A nation is a social and political community of people who share a collective identity based on common features such as language, history, culture, ethnicity, territory, or society. It is a group that recognizes itself as distinct from others and often wishes to control its own affairs. Nations can be formed around ethnic ties (ethnic nationalism) or political and civic principles (civic nationalism)

. Scholars generally agree that nations are socially constructed and historically contingent entities rather than natural or primordial groups. The concept of a nation involves an "imagined community," where members feel a sense of unity despite not knowing most other members personally

. A nation differs from a state, which is a political entity with formal institutions of government, defined territorial boundaries, and sovereignty. A state may contain one or multiple nations, and a nation may exist without its own state, as seen with groups like the Kurds or Palestinians. When a state is largely composed of a single nation, it is often called a nation-state

. In summary, a nation is:

• A community of people with shared cultural, historical, linguistic, or ethnic ties
• A socially constructed and flexible identity
• Often linked to a specific territory but not necessarily coinciding with political borders
• Distinguished from a state, which is a sovereign political entity with governance structures