Which term describes a country or state that is sovereign, with defined borders, government, and a population sharing culture?

• A. Nation
• B. Nation-State
• C. Ethnic Nationalism
• D. Civic Nationalism

Answer: (B)

A nation-state describes a sovereign country with defined borders, its own government, and a population that shares a common culture. This combination—political legitimacy (sovereignty and government), clear boundaries, and a sense of cultural or national unity among the people—is what makes a political unit a nation-state.

A nation, by contrast, is more about the cultural community itself and does not require its own state or defined borders. Ethnic nationalism centers on ethnicity as the basis of national belonging, which emphasizes shared ancestry, language, or heritage rather than how a state is organized. Civic nationalism focuses on shared political values and citizenship as the basis for belonging, not ethnicity.