Question

What are the features of Nation?

Answer 1

The word 'nation' is derived from the Latin word 'Nasci' meaning 'to be born'. Thus, the literal meaning of a nation is a people having a common race/ethnicity or cultural linkages. Earnest Barker defines a nation as a body of men, inhabiting a definite territory, who normally are drawn from different races but possess a common stock of thoughts and feelings acquired and transmitted during the course of common history. A nation refers to a large group of people, united in common bonds of geography, race, history, religion, language, sharing common objectives.

Features of a Nation:

1. Population: A nation must have a population that has a sense of ethnic, historical, and cultural oneness.
2. Feeling of community: The emotional dimension of a nation is a perception held by the population of psychological oneness i.e., they are a community.
3. Desire to be politically separate: A feeling of unity and of being a nation is a product of the urge for 'self-determination'. This can lead to a demand for self-governance. This signifies that people who feel united should have the right to decide the type of government that they prefer.