Four Characteristics of a State
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territory
must have known and recognized boundaries
sovereignty
decides its own foreign and domestic policies; neither subordinate nor responsible to any other authority; sovereignty distinguishes the state from all other, lesser political units; states within the US are NOT sovereign; location of sovereignty is crucial
government
every state has a government; consists of the machinery and personal by which the state is ruled; has power to rule
population
size of a population has nothing to do with existence of a state; may be homogeneous or heterogeneous
