلة)
* Qarya (قرية)
* Sheyakhah (شياخة "neighborhood subdivision")
* Majlis Mahalliyy (مجلس محلي local council)
* Majlis ʾIqlimiyy (مجلس اقليمي regional council)

English translations given are those most commonly used.

* v
* t
* e

French terms for country subdivisions

* arrondissement
* département
* préfecture
* subprefectures

* v
* t
* e

Greek terms for country subdivisions

Modern|

* apokentromenes dioikiseis / geniki dioikisis§ / diamerisma§ / periphereia
* nomos§ / periphereiaki enotita
* demos / eparchia§ / koinotita§

Historical|

* archontia/archontaton
* bandon
* demos
* despotaton
* dioikesis
* doukaton
* droungos
* eparchia
* exarchaton
* katepanikion
* kephalatikion
* kleisoura
* meris
* naukrareia
* satrapeia
* strategis
* thema
* toparchia
* tourma

§ signifies a defunct institution

* v
* t
* e

Portuguese terms for country subdivisions

Regional subdivisions|

* Estado
* Distrito federal
* Província
* Região
* Distrito
* Comarca
* Capitania

Local subdivisions|

* Município
* Concelho
* Freguesia
* Comuna
* Circunscrição

Settlements|

* Cidade
* Vila
* Aldeia
* Bairro
* Lugar

* Historical subdivisions in italics.

* v
* t
* e

Slavic terms for country subdivisions

Current|

* dzielnica
* gmina
* krai
* kraj
* krajina / pokrajina
* městys
* obec
* oblast / oblast' / oblasti / oblys / obwód / voblast'
* okręg
* okres
* okrug
* opština / općina / občina / obshtina
* osiedle
* powiat / povit
* raion
* selsoviet / silrada
* sołectwo
* voivodeship / vojvodina
* županija

Historical|

* darugha
* gromada
* guberniya / gubernia
* jurydyka
* khutor
* obshchina
* okolia
* opole
* pogost
* prowincja
* sorok
* srez
* starostwo / starostva
* uyezd
* volost
* ziemia
* župa

* v
* t
* e

Spanish terms for country subdivisions

National, Federal|

* Comunidad autónoma
* Departamento
* Distrito federal
* Estado
* Provincia
* Región

Regional, Metropolitan|

* Cantón
* Comarca
* Comuna
* Corregimiento
* Delegación
* Distrito
* Mancomunidad
* Merindad
* Municipalidad
* Municipio
* Parroquia
* Ecuador
* Spain

Urban, Rural|

* Aldea
* Alquería
* Anteiglesia
* Asentamiento
* Asentamiento informal
* Pueblos jóvenes
* Barrio
* Campamento
* Caserío
* Ciudad
* Ciudad autónoma
* Colonia
* Lugar
* Masía
* Pedanía
* Población
* Ranchería
* Sitio
* Vereda
* Villa
* Village (Pueblito/Pueblo)

* Historical subdivisions in italics.

* v
* t
* e

Turkish terms for country subdivisions

Modern|

* il (province)
* ilçe (district)
* şehir (city)
* kasaba (town)
* belediye (municipality)
* belde (community)
* köy (village)
* mahalle (neighbourhood/quarter)

Historical|

* ağalık (feudal district)
* bucak (subdistrict)
* beylerbeylik (province)
* kadılık (subprovince)
* kaza (sub-province)
* hidivlik (viceroyalty)
* mutasarrıflık (subprovince)
* nahiye (nahiyah)
* paşalık (province)
* reya (Romanian principalities)
* sancak (prefecture)
* vilayet (province)
* voyvodalık (Romanian provinces)

See also: Census division, Electoral district, Political division, and List of administrative divisions by country

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